This just came through on my synagogue's list. Caroline R. Miller Head of Monographic Cataloging and Authority/Database Maintenance Sections UCLA Library Cataloging & Metadata Center BOX 957230 11020 Kinross Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90095-7230 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (310) 825-4446 Fax: (310) 794-9357
From: Temple Beth Am [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:30 PM Subject: Federation Establishes Emergency Fire Relief Fund Emergency Fire Relief Dear Friends: With wildfires raging throughout Southern California, we join together as a community to express our sympathy for the victims, including the families of those who have lost their lives, those whose homes and businesses have been destroyed or damaged; all whose lives have been shattered by the tragic events of this week. We are grateful for the firefighters who are working tirelessly, putting their own lives at risk. After being in touch with individuals and organizations in the affected areas, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has established a special Fire Emergency Relief Fund. Although the extent of the needs is not yet clear, we are working with our own local Federation beneficiary agencies and the Federations and congregations of Orange County and the San Diego area to prioritize requests for assistance. We are immediately advancing $50,000 to the relief fund in order to help respond to emergency requests. Make an Emergency Donation Monetary donations are needed and welcome. To donate to the Fire Emergency Relief Fund call (323) 761-8200 or send a check to The Jewish Federation, 6505 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90048, made payable to The Jewish Federation with the words "Fire Relief Fund" in the memo line. You can also make an emergency donation online by clicking here. Impact on Jewish Communities Rabbi Mark Diamond of the Federation's Board of Rabbis has been speaking with rabbis of congregations in the affected areas and working closely with colleagues at Jewish Federations of San Diego and Orange County; the directors of the regional offices of the Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist and Reform movements; Jewish Family Service and other agencies to coordinate our response to this disaster. To date, we are not aware of any synagogues or other Jewish institutions that have been severely damaged or destroyed in the fires. Congregations in and around Malibu, San Bernardino and San Diego report many member families that have been evacuated from their homes. We know that some families have lost their homes or sustained severe property damage. We have been in touch with rabbis and staff of many congregations. Update from United Jewish Federation of San Diego County In a nutshell, a short time ago the sheriff's department reported 346,000 homes evacuated and they expect that number to increase before the Santa Ana winds subside later in the week. Virtually every synagogue and agency is affected. In fact, I would dare to say that everyone in this city knows someone who was evacuated or were themselves directly impacted. From my house I could see the fire line about 20 miles in the distance (I was evacuated in the 2003 fires). I sent my kids to a friend's for the day because I didn't want them home by themselves (they're 14 and 16) watching the fire in the distance or on the news, scaring themselves crazy. Some synagogues were evacuated. Our community's Jewish nursing home evacuated all of the residents at their assisted living facility; most of the residents of their SNF in a different part of the County were also evacuated. As of right now I have not heard reports of any Jewish institutions sustaining serious damage (other than smoke). All schools in San Diego County - public and private, elementary through college - are closed today. The Wild Animal Park and Sea World are also closed. Many businesses are closed. Most major freeways are open for passage except when the fire is too close for safety. The roads need to be kept as open as possible for evacuation purposes. They're asking people to minimize cell phone usage. Our power went down for a few minutes yesterday (a word from G-d, perhaps?). Power has gone down to thousands of customers throughout the area. Qualcomm has become a major staging ground and shelter. It's been reported that 40 San Diego Chargers players and staff have been evacuated. The team is temporarily relocated to Arizona. Today's temperature will be HOT (about 95 near my house) with very low humidity and high winds (that's part of the Santa Ana weather condition). I'll keep you posted. Tina Friedman Director, Community Relations United Jewish Federation of San Diego County T Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
