The Message, Volume 44, Number 3, September 2009 Page: 3 of 14
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With Lu Dorfman
Hurricane Ike Update
LA
Lu Dorfman
■Ben Adam L’Chaveiro Fair
On Sunday, Oct. 5, United Orthodox Synagogues will host a
Ben Adam Lechaveiro fair in conjunction with Congregation Beth
Yeshurun and other local synagogues and organizations. The goal
of the fair is to raise awareness for various social justice causes
and to promote community togetherness. The words Ben Adam
Lechaveiro mean ‘between thy fellow man’ in Hebrew, and repre-
sent the idea of doing good for others.
Causes that will be represented at the fair include: Gulf Coast
Regional Blood Center Blood Drive, Domestic Abuse Awareness,
Halachik Organ Donation, City of Sderot (a city in Israel that has
been bombarded with kassam rockets sent from the Palestinian
controlled Gaza Strip), Houston Jewish Connections (a new social
initiative to connect Jewish singles), JobKatif (an organization that
.....
helps displaced Israelis find employment), Letters of Israeli and
US troops, Canned Food Drive and Sandwich Making for a home-
less shelter.
According to tradition, Yom Kippur is the day that G-d sits
in judgment of mankind, and therefore during the days and weeks
preceding Yom Kippur it is customary to engage in charitable ac-
tivities to invoke the mercy of G-d for mankind.
Admission “fee” to the fair is either a donation of two canned
foods, blood donation or donation to one of the represented chari-
ties. All participants will receive a free lunch, and there will be
fun activities for the children. The fair will be on Sunday, Oct. 5,
from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at 9001 Greenwillow, Houston. If you
would like more information, or to schedule an interview, please
contact United Orthodox Synagogues at rabbidavis@uosh.org or
(713) 723-3850.
■■■Bl
have been repaired, and what remains is only cosmetic and does
not affect our ability to provide a safe and comfortable setting for
our congregants, students and visitors for religious services, school
and other events and activities. Although we initially had to close
the building and cancel some events, we were open for business one
week after the hurricane and are now on “full schedule.”
Hurricane Ike hit us on Friday night, Sep. 12. As you did at
home, we lost power sometime during the storm. Inspection teams
toured the synagogue and school immediately, beginning Saturday
afternoon, Sep. 13. At that time and over the next 2 to 3 days we
observed numerous roof leaks, water intrusion through most of our
exterior doors, ceiling damage, wet/damp carpets (mostly damp),
some gutter and flashing damage, two sections of broken stained-
glass, outside debris and some damaged/missing signs (traffic and
directional signs). Power was restored on Monday morning, Sep. 15,
one of the earliest in the city. This was critical to our being able to
make repairs promptly and prepare the building for services, school
and other operations.
Most of the damages were roof leaks and resulting ceiling
damage. The roof leaks have all been repaired. The worst leaks were
in the school, over the Music Room and Library. Although there were
three areas that leaked in the Library, all of the books were saved by
the foresight of our Librarian Monica Woolf to cover the stacks with
plastic. Because we had power, we were able to dry out all of the
carpets, except the Music Room. The carpet in the Music Room was
f I ^he completion and publication of this issue of The Message
was delayed by Hurricane Ike. By the time you receive this,
JL we will be in the middle of the Yamim Norim, between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many of you
are aware of the damages to the synagogue
by the hurricane, and many of you are not.
Let me summarize them for you here. Let
me also let you know that we recently had
renewed our property insurance and are
sufficiently covered.
Depending upon your definition, the
| building sustained light to moderate damages,
I certainly not heavy, and there is no structural
damage. As I write this, most of the damages
destroyed and had to be ripped up and thrown out. It has not been
replaced yet; we are waiting for adequate replacement carpeting. We
got our computer and telephone systems restored within a week.
We know that some of you have had power restored at home by
now, and some of you have not had power restored. We know that
some of your homes had structural damage, but we are not aware of
any serious injuries, thank G-d. Some of you are living in hotels or
with friends. We know that most of you who got power back early,
or who had generators, assisted your neighbors and friends and
invited them to your homes to share meals and cooler temperatures.
Since we had power and all services at the synagogue, we helped
our neighbors, too, hosting the JCC Bertha Alyce Preschool and
individual congregants who needed electricity to charge cell phones,
or just get into some air conditioning and out of the heat. We offered
some of our limited space to other organizations who, for various
reasons, went elsewhere.
I want to publicly thank our staff members who returned to
work within days, many on the first Monday, even though they had
issues at home to deal with, just like you did. They put the building
back together, made it ready for Rosh Hashanah, and kept the office
operating, doing regular business plus assisting you with High Holy
Days needs. By name, alphabetically, they are:
Victor Bermudez, Julie Bemfeld, George Bruno, Jerrod Byrd,
Jean Walner Cameau, Amparo Collazo, Valeria Collazo, Jude Coris,
Clemente Dautin, Rios Dupiche, Sultamene Dupiche, Sandra Flores,
Tammy Friedman, Cesar Garza, Norma Gonzales, Diane Gordon,
Immacula Guerrier, John Houston, Bruce Jackson, Cornelius Jackson,
Sheila Jackson, Diane Larsen, Cristino Lazo, Earnest Lewis, Carl
Newman, Hilary Nitsun, Alexandra Olmedo, Eileen Pettigrew, Mary
Lou Robinson, Gayle Schnurr, Kaysone Sengvong, Ruth Skinner,
Janice Spencer, Tonya Steagall, Lester Sternberg, Charlton Thomas-
Townsend, Lisa Unsell, Antoinette Vixamar, Sharon Wilton and
Monica Woolf. Please thank them personally when you see them.
Life has gone on. Happily, babies were bom, and brit milahs
were held. Sadly, friends have died and been buried. We also thank
G-d at this time for sparing us from worse damage and protecting us
from harm. L’Shana Tova. May G-d seal you in the Book of Life and
grant you a year of blessing and peace.
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Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Tex.). The Message, Volume 44, Number 3, September 2009, periodical, September 21, 2008; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1318680/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.