Chabad of Oregon Helping Victims of Blazing Wildfires

An unprecedented rash of Oregon wildfires has burned nearly 900,000 acres, prompted widespread evacuations and killed at least three people.

About 3,000 firefighters are working the blazes, which stretch from southern Oregon to Clackamas County. Tens of thousands of Oregon residents have been forced to flee their homes. The five largest fires are each 5% contained or less, Oregon Live reported. “We have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across our state,” Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday.

Rabbi Avi and Faigy Zwiebel, Directors of Chabad of Southern Oregon, have launched an emergency campaign to support the members of their community who have lost everything to the fires.

“Imagine — chas v’sholom — seeing all your possessions consumed by flames in a matter of minutes. All your furniture, your important documents, your photo albums, your heirlooms, your children’s toys, your seforim, your entire house burned to the ground,” they said.

“This is what 28 families in our small Jewish community in Southern Oregon are facing today, as wildfires blaze through Oregon, threatening everyone in their path. Many lost their homes, others lost their businesses – their sole source of parnasa.

“Let me be clear: these people lost everything. There’s Chana, an artist, who painted the Tree of Life in our shul. Her home and studio are now gone. There’s Lisa, with a special needs child, who sent her child to our Camp Gan Israel. She has nothing left. There’s Jeff, whose recently purchased tefillin went up in smoke. And the list goes on and on,” Rabbi Zwiebel said.

“This is not a wealthy community. These families don’t have extra savings to tide them over in an emergency of this scope,” he said.

Rabbi Zwiebel says they urgently need the basics right now — food, water, clothing, and shelter.

“We are scrambling to identify everyone who needs help. We are providing them with their necessities to tide them over temporarily until they can get back on their feet,” he said.

“Please help your brothers and sisters – your gift will go directly to the victims of the fire. Not only will you provide them with their basic needs, but you will let them know that their fellow Jews care deeply about their well-being,” Rabbi Zwiebel said.

Click here to help now!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/almeda-fire-relief-fund