Earthquake in Haiti

May 22, 2013 | 13th Sivan 5773

An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing more than 250,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

The Reform Jewish community has a long history of generosity when natural disasters affect communities worldwide. Your generosity at this critical time enables us to play a role in recovery efforts and to bring healing and hope to those whose lives have been affected.

Donations to the URJ's Haiti Relief Fund may be made online or by check (note: Haiti Relief in the memo section) to:

Union for Reform Judaism
Attention: Development
633 Third Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Canadian donors: The Canadian government will match donations for Haiti disaster relief up to a total of $50 million. To make a tax-receipted donation, please donate online or mail checks (payable to the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism) to:

3845 Bathurst Street, Suite 301
Toronto, Ontario M3H 3N2
Canada

For more information, call Sandra Levy at the Canadian Council at 416.630.0375 ext. 223 or email slevy@urj.org.

Note: The URJ retains no overhead expenses for disaster relief donations, other than direct costs such as credit card fees.

Photos from Haiti

View photos by the Union's Social Action Specialist, Naomi Abelson, on a recent visit to Haiti.

Thank You for Your Support!

UPDATED:
Relief Fund Allocations
We've raised more than $1.2 million for Haiti disaster relief. Learn where the funds are being allocated.

Partners in Health (PIH) Report on Jewish Contribution to Haiti Relief
The URJ and other Jewish organizations have raised more than $1.3 million to support Partners In Health's earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

What Congregations are Doing
Our congregations are finding creative ways to raise funds for Haiti relief.

Haiti Adult Mitzvah Corps
As the URJ works with our partners on the ground, we hope an Adult Mitzvah Corps mission will be possible to assist with clean-up and rebuilding in Haiti. Sign up for updates about this trip.

Prayers for Haiti
Print out these prayers for the victims of this disaster and share with your congregation.

Comments from Donors
"I appreciate the role that the URJ is playing in bringing assistance to the unfortunate people of Haiti."

In the News

ARZA: Reform Movement kibbutznik amongst the first on the scene after earthquake
One year latter: an interview with First Sergeant Shahaf Shtrikman from the IMPJ community Kibbutz Lotan, and a graduate of the IMPJ Mechina leadership program, is a medic in an elite IDF unit and was a member of the Israeli medical team that spent two weeks in Haiti.
RJ magazine: Haiti - Acts of God? by Rabbi Rick Jacobs
Was it God's will or human injustice that caused so many deaths in Haiti?
10 Minutes of Torah: Haiti: One Year Later
Two months after the devastating earthquake, I walked the streets of Port-au-Prince. In every inch of available space – empty lots, front lawns, sidewalks, even in the street medians – I saw make-shift tent cities. Structures were cobbled together from tarps and bed sheets, secured with rope and sticks.
The New York Times: Ladders for the Poor
Nearly a year after the earthquake, more than one million people are still living in tents and reconstruction has barely begun.
JTA: U.S. Jewish communities building ties to Haiti
Not a single Jew lives among the 170,000 inhabitants of Petit-Goâve, nor among the 20,000 refugees from Port-au-Prince who have crowded into this town since a magnitude-7.0 earthquake leveled Haiti's capital in January. But Jews are among those helping bring Petit-Goâve back to life.
The Washington Diplomat: Haiti's Lola Poisson Returns to See Quake-Ravaged Country for Herself
The wife of Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. visits her homeland, accompanied by a group that included the Union for Reform Judaism's Social Action Specialist, Naomi Abelson.