Dear Andy,

The third-strongest hurricane in history has left hundreds of thousands displaced and entire communities deluged in the Caribbean. Violent, gale-force winds have swept people away and caused immense damage to roads, homes, medical facilities, power lines, and other infrastructure.

Will you step up for the many injured and left homeless by the catastrophic category-5 storm that struck Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean?

JDC’s disaster response team is working with our local and global partners in Jamaica to distribute vital humanitarian assistance, such as medical supplies, clean water, and hygiene kits, to those most impacted by Hurricane Melissa. In addition, we're working with the Jewish community of Cuba on disaster relief and response to the emergency.

Our work in the affected region stretches back more than half a century. During World War II, we arranged for hundreds of Jews fleeing the Holocaust to find safe harbor in Jamaica. And most of the 12,000 Jewish refugees who arrived in Cuba between 1938 and 1944 received aid through the JDC-supported Joint Relief Committee.

More recently, JDC's disaster response efforts in the Caribbean have included the cataclysmic 2010 and 2021 earthquakes in Haiti and Hurricane Dorian, which hit the Bahamas in 2019. Across the region, JDC partners with local and international NGOs and Jewish communities to bring critically needed aid to the hardest-hit victims.

Our response to Hurricane Melissa is made possible by our Disaster Fund and annual support from Jewish Federations across North America — as well as thousands of donors just like you. Together, we’re again answering the call of the people who need it most.

Yes — I want to help Hurricane Melissa survivors in their hour of great need.

Thank you for your generosity,

Avital Sandler-Loeff, JDC

Executive Director

International Development and Disaster Response