Dear Klal Yisroel,
By now you have likely heard of the treacherous weather that most of Texas has experienced- and is still experiencing-this week. The usually warm and sunny state has been in the grip of a polar vortex since Sunday.
Baruch Hashem, Dallas has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Many families moved to town this past summer-in the middle of a pandemic. However, his past week has been especially difficult for the Dallas Jewish community.
Record low temperatures (as low as 0 F) sustained for most of the week have wreaked havoc on many homes and institutions. Many local residents were unprepared to handle conditions not seen in the past century. The electric grid has not been able to handle the additional demand for electricity to heat homes. Managed rolling blackouts were implemented, leaving many without any electricity for 6-9 hours at a time. Families bundled up indoors, just to stay warm. Water pipes froze and burst, causing substantial damage.
Community members have stepped up in this time of need. One kiruv rabbi hosted 3 other families who lost power in his home over the past several days. A local kosher supermarket fundraised and produced meals for thousands of people.
But there is only so much we can do alone. Chaverim of Dallas reported 40 calls for burst pipes today alone. The resulting indoor flooding has caused incalculable damage. We hope that the worst is over, but we need your help.
Texas Torah Institute, our local yeshiva, was approached by local community leaders to spearhead the effort to create and manage a campaign to provide much needed funds to help defray the costs of repairing the property damage caused by this historic storm. We will allocate the funds via a committee of the undersigned Rabbonim to ensure equitable distribution.
Please help us at this difficult time by donating here.
Rabbi Shlomo Abrams, Jewish Learning Center
Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky, Chabad of Dallas
Rabbi Yaakov Rich, Congregation Toras Chaim
Rabbi Daniel Ringelheim, Texas Torah Institute
Rabbi Aryeh Rodin, Congregation Ohev Shalom
Rabbi Shalom Rodin, Jewish Education Texas
Rabbi Zecharia Sionit, Sephardic Torah Center
