Jewish Communities Spring to Action as Hurricane Devastates Southeast

Jewish communities across the country are scrambling to provide funds and resources to relief operations following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, which battered large swaths of North and South Carolina, as well as Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

At least 95 people have been killed by the storm, which dumped unprecedented amounts of rain in certain areas of the Southeast, destroying entire towns and neighborhoods, knocking out bridges, causing sinkholes along major highways and scattering debris — from fallen trees to entire trailers and parts of homes — along roadways. In Asheville, N.C., the flooding broke a previous record set in 2004, which had broken a record set in 1916. AccuWeather has estimated the total damage and economic loss from the hurricane at roughly $100 billion, which would make it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.

Weeks after Hurricane Helene’s historic devastation, the Jewish Community Center of Asheville is still closed. Much of the surrounding community is without electricity and water, so the JCC has been a source of connection and support wherever possible. Executive Director Ashley Lasher and her team are balancing their own families and the community’s immediate needs with long-term recovery plans.

Lasher describes a community reeling from the loss of life and property, struggling to access basic utilities, food, and safe housing, yet quickly coming together, uplifted by widespread acts of kindness and generosity – including a “Fill for Flushing” initiative, where community members without access to water can bring containers and fill them at the JCC pool so they can flush toilets at home. This access to water is available to the entire Asheville community, and they are also delivering non-potable water to other community locations, such as women’s shelters and temporary housing for emergency relief workers.

The Israeli humanitarian relief nonprofit SmartAid, working with a local organization, FP Project, deployed its “Smart Mobile Trailers” to Asheville, N.C., which provide solar power and communication for first responders and local communities.

“Technology has become a basic necessity, akin to food, water, and shelter, when it comes to providing aid to communities affected by disasters,” Shachar Zahavi, founding director of SmartAid, said in a statement.

The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula established an emergency relief fund for victims of the storm, joining with other Jewish Federations to support those working to rescue those stranded by the flooding, mudslides and fallen trees and to provide drinking water, food and shelter to the untold number of people displaced by the storm, as well as electricity and cell service to millions left without power in the Southeast.

Rochelle Reich, Executive Director of the Congregation Beth Israel in Asheville, described the enormous impact the funding through Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) is having for their congregants. JFNA has been able to “come through with porta potties, starlink (providing the first internet in weeks) and already a check for some immediate assistance for congregants who have lost their homes.”

For information about donating to the UJCVP Hurricane Relief Fund or for volunteer opportunities, CLICK HERE