As of late Friday afternoon, news outlets are reporting that the US is preparing to strike Syria as a response to its use of chemical weapons. A strike on Syria may lead to a counter attack by Syria on the citizens of Northern Israel. The humanitarian fallout from these actions may be significant and not limited to any one group. Northern Israel is one of the most diverse regions of the county with communities of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and Arabs.
Federation remains ready to mobilize our community’s resources to support the humanitarian needs arising from the situation. Already there is an immigration crisis emerging as Syrian refugees are seeking shelter in Jordan in anticipation of a US strike. We have posted resources for our community to help via the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)–one of Federation’s historic overseas partners.
We will post updates as the situation warrants. Let us all hope that it is a peaceful Labor Day as we begin to reflect on the coming New Year.
Shabbat Shalom,
Andrew
