Thank you to our friends at Jewish Family Service for sharing this guide.

How is this flood different from all others floods?
A Guide from Jewish Family Service

During all the other floods, the water receded quickly.
With this flood, the water lingered, and there could be more to come.

During all the other floods, only a few neighborhoods flooded.
With this flood, a good part of the city is impacted.

During all the other floods, we didn’t know what to expect.
With this flood, we know, based on recent experience, that recovery will take time.
But we have confidence that our community is resilient.

We have noticed that with this flood, the preparation learned from previous experiences has allowed a greater since of calm and resolve.  The staff of JFS Houston is prepared to assist the community with resources and information.

Here are three steps to take:

1) Call 3-1-1 in order to register your home has flooded. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS, and can affect eligibility for some assistance.

Let your insurance company know in writing that you have a claim. Get a response in writing that they have received your notice. THERE ARE CHANGES TO THE LAW STARTING SEPTEMBER 1 SO TAKE CARE OF THIS RIGHT AWAY.

Reassure yourself, your children and seniors that this difficulty will pass and everything will be all right. Contact JFS for direction and support. Take account of resources and support available as well as next steps.

2) When the waters recede:

Determine where you and your family will be able to stay during the next period of time. Can you stay on your 2nd floor? Do you have a neighbor or family member who can house you for a short period while you “regroup”?

Once all physical needs of your family are taken care of, photograph all the flooded areas of your house and flooded possessions before you begin the clean-up process. Account for important items and things that can be boxed up. Beware of people offering services that seem “too good to be true”. Any official volunteer group (such as All Hands, Nechama, UMCOR, Texas Baptist Men, Church of Latter-Day Saints) that is here to help, will have identification.

There is likely to be resources for assistance in “mucking out” flooded homes (removing carpet and sodden furniture and items.) Things that you should consider saving are photographs which cannot be replaced as they can be dried out and reproduced in some instances. Getting the carpet pulled out of the house is a priority.

3) Know your resources:

There will be cleaning and packing supplies available at the ERJCC as well as through the American Red Cross. JFS will have funds available for shopping for basic clothing and food should you need them. Often neighborhood groups will be organizing meals, assistance and spiritual succor at area places of faith. Contact a Disaster Case Manager at JFS as soon as conditions allow, who will be available to assist.

You will need to register with FEMA; report your flood to the city you live in (3-1-1 for Houston); call your insurance company and be sure to check the JFS website, www.jfshouston.org for these instructions and others. Keep a notebook with all the information you will need.

4) Understand the phases of recovery:

Relief: The initial phase after the water recedes. You will need to secure food, clothing, shelter. Your best resources will be organizations trained to supply relief, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Clean Up: Organizing resources to clean up the sodden items in your house. Email mzeringue@jfshouston.org, who can send you a resource guide.

Organization: Learn the processes of FEMA, flood insurance and city resources. There will no doubt be community gatherings and distribution of information.

Recovery: The weeks and months ahead will allow you to stabilize your situation, return to your typical schedule of school, work and social activities as the process of recovering continues. Your mental health and the mental health of your family survivors is as important to address as are the logistics of rebuilding. JFS encourages you to seek assistance in both areas by seeking counseling or joining a survivors group and identifying yourself as a family or individual needing case management to assist you with the long-term journey ahead of you. In addition, there will be online Facebook groups that can provide a sense of community and be a source of information.

Recovery takes time and reveals along the way the physical challenges of rebuilding and recovering. JFS will be there for you for the long term, in conjunction with our partners United Way, The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.

As in the past, it will take many resources to help those who have flooded.

Here is how you can help:

1. If you are able, please donate to the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. Getting financial resources will be the greatest help: Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
2. Purchase gift cards to grocery stores or large retailers like Target, Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Lowes etc. Supply them to JFS, 4131 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, Tx 77025. If you want a donation receipt, include a list of the cards donated and their amounts, your name, address and email.
3. If you know of a person who is living in a flooded home in unsafe conditions, encourage them to seek assistance or report that information to 311 and encourage that person to seek safe shelter.

We are here for anyone in SW Houston or the Jewish Community after a disaster, be it fire, flood, hurricane or tornado. Please call our main line: 713-667-9336 and ask for a Disaster Case Manager. JFS can provide:

· Emergency Funding Assistance
· Volunteers to help go through your home with you to sort what will be kept and what should be trashed.
· Volunteers to help you pack
· Contact info for non-profit agencies that may be able to help (muck & gut following water damage; cut down damaged trees; tarp roofs; kosher meals; clothing…)
· Emotional support
· Case Management to help you to recovery and rebuild

If you are outside of our area, we can connect you with other agencies that provide case management in your area.

Dear Friends,

Judaism is a faith structured around relationships, and the synagogue is one of the most common places where those relationships are formed and nurtured. These relationships are established as we learn each other’s stories and meet each other’s families. With time, these ever expanding relationships develop into a warm and welcoming community.

