Did you know the Jewish world has a team on 24-hour call to respond to global disasters wherever they occur, even in places the Israeli government can’t work?
This JDC team led the Jewish response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the most disastrous storm ever recorded. JDC has been among the first responders to more than 30 typhoons, volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and nuclear meltdowns in recent years.
This trip brought us to the Pacific Ring of Fire and Typhoon Alley with a JDC Board mission to help the Jewish people craft an expanded strategy of being an “or l’goyim” — a light unto the nations of the world — by lending our expertise and resources to disaster recovery.
In preparation, I watched the IMAX movie “Volcanoes,” read Graham Allison’s “Destined for War” on the growing conflict between China and the U.S., reviewed the latest reports from The International Panel on Climate Change, and watched “Crazy Rich Asians.”