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Obituaries from page 60

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Jewish Groups Mobilizing
Response To Japan Quake

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jewish organiza-
tions are mobilizing their responses to
the massive earthquake and tsunami that
struck Japan on Friday.
IsraAid, an Israel-based coordinating
organization for 17 Israeli and Jewish
humanitarian groups, said Friday that it
has two teams of rescue personnel, emer-
gency medical officers and water pollution
specialists ready to deploy to Japan but was
looking for ways to reach the affected area.
Because the airports in the affected area
are flooded and Tokyo-area airports closed
on Friday, IsraAid said it was exploring the
possibility of flying to a nearby country
and then trying to make it to northeast
Japan, where the tsunami has killed hun-
dreds and devastated cities and towns.
"We're in touch with local groups to
check the situation in the area," Shachar
Zahavi, chairman of the group, told JTA in
a telephone interview. "We're trying to get
to the closest airport and then get to the

affected area from there."
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement
reported that its emissary in Tokyo said
the Jewish community there largely was
spared any serious injury or damage from
the 8.9-magnitude quake that rocked the
city Friday morning. The Israeli Foriegn
Ministry said late Friday that some 25
Israelis in Japan still had not contacted
family or embassy officials to report on
their safety.
ZAKA, the Orthodox-led rescue and
recovery organization, announced Friday
that it would send a search-and-rescue
team to Japan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said Israel would help in what-
ever way possible.
The Japanese consul in Israel, Mitoshiko
Shinomya, told the Israeli news website
Ynet that he was heartened by the Israeli
government's offer of assistance. "Israel
officially offered its help an hour after the

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earthquake struck," Shinomya said. "It is
very heart-warming, but at this point we
do not know exactly what the extent of the
damage is, so it is difficult for us to say
what can be done."
The Jewish Federations of North
America set up an emergency relief fund
to help those in affected areas and urged
local federations to do the same. "We are
determined to provide emergency relief as
quickly as possible and to work with our
partners to provide support over the lon-
ger term as well:' said Fred Zimmerman,
chairman of the Jewish Federations'
Emergency Committee.
The organization said it is working
with its partner, the American Jewish

Joint Distribution Committee, which also
started a Japan/Pacific disaster relief fund,
to support relief efforts.
"JDC is now conducting an up-to-the-
minute assessment of the situation in Japan
and the Pacific Rim and has activated its
network of partners to determine critical,
immediate needs of the hardest-hit areas:'
the JDC said in a statement Friday.
B'nai B'rith International and the
Orthodox Union also established an earth-
quake emergency fund.
Meanwhile, five Israeli businessmen and
one Israeli tourist had not been located as of
Saturday night, according to Israel's Foreign
Ministry. As many as 400 Israeli tourists are
in Japan, according to reports. II

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62

March 17 • 2011

Obituaries