As Floods Strike Eastern Russia, Relief Efforts Initiated by Local Rabbis

The Association of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC) has sent clothes and money to help the many Jewish families affected by the floods hitting Eastern Russia this week. The heavy rains – considered the worst environmental disaster in the last 120 years – have already caused more than 100 deaths and more than 20,000 people were forced to abandon their homes.

Many residents in the area of the Bezier River and the city of Khabarovsk refused to evacuate and preferred to stay on the roofs of their homes for fear of looting. Several villages located near the river were completely flooded.

The government sent in thousands of soldiers and rescue teams to the area in an attempt to restore order, and the Russian army set up 166 temporary shelters in three provinces. They are providing water, food and medicine to the thousands of civilians who were left homeless.

eJP has learned neither local synagogue buildings or the “Or Avner” Schools were affected by the floods, and the upcoming school year will begin as planned.

The help packages will be distributed by the FJC’s communal Rabbis in Eastern Russia.

photos courtesy Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS