While my group was discovering the wilds of Chile and learning about our heritage, a powerful earthquake struck the capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and released its destruction onto thousands upon thousands of innocent victims.

The news of the quake trickled into our group via calling home, the net and watching the BBC in Spanish. The magnitude of the quake did not hit me until I arrived in the U.S. and was able to read about the ghastly devastation.

Several times throughout our trip, Rabbi Shalom Yona stated that we, the Jews, are responsible for the earthquake and the loss of life. We are the purveyors of the land, the Kings and Queens; the Chosen People. G-d selected us to help right the wrongs of the world and act as an example whenever possible.

Upon hearing this, I thought the Rabbi might have hit his head too hard while we went white water rafting. Yet, after coming home and hearing the news his statements truly resonated with me.

I met my Israeli mother for lunch right after we landed. She asked about the trip but abruptly changed the topic to the earthquake. She began to tell me about how the Israeli’s are the driving force in the relief effort. They were able to mobilize 200 doctors, nurses, soldiers and volunteers in a matter of hours and set up a hospital amongst the rubble. As she spoke she had tears in her eyes and pride in her voice.

After our lunch date I began to research just how much the Israeli’s have been helping the destructed nation. I found that as soon as news hit about the earthquake, they mobilized troops, organized supplies and filled 2 jumbo jets with a vast amount of medical and rescue equipment.

Mati Goldstein, head of the ZAKA rescue delegation stated, “We built a hospital, are treating 300 to 400 people a day and rescued 19 people from the rubble, more than any other delegation.”

CNN even aired coverage that revealed how much better the Israeli hospital was than the U.S. field hospital. The results were shocking.

There are plenty of naysayers who freely voice their opinion that the Israeli efforts should merely be looked at as a public relations tactic and nothing more; it is a way for the world to forget about the nightmare surrounding the Gaza strip. However, Israel has always helped countries in need. In 1999, Turkey suffered a powerful earthquake. Israel was one of the first nations on the scene to search for victims and save lives. When a bomb struck the U.S. embassy building in Kenya in 2006, they assisted in aid and rescue.

This type of anti-Semitic sentiment was also touched upon during one of our lectures by Rabbi Feldheim. He advised us that anti-Semitism has followed the Jews throughout history and will continue to follow us. He stated that we have to consistently prove to the world that we will not be threatened by annihilation; we will prevail.

Earlier this year, the Organization of American States (OAS) concluded that Haiti had no building codes. If proper codes were set in place, the country would have been saved. The same severity of quake hit San Francisco in 1989. 63 people died and 12,000 people were homeless as a result. Fast forward 20 years, 200,000 people are presumed dead and 1.5 million are homeless.

Rabbi Yona was right. As Jews, we have a responsibility to take care of those in need. Jew or non Jew, poor or rich. We have to realize that it is up to us to right the wrongs and fight injustice. If we let the world continue to starve and live in poverty, we aren’t acting as examples. We are ignoring the problems.

* I urge everyone to contribute whatever they can to the Haitian relief effort. *

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Written by: Jill