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Breaking News |
Aid effort for Myanmar Jews
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Published: 05/13/2008
A Utah man has launched an effort to help repair the lone synagogue in Myanmar, which was damaged in last week's cyclone.
The synagogue in Yangon, which serves the approximately 20 Jews who still live in the country formerly known as Burma and dozens of tourists who visit, lost its roof and sustained water damage.
Myanmar puts the death toll at 34,273, with 27,838 missing. The United Nations says the actual death toll could be between 62,000 and 100,000.
Scott Klepper, who established a connection with the community during a vacation to Myanmar in March, has partnered with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which with other Jewish groups is raising funds for general disaster relief for the country.
The aim is to purchase water purification tablets and collect cash for a generator for the neighborhood and repairs to the synagogue. The tablets and funds will be sent with Sammy Samuels, the son of the head of the Burmese Jewish community. Samuels is living in New York, where he works for the American Jewish Committee, but is heading to his native land on Thursday.
"I'm just tired of being worried away from home," Samuels told JTA in an interview Monday. "I just can't stay here while people are having a difficult time having gone through these difficulties. I just can't stay here."
Klepper told JTA that he hopes he will be able to send over enough water purification tablets to make up to 2,500 gallons of water usable.
While international aid is being impeded by political authorities, this effort is seen as a direct way to aid the tiny community and its Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist neighbors. Donations should be made to the Myanmar relief fund at www.jdc.org.
To designate funds for this project, an additional e-mail needs to be sent to Scott Klepper at altaklep@yahoo.com with "Sammy/Moses" in the subject line, stating the donor's first and last names, city and state.
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