Extreme heat, drought and forest fires in the central part of Russia has mobilized the Jewish community to help citizens who have lost their homes and property due to the disasters.
Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar instructed Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia representatives, many of whom are Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries, to make an all-out effort to help affected residents in any way they can. Moscow Jews immediately responded to the call, bringing clothes, food and household items to the local charity centers to aid the needy.
Leaders of local Jewish communal charity organizations are distributing what they have collected to residents near Moscow who have been affected by the disasters.
The head of the Jewish community of Ryazan, Ludmila Zakharova, has already distributed significant amounts of humanitarian aid collected by community members to the victims of local fires.
In the Nizhny Novgorod region, one of the most fire-affected regions where entire villages have been lost, the local Jewish community and the Chesed Sarah Charity Fund have been actively helping the victims.
The Jewish community of Birobidjan, located in the Far East region, has also rallied to aid the inhabitants of Russia’s central regions. A number of local Jewish businessmen responded, followed by a Chinese resident whose business caters primarily to Jewish residents. The charity organization run by the city’s Freud Jewish Community Center has played an active role in this endeavor.
The Jewish community of Rybinsk also responded to the FJC’s call for assistance. With the money donated by community members for this effort, community Chairman Mark Marinin was able to procure much-needed disposable kitchenware that is so helpful for people living in makeshift and temporary living conditions during this disaster response period.