This past week, Dori, our kids and I travelled to Houston, Texas to help rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane Harvey. We chose this weekend to coincide with contributing service in the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, of blessed memory. Our group was part of an organization called the Kleen Up Krewe, originated in New Jersey and spearheaded by Stuart Himmelfarb, David Goodman and Larry Weiss. To date, these amazing people have been on 22 missions to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Houston and other cities to help these communities with rebuilding after natural disasters, all on their own time and at their own expense.
When in Houston, we had the honor of working on a home that was 6 feet under-water during Hurricane Harvey. We partnered with SBP http://www.sbp.org on our rebuilding efforts. Our local JFNNJ donated significant funds to help families who had hurricane damage send kids to Jewish camp. Working on this home was physically exhausting yet, emotionally invigorating. We were even fortunate to meet the home owner, hear his story of survival and give depth to the holy work we involved ourselves with. It all felt like holy work.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a friend of Dr. King used to say, that when he marched with Dr. King, Heschel said he felt he was praying with his feet. That is how we felt this week.
Our Temple plan for this coming year is that a group of our Temple Emanu-El members will join forces with the Kleen Up Krewe and be a part of this holy work.
The news has cycled to different news stories and other focuses. The challenges and struggles of Houston, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and more communities are still real. Every small part helps.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner