Have You Donated Yet?

I hear the subways are up and running, albeit on modified schedules, in the New York metro area today - an amazing feat in contrast to the images of them completely submerged in Sandy's turbulent waters just four days ago.  Life goes on, as the saying goes.


But I contrast that with the 65 year old woman from Staten Island whose house literally dissolved to pieces as it was washed away along a reedy-landscape.  As she balances on a path made of 2x4's and pulls through the tangled web of reed-grass and the soaked and now rotting remnants of her pre-Sandy life, I wonder how life will go on for her.

I have nothing wise to contribute to this conversation that hasn't already been said. No insights that offer comfort to those in need.

And while prayers and poems and prose may provide comfort to those of us with access to heat, with our lives and memories still on our home's walls, tucked away safely in closets and drawers, I can't imagine they provide much of anything for those whose lives are literally strewn across landscapes, buried and dissolving in the mucky, toxic ruins of water and mud and ash.

What I know is that each of us who can provide  hands to help must do so.  Each of us who can give money to support the recovery of lives, of homes, of communities, must do so.

Below are a few recommendations.  If you can't decide which to donate to, I would suggest you do as my family did, and contribute to each.  If you would like more recommendations, please message me and I can provide a fuller list.

The American Red Cross
The URJ Disaster Relief Fund
The Jewish Federations of North America Relief Fund
American Jewish World Service (who supports relief work in Haiti - hit first by Sandy - still recovering from the devastating earthquake more than 2 years ago)