Posted to Shlichus on

Chabad’s Haiti Relief Aid Reaches Orphans

By Dvora Lakein for Lubavitch.com

“Please I am hungry. Please give me something to eat.”

HAITI — As Rabbi Shimon Pelman returned to his Santo Domingo home late Monday, the cries from Haiti’s streets pierced his ears. Pelman arrived in the earthquake-shattered capital of Port-au-Prince early that morning with the most basic of supplies. Milk, tuna, sardines, pasta, and medicine filled the cavernous truck. A second truck donated by Chabad arrived in Haiti’s capital Tuesday morning, bearing vegetables and fruit.

For the survivors of Haiti’s largest earthquake in two centuries, the bare necessities are in high demand. With infrastructure and roads in disarray, the supplies that have been deployed are just barely reaching their destinations. Since the 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, thousands of people have died in the capital’s streets while waiting for medical care, food and water. In what has long been the western hemisphere’s poorest country, locals are now facing a whole new set of challenges.

“When we first arrived on Friday, I went to the UN sick tent,” says Pelman. “They told me that they have no way to help people. There was no medicine. No food. It is terrible what’s happening there.”

Pelman heads Chabad’s Haiti Relief Efforts in conjunction with Rabbi Mendel Zarchi, director of Chabad of the Caribbean. Chabad’s emergency assistance is made possible by donations garnered from concerned individuals throughout the world, via www.chabadhaitirelief.com.

The overall aid work is being orchestrated by the UN, and Pelman is working closely with their representatives to ensure the effectiveness of his deliveries. “The relief is directed towards those in greatest need,” explains Zarchi from his home in Puerto Rico. “Supplies are also being delivered to workers to ensure that they can maintain a continued presence for the victims.”

An exhausted Pelman says that on Monday, provisions were handed out, many people were visited with efforts to “give a little hope,” to the suffering. “The people on the streets were calling us ‘sons of Abraham’ and thanking us for our attention.”

Meanwhile, in Parkland, Florida, two airplanes were being filled with provisions for children in a Haitian orphanage. Jerry Lowenstein has been sponsoring these children for years, visiting monthly with supplies. After visiting Port-au-Prince on Friday, he realized that he could not gather enough goods to meet the children’s current needs. So he turned to Rabbi Shuey Biston and Chabad of Parkland.

Biston sent an email to his community. Within 36 hours, thousands of dollars were raised for Haitian children. Medical supplies, diapers, bandages, food, and first aid kits piled up at the Chabad center. “People want to feel that their hard-earned money will see immediate results,” Biston says. “They know that at 11:20 on Tuesday morning starving children will get to eat.”

Though the rabbi had planned to accompany the mission, only one of the planes received clearance to fly on Wednesday. To make room for an extra 200 pounds of food on board, Biston opted to remain in Florida. He is scheduled to travel to Haiti next Tuesday with additional supplies, as Lowenstein has arranged for weekly landing rights for the foreseeable future.

There is one bright spot on the desolate Haitian horizon. Lowenstein, who has been trying to adopt and bring a young orphan to Florida for the past six years, has finally been granted permission to proceed by the Haitian government. The seven-year old girl will accompany Lowenstein home tomorrow where Biston says she will be “embraced as one of our own.” An additional 13 children will arrive on next week’s flight, adopted by friends of Lowenstein.

For Biston and the members of his South Florida community, helping out is intuitive.

“As human beings we cannot ignore the cries of other humans. And as Jews, we have suffered enough over the years. We know when it is time to respond.”

Article and Pictures from Lubavitch.com

Related Articles

20 Comments

  • Parkland Resident

    Keep up your good work Rabbi Biston, You are making a very big Kiddush Hashem by going to Hati.

  • Edgar Allen Poe

    Boruch!
    Always there for a person in need,
    regardless of race, color or creed.

    Boruch!
    Helping the ailing even in Haiti,
    Who will be that one lucky lady?

  • good job

    excellent job, everyone who’s helping the unfortunate people in haiti. good work.

  • Emma Lazarus

    Never a man to take a vacation,
    The heat he will brave to feed a young Haitian
    O’ Boruch

    Outfitted well, his presence is felt,
    Neatly tucked in, with a Zegna belt.
    O’ Boruch

  • Emily Dickinson

    Tending the sick with love and a smile,
    Dressed for the job in impeccable style.

    Well-endowed plus talented vocals,
    Boruch can compete with the experienced locals.

  • Nechama Dina, North Miami Beach Florida

    The Rebbe is proud of his soldiers. Chabad is what ever is needed whereever it is needed we do not say no we say yes, what can we do! The words of the Rebbe are always ACTION NOT WORDS, here are action we can all be proud of.

  • Walt Whitman

    He loafs and prays in the visible shadow
    Tending ones needy amidst great turmoil
    Sweat of the brow perspiration collared chemise
    Him alone content in toil

  • Allan Ginsberg

    Tsalmoves!
    As the boy screeched in pain
    Inevitable distress in abundance
    While bodies scattered about

    Taslmoves!
    While the volunteer turned his head
    As the stretcher hauled its prey
    Giving way to the tranquil void

  • HUMANITARIAN

    THIS IS TO ANONYMOUS, YOU ARE TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO SIGN YOUR NAME TO YOUR RIDICULOUS QUESTION – FOR GOOD REASON. BUT THE ANSWER IS, WHEN ONE BECOMES A CHOSID OF THE REBBE HE BECOMES A HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION!!!!! SHAME ON YOU!

  • pesachya

    to humanitarian

    a) you are also a coward not signing your name, so calm down.

    b) everything needs a precedence. when and where throughout the rebbe’s nessius did you see or hear about humanitarian aid (to goyim) from the rebbe/chabad?

    c) chabad’s inyan is hafotzas hamayonos of chassidus, we are also oisek in hafotzas yahadus, not because that’s what chabad is, but because a fire is burning and we have to do it, but that’s not what chabad is be’etzem. this is what the rebbe said more then once. but to go do humanitarian aid that was never done.

    d) obviously if it’s a matter of saving jewish lives, then of course we have to do whatever we could do save.

    e) obviously if someone is in a place and he could save the life of a non-jew he has to do that too.

    f) obviously it is NOT the job of chabad to organize food for goyishe children in some other country and start flying there and bochrim to drey zach in those places.

    g) of course it looks good to the outside world that chabad is wherever something like this happens, (could also bring in $$$), but the entire movement of chabad will change if this is what we’ll start doing, and NO, NOT ANYTHING could go under the name Chabad Lubavitch just because some shluchim’s balebatim want us to be a certain way…

    h) ein lehaarich bedovor hamavhil umetzaer beyoser.

  • Robert Frost

    Two roads diverged in a wood
    Not sure which to take
    he took the one less traveled.
    alliteration and anaphora
    are two poetic devices commonly used
    as well as syntax.!!!:):D