JCF raises funds for Myanmar cyclone relief

The Jewish Community Federation, in conjunction with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), has opened an emergency mailbox to raise relief funds for victims following May 3rd’s Cyclone Nargis, which devastated portions of Myanmar. Funds are being collected to aid the estimated several hundred thousand cyclone victims without shelter and safe drinking water on a non-sectarian basis. The efforts are part of JDC’s International Development Program (IDP) which responds to natural and manmade disasters, providing immediate relief and long term assistance.

“Our hearts go out to those suffering. We are quickly mobilizing to assess the situation and help those in need in Myanmar,” said Steve Schwager, Chief Executive Officer, JDC. “We are now in contact with leaders from the local Jewish community in Yangon and with other disaster relief partners in the region to determine an appropriate emergency response, one that ensures that we reach those who are not being served by others,” he continued.

JDC, which is funded in part through the UJC/Federation system, has launched non-sectarian efforts to aid those affected by the cyclone in Bangladesh; the earthquake in Peru; the Tsunami in South Asia; the floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic; the victims of terror in Turkey; the earthquakes in El Salvador, India, Morocco, and Turkey; the displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following the eruption of the Mt. Nyiragongo volcano; and the war-torn communities in Kosovo.