Israel Aiding Paraguayans Displaced By Worst Flooding in 50 Years
Floods in Paraguay. Image by Getty Images
Israel will donate food and assistance kits to help Paraguayans displaced by massive flooding in the region, the worst in half a century.
“The State of Israel is sympathetic to our sister nation of Paraguay in this difficult moment when thousands of citizens have been forced to leave their homes behind,” the Israeli Embassy in Asuncion said. “We are ready to support the government to provide humanitarian aid.”
Some 100,000 Paraguayans have been displaced by the flooding caused by torrential rain, which was triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon and started falling in the region on Dec. 18. Some rivers have reached a height of 32 feet and burst floodwalls.
The flooding had a stronger impact on residents of low-lying slums, who sought shelter in camps on higher ground and are sleeping in improvised tents.
Another 50,000 people also were stricken by floods in bordering areas in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, but Paraguay was the most-affected nation.
Israel reopened its Paraguay embassy in July after it was closed in 2002 due to financial constraints. The countries have strong ties in the fields of anti-terrorism, trade and agriculture.
Paraguay is home to a Jewish community of about 1,000.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
