The United Orthodox Synagogues building in Houston, Texas, has been flooded three times in as many years. But Hurricane Harvey, which filled the space with seven feet of water in early September 2017, proved to be the final blow. The synagogue, in use since 1961, is set to be demolished, the Houston Chronicle reported. On…
Ever since the Seattle Hebrew Academy was damaged by an earthquake in 2001, Jewish and non-Jewish religious groups have been trying to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency to grant repair funds to houses of worship hit by natural disaster. But internal rules put in place to ensure federal dollars don’t go to religious causes…
(JTA) — As Hurricane Harvey swept over Houston, Chava Gal-Or counted herself lucky. The water rose up to her door and a little bit seeped in, but her home did not flood. However, many in the Reform synagogue where she works had it much worse: Twenty-nine families lost their homes — about 15 percent of…
When Hurricane Harvey Rained Out Their Wedding, They Made Lemons Into Lemonade Like rain on your wedding day, postponing the happiest day of your life and making other people happy is a little bit ironic. But it didn’t feel that way when Dayna Skolkin and Josh Tillis served the three-course meal intended for their rained-out…
(JTA) — Private citizens who apply for Hurricane Harvey rebuilding funds in Dickinson, Texas no longer have to certify that they will not boycott Israel. The Dickinson City Council on Tuesday voted to remove a clause from a relief application that had drawn the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union and pro-boycott activists, the…
(JTA) — Private citizens who apply for Hurricane Harvey rebuilding funds in Dickinson, Texas no longer have to certify that they will not boycott Israel. The Dickinson City Council on Tuesday voted to remove a clause from a relief application that had drawn the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union and pro-boycott activists, the Houston…
(JTA) — A Texas state representative blamed “confusion” for a Houston suburb’s decisio to demand its residents certify to receive hurricane relief. Republican State Rep. Phil King authored state legislation against BDS, or boycotts of Israel, earlier this year. The legislation went into effect last month. “This bill in no way applies to the type…
Cleanup after Hurricane Harvey is moving at a slow pace in Texas’ Gulf Coast region and in the Houston area. As of early this month, over 60,000 people were still living in hotels, and on Friday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into companies that “may be over-promising but under-delivering” in removing hurricane…
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