For newcomers, however, entry ways into an already established community can be challenging and intimidating.  This is something that HCRJ tries hard to overcome.  We want everyone to feel welcome, connected and engaged from the moment they step foot into this building.

This Friday night before worship services (weather permitting), help us extend a warm welcome to our newest members and join us in reaching out to potential members at our annual Welcome Shabbat.

Our evening begins with wine and cheese at 6:15.  Bring someone who is searching for a synagogue home or extend a personal invitation to someone who has recently joined our congregation. Your help is needed as we wish make HCRJ the friendliest synagogue in town.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

After the violent, hate-filled march which took place in Charlottesville this past weekend, it has become clear that that voices of hated and intolerance must be defeated by forces of love and acceptance. Among the many public statements made by politicians and clergy over the course of the past several days, this poem contains a powerful message for all of us to consider.

We Will Not Yield

Today,

I am neither Democrat nor Republican,

Neither left nor right nor center.

I am an American,

Born to a legacy of truth and justice,

Born to a legacy of freedom and equality.

Today, I am a patriot

Who will not yield this nation to hate.

Not to neo-Nazis.

Not to thugs self-styled as militia.

Not to slogans or chants.

Not to gestures or flags.

Not to threats and not to violence.

Hate is hate,

Ugly and brutal,

And we will not yield.

Today,

I am Christian, Muslim and Jew,

Catholic, Buddist, Hindu and Sikh,

Atheist and agnostic.

I am Asian, Latino, Hispanic, African American, White, Native American and multi-racial.

I am an immigrant, a child of the American Revolution, A veteran and a soldier.

I work in the dark depth of the mines

And the high towers of Wall Street,

In the factories and the farms,

In our hospitals and strip malls.

I am gay, lesbian, straight, bi, trans,

Man, woman and gender-neutral.

I am young, old, blind and deaf,

Hearing and sighted,

Disabled,

Powerful and unafraid.

Truth is truth,

That all are created equal,

And we will not yield.

Today, I am an American,

A citizen of the United States,

A child of this great democracy,

A child of this wise republic,

Dedicated to liberty,

Dedicated to action.

We will not yield.

—-

http://tobendlight.com/2017/08/we-will-not-yield/

“We Will Not Yield” is © 2017 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com (Rights to share and reproduce the text in full and unmodified are granted on the condition that the copyright line above is included.)

Dear Friends,

“Where are you from?” This is perhaps one of the most common questions we ask to someone when we first meet them, and we are able to answer it with ease. The location of our birth is usually a nice way to play Jewish geography, but it is rarely a core aspect of our identities.

For the kids with whom I just spent a wonderful weekend at Peace Camp, the answer to this simple question was far from simple. In many ways, the place of one’s birth for Jews and Arabs living in Israel and the Palestinian territories often defines their lives. For example, one of the teens answered the question in the following way, “I am a Palestinian Armenian Christian Israeli living in East Jerusalem.”

Unpacking the complexity of the religious, political, socio-economic and ethic complexities of one’s identity was just a starting point for a two week Peace Camp for Jewish, Muslim and Christian teens from Israel.  Join us this Friday night at Shabbat Services to hear their stories and learn about this groundbreaking camp and how it has transformed these peace-minded teens.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Jews around the world observed a solemn Jewish holiday called Tishah B’Av. According to our tradition, it was on the 9th of Av that both the First and Second Temples were destroyed – first by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and then by the Romans in the year 70 CE.  Jewish tradition further teaches that throughout our history many of the worst atrocities against the Jews fell on Tishah B’Av.

In remembrance of these catastrophes many Jews observe a day-long fast and read from the book of Lamentations, a scroll in which the author bewails the destruction of the First Temple and the exile of the Jews from Jerusalem.

While few of us may have fasted yesterday, our angst and fears about Jerusalem continue to be real for all of us today. Our threats come from within our faith and from forces beyond us.  Internally, the Ultra-Orthodox control of the Temple Plaza and all religious activities in the State of Israel represents a threat to Jews around the world.  Externally, issues concerning the Temple Mount continue to be a real barrier to peace in the region.  These are real concerns for all of us, and they remind us that Jerusalem is and has always been central to our faith.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

Dear Friends,

Rabbi Gross is at Greene Family Camp this week.

Over 20 HCRJ kids are attending Greene this summer. Enjoy these pictures of our kids at camp!

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday, we celebrated our independence as a nation. We spent time with family and friends as a way to honor our nation’s birth. The fireworks that filled the skies were a beautiful reminder of the fact that July 4th is a celebration that unites every American in the spirit of freedom regardless of creed or heritage.

Being one of our only purely American holidays, the Fourth of July transcends faith and culture. It does not matter what one believes or from where one’s ancestors once lived. The Fourth of July invites each of us to rejoice in the story of our nation.

On Friday night, we will celebrate these sacred values during our
services. We will sing songs that celebrate the beauty and joy of American life, and we will emphasize the fact that we must constantly stand up for the core values of our nation so that in every generation liberty and freedom, diversity and independence will be guaranteed to all.

L’Shalom-Steve