(Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman, Agudath Israel of Illinois)
The pictures remind one of Superstorm Sandy. On Monday, August 11 the Detroit Jewish community was hit with more than six inches of rain in a span of a few hours. The storm caused significant flooding on city roads and caused the city sewer system to back up into people’s homes. The Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods took the brunt of the sewer backup, devastating the homes of more than 200 families.
Many of the homes had bedrooms in the basement where multiple children slept. Thankfully, the storm took place during the day, so children weren’t caught sleeping during the flooding. However, many families lost a tremendous amount of essential items including complete wardrobes, mattresses, washers and dryers, carpeting, hot water tanks, bookcases, books (including thousands of seforim), and toys.
The Detroit Jewish community has unified to help with cleaning basements, providing financial assistance – and in the case of the Detroit Chesed Project – replacing essential items. The Detroit Chesed Project is a relatively new organization that was created following a trip to Chicago organized by Agudath Israel of Illinois. It is run completely by dedicated volunteers and was founded by those who were inspired by some of the amazing organizations in Chicago.
The Detroit Chesed Project has collected a list of what families need most desperately and is working to secure donations of those items. Readers who wish to learn more or to donate can call them at 248-221-1894 or visit their website at detroitchesed.org. Other organizations (Jewish Federation of Detroit, Jewish Family Services, Hebrew Free Loan Fund and Nechama) are helping with flood mitigation, restoration, insurance claims and financial assistance.
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