Within a few short hours, on the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake and the resulting tsunamis claimed over 150,000 lives. People all over the world have struggled to come to grips with this tragedy. CAJE has asked members to share lessons, leads, links, and ideas, and we offer this material as a resource.
New material is arriving daily, so this resource page should be seen as a work in progress. If you know of material that you'd like to share with other CAJE members, please call it to our attention so that we can add it to this page. Please send any additional resources to Peter Stark at CAJE.
All tsunami materials are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free Adobe Acrobat reader here.
Bob Bankirer and Marcia Goldstein each drew our attention to various educational aspects of the Union for Reform Judaism's Resources for Disaster Relief.
AREYVUT Tsunami Disaster Educational Materials
Daniel Rothner of Areyvut sent us a link to their page of Tsunami Disaster educational materials.
A Prayer by Rabbi Shai Held
Cantor Aviva Rosenbloom of Temple Israel of Hollywood, CA, composed a Birkat HaGomel in response to the tsunami tragedy, and at our request, prepared this full notation (sheet music) of the song.
"Countless Souls Cry Out to God"
Marcia Goldstein pointed out that the January 10, 2005, issue of Newsweek included in the “Religion” section an article asking, "After a cataclysm of Biblical proportions, people of all faiths ask, Why us? Why here? Why now?" The article, centering on responses from Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians may be particularly interesting for comparative religion classes.
Don't Expect Tsunami Relief to Wash Away Hatred
The Jewish response to the tsunami disaster was immediate, bringing an unaccustomed kind interaction between Jews and Muslims. This thought-provoking editorial may be useful for broaching a particularly thorny issue in the aftermath of the disaster. Read it by clicking here.
A list of Jewish organizations providing relief and aid
Egyptian Paper Blames Israel and India for Tsunami
Eliot Spack pointed out this example of media manipulation in the Arab press. A group or classroom analysis of this article for inconsistencies could prove an eye-opening exercise.
For Congregational Schools: Asian Earthquake Disaster - A Religious Response
Joanne Doades of the Union for Reform Judaism's Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning prepared this piece as part of the URJ response to the tsunami disaster.
Israel's Relief Efforts in Southeast Asia
The Department for Jewish Zionist Education of the Jewish Agency offers many pages of material on Jewish responses to human suffering in the wake of disaster, with internal and external links to reports, essays, and lesson material on a wide variety of related topics.
JDC Responses: Tsunami Relief, and On The Ground Reflections
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee website offers country-by-country reports of how aid from the Jewish community is helping tsunami victims. Material here may be useful for educator background or for student report preparation as part of planning a tzedakah project.
Jewish Web Institute for Teachers - Lessons to Be Learned from the Great Tsunami
A Webquest about the Recent Tsunami in South Central Asia and its Impact on Us as Jews
Peter A. Stark offers a brief essay on placing our response to this tragedy in the context of our partnership with God in the ongoing creation of the world.
Prayer - A Musical Artist’s Response
Songstress Rahel offers a personal response in the form of a prayer.
Prayer for the Victims of the Southeast Asian Disaster
Eliot Spack draws our attention to this prayer in Hebrew and in English in the site of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel.
Response of the Jewish Community of Thailand
The Jewish community of Thailand offers a wide variety of resources on its website, including information and blessings for survivors.
Response to Natural Disaster: A Jewish Approach (Sept. 2004)
Rabbi Jan Katzew calls our attention to extensive educational resources developed by the Union for Reform Judaism regarding natural disasters and their aftermath.
Saving Life, Universalism, and Particularism
Rabbi Jack Bieler offers a sermon and teaching material used at his synagogue (Kemp Mill Synagogue in Silver Spring, MD) and teaching material he used in his classes at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, also in Silver Spring, MD.
Talking to Children about World Natural Disasters
Margy Ringelheim pointed out this page at the NYU Child Study Center website.
Thai Jewish Community: information, blessings for survivors, resources
The Jewish community of Thailand offers a wide variety of resources on its website, including information and blessings for survivors.
The Tsunami Tragedy: After the Disaster
Idie Benjamin wrote to tell us that classes at her school (Congregation Beth Judah in Ventnor, NJ) used grade-appropriate material from two issues of MyJewishLearning.com to frame a discussion of human suffering, to plan a tzedakah project, and to discuss brachot (blessings) as Jewish responses to life events, including disaster:
Thoughts and Responses to the Tragedy in South Asia
Amy Sands of Boston suggests that the “Thoughts and Responses to the Tragedy in South Asia” area of the Facing History and Ourselves website contains useful material and sharing of ideas.
Hazzan Jeffrey Myers used this Torah Aura Instant Lesson as a springboard to a Hebrew High School discussion on God's involvement in the real world.
Toronto BJE - Tsunami and Tzedakah
The Toronto BJE offers resources providing information about tsunamis and also suggests an approach to deal with our responsibility as Jews to help those in need.
The Tsunami and the Circle-Maker
The Jewish World Review website includes this essay that uses the Talmudic story of Choni Ha-Magil (the Circle-Maker) to examine the recent tsunami in the context of Jewish traditional questions raised by and responses to disasters.
Tsunami Disaster - A Letter to Day School Parents
Amalia Bilek, elementary school principal at The Epstein School in Atlanta, provides this letter that The Epstein School sent to parents detailing the school's activities in response to the tsunami disaster.
Tsunami Informational Links
Carol Holzberg calls our attention to these useful informational links on tsunamis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2330000/newsid_2333800/2333893.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/issues_in_depth/20050104.html
Tsunami Relief - A Weblogger's View: Velveteen Rabbi
The weblog of a Jewish writer (not a rabbi) offers a personal response to the tragedy.
A Tsunami Response - Tu B’Shvat 2005
Shlomit Blum of the BJE in Los Altos, California, weaves themes responding to the tsunami disaster into programs for Tu B’Shevat.
Using Poetry to Unlock Individual Feelings
Jacqueline Karp, who lives and works in France, writes about using a particular poem to unlock individual feelings.
Where was God in the Tsunami? And where has humanity been?
Tikkun.org presented this editorial taking theological questions raised by the tsunami as a point of departure for a search for ways of performing and embodying tikkun olam.
Thanks to Bob Bankirer, Idie Benjamin, Marcia Goldstein, Eva Grayzel, Frieda Hershman Huberman, Eliot Spack, Janice Weisman, and other CAJE members for their suggestions and help in assembling this material.