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Theologically, suffering and death of such magnitude are hard to grasp. (It in fact leads some of us in the direction of “God wrestling” – a not unhealthy concept introduced by our ancestor Jacob.) We throw up our hands at the “why” of such an occurrence. We may take some comfort from the notion that God, having created both the earth and humankind, does not take responsibility for the sometimes tumultuous behavior of these creations. We take more comfort in the idea that God is there with the victims and the survivors, providing solace and healing, and that we can be God’s partners in these processes. We reject categorically the idea espoused by some fundamentalists that such suffering is the result of sinfulness or is due to the religious beliefs of the victims which differ from their own.
The tsunami also provides yet one more example of our society’s dependence on the media, our impulse as a nation to contribute as long as the headlines are in front of us, and our quick return to normalcy once the headlines are gone - - with little thought to the chronic poverty and suffering which continues to plague our planet. In the end, this on-again, off-again assistance our country provides to the needy, even when we add in that tiny proportion of U.S. private philanthropy which goes overseas, is embarrassingly small relative to our resources.
The situation is that much worse when we look at the ever dwindling U.S. Government resources addressing poverty and human needs in developing countries. Having worked for the U.S. foreign aid program for many years, I’ve been saddened to see our assistance continue to be the handmaiden of questionable foreign policy, to see it swelling the coffers of private U.S. corporations, and to see our government, most recently last month, reneging on commitments already made in a feeble gesture toward federal budget balancing.
Our task as compassionate Jews then would seem to be threefold:
First, we ought to do what we can to affect the nature and direction of our country’s foreign policy, and, within that, the orientation and magnitude of its foreign aid. (Are we comfortable with the fact that the U.S. total contribution to tsunami relief – even after it was increased tenfold, is only slightly greater than the amount of money we spend in Iraq each day?)
Second, we should contribute what we can to the relief effort ourselves. Faith has sent around information about contributions to American Jewish World Service (45 West 36th St., 10th Floor; New York 10018) or to the Union for Reform Judaism (633 Third Ave., New York 10017-6778 or www.urj.org/relief). As of thid writing, 3,000 donors have sent $500,000 to URJ for tsunami relief. Isn’t it wonderful that major Jewish philanthropies meet human needs in the world regardless of the religion of those who are suffering?
Louise and I also are contributing to Sarvodaya, a committed and effective Gandhian-inspired indigenous NGO which is carrying out superb on-the-ground relief efforts in Sri Lanka (http://www.sarvodaya.org/donate.html). Tax deductible contributions can be made to Sarvodaya USA, 5716 West Manchester Ave., #3; Los Angeles CA 90045
Third, we must continue to remain focused on our own local needs. Think of the effect on the world if all individuals with the capacity to assist, took seriously the needs of the disadvantaged in their own communities. Our congregation, happily, has a wonderful record in this regard.
B’shalom,
Jim
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