Because you put your values of community and strength in action, together we are helping L.A. recover.
It’s hard to believe that it has been less than two months since the fires that burned across our neighborhoods shook our community to the core. According to CalFire, the combined damage exceeded 63 square miles, greater than the total area of Washington, D.C., and three times the size of Manhattan. Over 16,000 buildings were destroyed and nearly 30 lives were lost.
This crisis hit our Jewish community particularly hard. According to our survey data, 482 families lost their homes, 499 families had homes that were damaged, and 47 families lost their businesses.
One might think that our community would be knocked down from such devastation, but the opposite is true. From the very onset, you met the moment to help neighbors in need. Thanks to your compassion, we issued thousands of gift cards for families to buy necessities they had lost, coordinated the distribution of protective gear, and provided thousands of meals.
Together, we aided Early Childhood Centers, replacing damaged furniture and contaminated playground equipment. We helped support Project:Camp — a two-week-long, trauma-informed day camp where kids could stave off the effects of the stress they had endured — through our partnership with Camp Bob Waldorf and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles.
We also expanded our partnerships with our Ezra Network, an alliance of agencies that gives vital services to Jews in need. Our Ezra Network partners have increased the number of people they can help, providing additional free legal services, long-term case management, mental health assistance, and financial assistance to the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley communities.
As I wrote in the LA Times: “Fire’s purpose, if it can be said to have one, is to reduce complex matter to the most basic of elements. The fire has done the same for all of us. Whether we live in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, or anywhere in between, the suffering and subsequent outpouring of love produced by these tragic events broke down our differences and taught us that we are all made of the same grist.”
Leaning on that collective strength, we are rebuilding our beloved community. Together.
R’ Noah
