The Jewish community of Colombia has appealed to the Jews of the United States for help with “Bricks for Colombia,” a project of self-help housing for people made homeless by the volcano that buried the town of Armero, according to an announcement made here today by Dr. Saul Cohen, executive vice president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Cohen said the proposed project was outlined to the JDC by Israeli humanitarian and peace activist Abie Nathan, following a tour of the devastated area by a team of Israeli volunteers. “Since the cost of the project, an estimated $500,000, is beyond the means of the small Colombian Jewish community, they have turned to the Jewish communities of North America and Israel for help,” said Cohen.
“The ‘Bricks for Colombia’ project,” he added, “will consist of a brick factory located on high ground between the towns of Lerida and Guayabal, where the survivors of Armero will build new homes. The factory will employ 200 people for a period of at least ten months, producing an estimated five million bricks. These will be supplied free to the homeless families. The Colombian government,” said Cohen, “has agreed to transport the bricks to the building sites, and will provide roads, foundations, sewage and electricity.”
CORRECTION
The number of cows in the kibbutz of Yotvata is 500, not 50 as inadvertently reported in the December 19 Bulletin.
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