The terrifying news of the past few days have left me speechless. Thousands of people have probably died in Japan, hundreds of thousands are left homeless and a nuclear disaster might still happen. Meanwhile Qaddafi is regaining territory, killing his people and crushing the revolution while the world is watching. In Itamar, a three-month old baby, two children and their parents have been murdered in their sleep.
I reckon that sometimes it is better to remain silent, at least here on this blog. However if we cannot talk, we can act. A number of organizations offer their expertise to help these people. Here is a list of suggestions:
– Zaka has sent rescue units to Japan. You can send donations to American friends of Zaka or other branches in the UK, France and Israel.
– You can also donate to the Orthodox Union Earthquake Emergency Fund or to their Victims of Terrorism Fund.
– The AWJS will not intervene in Japan but has a list of links to other Jewish organizations, receives donations for other causes and has educational resources for lay and religious educators.
Do not hesitate to suggest other organizations and links in your comments.
Hannah's Nook 
There is also an organization called the One Family Fund:
http://www.onefamilyfund.org/
They specifically help families that have been terror victims.
Having a hard time knowing what to say is so true. Sometimes just telling others that we don’t live in a safe world and starting a discussion is valuable. For example, Israel was pressured by the U.S. govt. to take down security checkpoints. Did this cause these murders? Some say yes. U.S. citizens should learn this.
Thank you for the link.
I agree with you about informing people, especially those that do not know much about Israel.
Thanks for the list of resources.
You are welcome. It is only a very small contribution.
It may seem small to you, but someone might make use of them, or forward them on.
Thank you, Ilana Davita.
It is the only response I could think of.
I love this. We’re all feeling devastated and in need of doing something. Thank you for a way to do that something.
I am glad people are finding these links useful.
I agree with Rayna Eliana – it may seem small to you, but it has great potential for good. I have been grappling with what to do with all this bad news and as a result, have done nothing. With your links, I can now do something. Thank you.
Also, one of my friends on FB posted a link to this story of hope amidst all the turmoil in Japan. http://yhoo.it/g6vn7D
Thank you for the link. Hope is indeed very much needed.
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Regarding Leora’s link to OneFamily, I would also add this page, on which one can send words of comfort to the surviving children and family: http://www.chabad.org/special/israel/letters_itamar.htm
It also encourages mitzvah resolutions, something I have not been familiar with in the past. But to commit to more mitzvot and community involvement sounds a worthy way to honor the victims of barbarity, by bringing greater goodness into the world. This could go, of course, for either of these tragic events. May the mourners of all the fallen be comforted.
Thank you for the link. I also like the idea of adding mitzvot into our broken world.