Tsunami. Tzedakah & Tikkun Olam

Gary Fitleberg

Thank G-d for the Torah. Also the concept of Tzedekah and Tikkun Olam.

Tzedekah is from the same root of the Hebrew root as the work Tzaddik which means righteous one or Tzedek meaning justice. The literal translation means charity. The Torah commands each and every Jew to pursue justice by giving charity and being righteous.

Tikkun Olam is the healing and repair of the world. Especially one broken or in disrepair because of natural or political disasters.

Israel has been at the forefront of disaster relief for victims of one of the world’s greatest natural disasters in history. Israel and the entire Jewish international community have always been charitable in disasters such as the earthquakes in Iran and Turkey in an attempt to help heal the world.

Israel has especially taken great pride in its generosity toward the victims of the tsunami.

Israel sent a half million dollars in humanitarian aid money to Indonesia. This predominantly Muslim nation has long treated Israel as its enemy. Indonesia does not maintain any diplomatic relations with Israel.

Magen David Adom (MDA) came quickly to the rescue of Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka at the bequest and request of the International Red Cross. MDA immediately dispatched medical supplies to a devastated Sri Lanka, via air, three days after the catastrophic tsunami hit Southeast Asia. The cargo included 4,080 vials of albumin valued at over $100,00 to be distributed amongst the hospitals in Colombo. Albumin is a protein produced from blood plasma for use in treating trauma victims and patients suffering from malnourishment and other diseases. Another cargo plane brought 82 tons of food, medications and supplies.

In light of the scale of the human tragedy, Israel had offered to establish a field hospital in devastated areas of Sri Lanka, despite Sri Lanka's rejection of diplomatic relations with the Jewish State, but to no avail.

No medical personnel were allowed to land in Sri Lanka.

Much of MDA's contribution to the disaster relief came from donations to its American counterpart, American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI). ARMDI and MDA, together with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, have assembled and equipped a self-standing field clinic for the disaster zone.

MDA also organized a four-day nationwide food, with tons of basic foodstuffs being collected at supermarkets across Israel to be sent immediately to the victims of the disaster. Over 4,000 volunteers and workers were stationed outside the stores to encourage the public to donate basic food items needed by the homeless in Sri Lanka.

At the end of the first day of the food drive, MDA reported that the Israeli public has donated 2.5 tons of flour, 4 tons of rice, 920 liters of oil, 2.5 tons of sugar, 1.5 tons of plain pasta, 39,000 liters of mineral water, 900 kilos of dried beans and 700 kilos of jams and conserves.

On December 28, 2004 a ZAKA rescue and recovery team of 20 volunteers left for the disaster areas in Thailand, armed with search and rescue equipment including materials and tools for identifying bodies, as well as body bags.

In addition to monetary assistance and a team of Hadassah Hospital physicians traveling to the stricken areas, the army’s Homefront Command search & rescue experts were also dispatched.

Israeli companies are also contributing to the relief efforts in various ways.

Interage, according to a Globes report, helped create the web-based project, which aims to provide optimal opportunities for identification of Tsunami victims, both dead and injured. The web-based program allows users of the system from around the globe to enter up-to-date information and confirm identities of victims.

InterAge, established in 1994, operates under the trade name of ID-Knowledge and offers unique marketing design, development, and advanced web marketing technology to give clients an integrated web marketing solution. These solutions include, formulating marketing concept and strategy, market research, managing email marketing, search engine optimization, and web design.

One company, Patus Ltd., has donated thousands of its OdorScreen products to counter the crippling odors caused by masses of decomposing tsunami victims at the scene of the disaster. OdorScreen, an olfactory perception-altering gel compound applied under the nose, works by modifying smells to the user for up to two hours, enabling those working in close proximity to the death and destruction to work faster and more effectively in the tropical heat.

"Every current report from the devastated areas emphasizes the awful problem of the aftermath's smell as a major obstacle in conducting rescue and recovery operations," said Patus CEO Guy Hirsch. "OdorScreen was first introduced and successfully field tested in Israel for assisting rescue personnel cope with smells such as burnt and decomposing flesh and tissue due to terrorist attacks."

OdorScreen will be made available by Israel Foreign Ministry delegations to national and international agencies engaged in relief operations such as the Red Cross, World Health Organization and the United Nations.

The home device is as small as a shoebox and will cost consumers less than $200.

Israeli inventor Meir Gitlis developed the system, which has received much attention in the wake of the disastrous earthquake which caused tsunamis to devastate much of southeast Asia’s coastline. Gitlis told Israel21c.org that he doesn't claim his early warning system could have made a massive difference - but clearly even the saving of one life makes it worthwhile.

"Since the disaster occurred in the Far East, we've gotten requests from companies to take our sensor technology and develop an instrument against tsunamis," Gitlis said.

