Jan. 11, 2005

United Jewish Communities/the Federations of North America approved more than $2.2 million in new assistance for Hurricane Katrina victims in the Jewish and general communities, putting total aid allocated to-date at more than $9.4 million.

UJC and the federations have raised more than $25.9 million for Hurricane Katrina victims. Of those pledges, UJC has collected more than $16.9 million for its Disaster Relief Fund from federations and Network communities via their own Katrina relief efforts and directly from donors.

In its most recent round of allocations, the UJC Emergency Committee approved:

• $1.42 million for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, to help the community sustain its member agencies for the first three months of this year;
• a $750,000 grant for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, which is distributing the aid to eight local groups helping hurricane evacuees in the general community. That grant came from funds originally set aside for a Houston inter-faith food program for evacuees, which were later escrowed after the food program received other support;
• $54,000 for the Dallas Jewish Family Service for continued resettlement and financial aid for Katrina evacuees locally. This aid is being matched by a local $30,000 challenge grant;

Through UJC allocations and money it raised directly, the Houston federation this week presented Katrina relief checks to 18 local aid groups — its largest donation to the general community ever.

Meanwhile, UJC Emergency Chair Carol Smokler said the UJC Emergency Committee continues to study proposals for new Katrina assistance, with the focus now on longer-term needs both for those areas Katrina immediately impacted and for communities that have supported victims of the disaster.

"We continue to work hard to allocate much-needed resources in a deliberative manner, to ensure that donations to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort make their maximum impact and help disaster victims as much as possible," Smokler said.

UJC Senior Vice-President Barry Swartz, who spearheaded the UJC response to Katrina, said donations to UJC's Katrina relief effort continue to arrive through the new calendar year. Support for the UJC Katrina relief effort comes from a variety of sources: in checks directly to the UJC Disaster Relief Fund; in online donations to the fund via ujc.org; in monies federations and foundations have raised, and in online donations to UJCweb member federations. UJC has also helped steer in-kind donations. To inquire about in-kind donations, and UJC's virtual inventory, email katrinadonationsinkind@ujc.org .

Among those working alongside UJC and the federations to help storm victims are: the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; the Association of Jewish & Family Children’s Agencies; the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services; the JCCs of North America; the Jewish Education Service of North America; the Jewish Funders Network; the Jewish FundS for Justice; the American Jewish World Service; Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; Hadassah; Hillel: the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life; the Orthodox Union; the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; the Union for Reform Judaism; Chabad; and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

UJC is working with all of the major religious streams to find ways to collaborate on hurricane relief, and is holding similar discussions with the Jewish Funders Network, which represents independent and family foundations.

How to Help

Donate online

or

Checks should be made out to JCF and sent to

JCF
121 Steuart Street
San Francisco, CA 94105

Be sure to write "Hurricane Katrina" in the memo section of your check.