The American Jewish community and members of the general public moved with alacrity in response to the Mexico City earthquake and the announcement that the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) was opening its mailbox to earmarked donations.
The JDC, the overseas relief agency of the American Jewish community, announced today that donations and pledges had risen to over $300,000 and were still coming in.
Even before the post office had a chance to make its first deliveries of thousands of individual responses there were telephone calls from lay leaders and professionals in Jewish communities across the country pledging their help.
The Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore, Maryland pledged $25,000; the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles pledged $10,000; Temple Emanuel of New York pledged $10,000; the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati pledged $5,000; the Jewish Federation of Reading, Pa., pledged $5,000.
Other Federations across the country publicized the address of the JDC open mailbox, encouraging members of their communities to respond, as did many rabbis who used the opportunity presented by the Jewish holidays to issue an appeal.
Other responses came from the Scheuer Foundation and the Worcester, Massachusetts Jewish Federation which announced a significant donation for its fund for Mexican earthquake relief from Federation past-president, Jacob Hiatt.
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