Diaspora minister pushing $1 million aid package for Houston Jews

Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday he is working toward approving a $1 million aid package for the Houston Jewish community to repair the damage caused by flooding from Harvey.

“The Jewish State is measured by its response when our brothers around the world are in crisis,” Bennett, who heads the Jewish Home party, said in a statement.

Bennett said the aid will go to repairing Jewish schools, synagogues, and the Jewish Community Center, which do not receive US government aid.

“The city of Houston was hurt badly last week, and the Jewish community, 70% of which lived in the flooded neighborhoods, was hit hard,” said Bennett, who is also education minister. “Schools and synagogues were flooded and can’t be used. The old-age home and JCC were damaged, and hundreds of families will remain homeless.”

“From talks we’ve had over the past week with the heads of the community and Israel’s consul general we learned the damage is vast, and the rehabilitation will take years,” he added.

“For years the Jewish communities stood by Israel when it needed their help; now it is our turn to stand by Houston’s Jewish community.”

Bennett said the Diaspora Ministry was working on finalizing the aid package, which he said will be transferred to Israel’s consulate in Houston to distribute directly to the local Jewish community.

He also said he would bring up the aid plan for government approval in the next cabinet meeting.

Also Monday, the Bay Area-based foundation Taube Philanthropies said it would contribute $1 million toward Houston relief, with $100,000 earmarked for the Jewish community.

Harvey slammed into Texas on August 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, but brought the worst flooding to Houston and other areas as a tropical storm. The rain totaled nearly 52 inches (1.3 meters) in some spots, and the storm is blamed for at least 44 deaths.

An official from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston said the city’s Jewish community has seen “devastating” damage from Harvey and could take years to recover.

Seventy-one percent of the city’s Jewish population of 63,700 lives in areas that have experienced high flooding, Taryn Baranowski, the chief marketing officer for the federation, told JTA last week. That includes 12,000 Jewish seniors.

Three of the city’s five major synagogues have experienced major flooding, Baranowski said. The federation is communicating with the rest of Houston’s synagogues – the area is home to 42 congregations and communities — but is focusing on helping people impacted by Harvey.

The Evelyn Rubinstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, the city’s only JCC, was flooded with 10 feet of water, while Jewish schools were closed, with some experiencing major flooding.

To assist with the recovery efforts, Bennett has urged Israelis to contribute to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund set up by the Jewish Federations of North America, while a team from the IsraAID NGO has arrived in Houston to provide assistance in the wake of the massive devastation in the city.