Community Magazine February 2003

14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc pay the rent on. I rode in his new car that he bought just over a year ago. The fuel gauge was on empty and stopping for fuel meant buying less than a gallon of gaso- line. Aaron can’t afford to put fuel in the car, let alone make his car payments. Like Marco, Aaron is also one of the lucky ones. He is young, he has a job, and he is educated and employable. Unfor- tunately the opportunities for him in Argentina are limited. He has job offers in the United States and Israel, but is an only child and has elderly parents who are not well. He can’t leave his ill elderly parents behind and can’t uproot them. He is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Still, Aaron is better off than most. What are things like for the less fortu- nate? There are many in the community who can’t afford food. There are many children whose only meal of the day is pro- vided in school. There are many who can’t afford medicine. There are many who can’t afford housing, clothing, and other basic necessities. That is the bad news. There is some good news too. The first part of the good news is that we have an opportunity to help and actually make a difference. In fact, many of us have been helping. A year ago the rabbis from the community in Argentina came to us and asked us for assistance. They came to New York in an emergency appeal, and many people in the community opened up their hearts and checkbooks and gave generous- ly. The rabbis recently came back to New York to report that the situation has gotten worse for the community in the last year and that they need our emergency assis- tance even more so today. The second part of the good news is that an incredible infrastructure exists to sup- port our sister community there. I had the pleasure to visit a number of our commu- nity institutions in Argentina; the many synagogues, schools, and even soup kitchens were well established. The infra- structure is strong and the will and deter- mination of the community leaders are even stronger; however, these institutions and the community are facing unprece- dented challenges because of the demands and strains that are being placed on them. The demands include the need to provide for food and basic needs for 700 families, meals in schools for several hundred chil- dren, shelter for the homeless, Jewish edu- cation for over 1,000 public school stu- dents, help with job placement, and funds to provide loans to put community mem- bers back in business and earning a liveli- hood, among other things. They are lucky to have such a strong infrastructure and strong leadership to sup- port the community, but they can’t do it alone. They are calling us to action to sup- port them in their time of need. These are not strangers, these are people with Sephardic family names that you recog- nize; they are our brothers and we have a responsibility to do what we can to help out. I hope you will consider joining me in supporting this important cause. “There are many children whose only meal of the day is provided in school.” To provide emergency funds for the Jewish community in Argentina, please send a tax-deductible donation to: Judaicasite Inc. c/o Mr. Ike Hidary 10 West 33 rd Street, 9 th Floor New York, NY 10001 – USA For those that have the capacity and interest, a family can be sponsored for an entire year for $2,600. However, any amount is appreciated, and you shouldn’t feel that any contribution is too small – every bit helps. Also, if you want to learn more about the situation in Argentina and how you can help, feel free to call Ike Hidary at 212-736-6540. CM