Jewish federations have raised more than $2 million fo Haiti

Jewish federations have raised more than $2 million for Haiti thus far, according to this press release from their umbrella group, The Jewish Federations of North America:

FEDERATIONS RAISE MORE THAN $2 MILLION FOR HAITI RELIEF

NEW YORK, NY, January 19, 2010 – In just a few days, The Jewish Federations of North America, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, and Jewish Federation movement have raised more than $2 million for emergency aid to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, with funds still arriving.

Many Federations are directing funds to our overseas partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and others are sending funds to organizations such as the American Jewish World Service, IsraAID and Mazon.

“As always, the Federation movement responded instantly to help those in need,” said Barry Swartz, senior vice-president of The Jewish Federations of North America. “Working as a collective and partnering with others, Federations are helping the Haitian people to meet the challenges of this catastrophe.”

Please visit this Haiti Relief page to keep updated about the situation and the impressive response of the Federation movement. The page features reports about relief efforts by Jewish Federations, their partners, and other Jewish groups, as well as news about the crisis.

We urge your Federation to promote this page to help raise awareness of the crisis and to support your fundraising efforts.

In partnership with JDC, The Jewish Federations of North America are meeting short-term emergency needs in Haiti by:

• Mobilizing the Federations to raise funds and encouraging them to open local emergency mailboxes
• Providing Federations with e-philanthropy tools to raise money for Haiti
• Convening the Coalition of Jewish Disaster Relief to ensure coordination and cooperation, to maximize our impact, to ensure we meet medium-term and long-term needs and to avoid duplication of efforts; Funding the Israel Defense Forces field hospital, the first portable medical facility operational in Haiti. This facility includes 120 personnel: physicians, surgeons, obstetricians, nurses and others. Federations purchased medical equipment including infant incubators for a neonatal unit and orthopedic devices to support the IDF Medical Corps.
• Working with Heart-to-Heart International, a U.S. non-governmental organization, to provide emergency medical assistance, equipment and other services; Exploring partnerships with other organizations in Haiti
• Working with IsraAID, which sent 15 members to Haiti to help with Operation Blessing, an effort funded by the American Jewish Committee and several Federations. An additional dozen people are expected in Haiti shortly
• Working with USAID and Interaction to send additional medical personnel and supplies to Haiti
• Coordinating with HIAS on immigrant protection issues for Haitians who are currently in the process of deportation
• Working with the National Association of Jewish Chaplains to mobilize chaplains trained in disaster spiritual care and partnering with the American Red Cross for deployment.