Through Nechama, Jewish Response to Disaster, we arranged a project for our board members attending our Leadership Retreat and the executive directors attending the Executive Seminars that was truly meaningful to everyone who participated. Nechama has been in the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina, directing groups of volunteers who have gutted homes and have made a real difference in the lives of many people.

After a bus tour of some of the damaged areas (including the breach at the 17th St Canal) and a visit to the destroyed Beth Israel Synagogue, we went to work cleaning the ruined YWCA. The building housed their offices, day-care facilities, and battered women’s center. Our work included demolition, gutting, emptying contents, and clearing both the inside and outside of the building. Nechama began this job earlier in the year, but the Y board said they were not sure they would return to the building and so all demolition stopped. Since then, the YWCA board has determined they will return, and the work we did saved thousands of dollars.

When the day was over, each of us knew what it was to help a sister nonprofit on the road to recovery. This is the living definition of Tikkun Olam!