Gitlis’s “Earthquake Alert” is based on the same seismological principles as earthquake monitoring systems used by weather centers and government agencies worldwide. It contains an array of pendulums that naturally react to vibrations, sending a signal through an electronic circuit to a chip. After analyzing the frequency, the computer chip determines -and notifies the user - whether the movement was caused by a sonic boom, or a bomb, or if it is indeed the tremors of an earthquake.

"An earthquake is like lightning or thunder," Gitlis said. "First comes the primary waves which run through the ground very quickly. The instrument can sense the primary wave, which occurs tens of seconds before the secondary, destructive wave. The pre-warning of a half minute enables people to find cover."

Gitlis said that the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv – the country’s tallest buildings - have installed the Earthquake Alert in the skyscrapers’ elevators. In the event of a quake, the system will stop the elevators at the nearest floor, allowing people a chance to escape.

Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo tested the sensor recently and concluded that it is reliable and does not react to false alarms.

Israeli Citizens of all ages, professions, and walks of life contributed to the search and rescue team effort.

An Israel Police forensics team returned to Thailand for ten days, to assist in identification of tsunami victims and to lend a professional hand to officials working on the international DNA database established with the assistance of Israeli experts.

National Fundraising Day for Tsunami Victims spearheaded by IsraAID members under the banner of the Israel Campaign for South East Asia Relief will take place in Israel.

Thousands of teenagers and volunteers from all over the country have already started preparing for this day. Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio has already built a full day of programming with famous Israeli musicians, among them Zehava Ben, Ehud Banai, Ivri Lider, Muki and many others. Israeli TV Channel 10 will also help promote this day by showing special clips on the Israeli aid to Southeast Asia as well as fundraising clips.

The poster displays a picture of people affected by the tsunami. The Hebrew text alongside the picture reads: 'For you it’s yesterday's news, for them it's today's reality'. These posters have been posted in hundreds of schools throughout Israel as well as kibbutzim and public areas.

President Moshe Katsav launched the campaign in a ceremony attended by the ambassadors of Sri Lanka, Thailand and India as well 100 guests who were involved in Israeli aid to Southeast Asia. He said, "We, members of the Jewish people who saw such painful things in the history of our people, cannot stand by when we see the terrible suffering of the tsunami disaster. Israel extends a warm hand of friendship to those whose lives have been destroyed."

Jews all over the world regardless of affiliation, background, or denomination have all joined in the tsunami tzedakah and tikkun olam mission.

Amcha-the Coalition for Jewish Concerns and The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and held a prayer vigil in memory of those killed in the tsunami in Southeast Asia.

The US-based Orthodox Union organization yesterday announced the organization of a special relief fund for victims of last week's massive earthquake-tsunami in Southeast Asia.

The monies collected by the OU will be forwarded to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and filtered through local Asian relief groups to supply emergency supplies on the ground.

"We call upon our constituent synagogues, individual members, and all members of the Jewish community, to reflect upon this disaster as an expression of God's inscrutable will, and to take the suffering caused by the disaster to heart in prayers, thought and action," said OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb.

"We offer our condolences to all who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy. We pray for the speedy healing of all those who are wounded, and we look forward to a time when humanity will know of no further grief or tragic loss."

President George W. Bush touted a Jewish organization’s work in providing tsunami relief in a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.

The American Jewish World Service was acknowledged and touted by President Bush for the faith community’s “spirit of prayer and service,” and acknowledged the groups tireless efforts in raising money for relief from December’s tsunami.

The AJWS is truly emblematic of a world held together with helping hands. In fact its very symbol shows exactly what tzedakah and tikkun olam is all about. It deals with complex and diverse global issues with a vast network of donors and volunteers including economic development, education, health, HIV/AIDS, sustainable agriculture, women’s empowerment and last but not least the catastrophic natural disaster of the tsunami.

One Jewish group raised relief funds by auctioning a bottle of historic and vintage wine. A bottle of Thomas Jefferson’s wine was auctioned on eBay to raise money for a Jewish group providing tsunami relief.

William Sokolin, a New York wine merchant, acquired Jefferson’s bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787 when it was discovered in 1985. It had been hidden in a Paris cellar for years. Sokolin originally hoped to sell the bottle for approximately $500,000. Now, with the help of the American Jewish World Service, offered bidders the chance to own the bottle. Though the bottle is damaged — a careless waiter at a 1989 dinner party nicked the bottle as it lay on display — it remains intact.

Sokolin donated all proceeds from the winning bid to AJWS’ Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund.

When it comes to being a charitable “light unto the nations” and “repairing the world” Israel and the Jewish people are the leaders and trendsetters paving the way with tzedekah and tikkun olam.

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Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs. His articles have appeared internationally in numerous publications including La Prensa (Managua, Nicaragua equivalent to the L.A. Times), Pakistan Today, The Kashmir Telegraph, The Iranian and many more.

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