We proudly salute those Jewish organizations that have rallied in support of the victims of last week’s devastating tornado that destroyed a large swath of the Oklahoma City region. As we reported last week, though there are relatively few Jews who live in the area, Jewish groups are providing an array of assistance.
The local Chabad affiliate has offered shelter, financial assistance, cell phones, food and clothing. Agri Star Meat & Poultry of Postville, Iowa, has donated 20,000 pounds of meat, the delivery of which is being coordinated by the National Council of Young Israel and the Masbia organization.
B’nai Brith International is pitching in with help from its Flood, Tornado and Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund and the Jewish federations have set up an Oklahoma City Tornado Relief Fund dedicated to gathering aid from federations across the country.
All of this is of course consistent with the Torah-driven trait of compassion. Yet it is also worthy of note that the Oklahoma City community has been very hospitable to Jews and their needs and has been strongly supportive of Israel. Hakarat Hatov is another key Torah value.
Our front page this week features a photograph of an official acknowledgement of the assistance provided by the Jewish community in the chamber of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. We think that says a lot.