Torah Portion:  Va-eira, Exodus 6:2-9:35

In lieu of my weekly comments, please read the following letter from the Chairman and President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) regarding support to Haiti following this week’s earthquake:

As you are no doubt aware, a severe earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale devastated Haiti. This is the most severe earthquake to hit that impoverished country in 200 years. The death toll is expected to reach thousands and it likely will be many days until the impact is fully known….  According to the International Red Cross, as many as three million people have been affected by the quake.

The Reform Jewish community has a long history of generosity when natural disasters devastate communities around the world. Your generosity at this critical time enables us to play a role in recovery efforts and bring healing and hope to those whose lives have been affected. Donations to the Union for Reform Judaism Haiti Relief Fund can be made on-line 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

The URJ has been engaged in disaster relief efforts for many years and has developed considerable expertise in this arena….  Unlike other organizations, which often retain up to 15% of donations for overhead, the Union takes no administrative costs from disaster relief donations, with the exception of direct expenses such as credit card fees. On-going updates regarding the disaster relief efforts and the allocations from this fund will be posted at www.urj.org/relief.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Annie