In the article below, Rabbinical Assembly member Antonio Di Gesu reflects on his experiences as a rabbi in Japan on the (then) upcoming anniversary of the tsunami (the tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011). He describes two projects that received funding from the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR), of which the RA is a founding member:

• JEN and the Community Cafe Program
  JCDR allocated $43,102 for the pilot cafes and then an additional $130,000 to expand the program to other cities. (Total $173,102)
• Orphans of Rikuzentakata
  The JCDR just contributed $80,000 for a scholarship fund.

By Antonio Di Gesu

Originally posted on March 7, 2012 on JTA

TOKYO (JTA) -- As I sit here in Tokyo with the first anniversary of the tsunami fast approaching, I recall my surprise the first time a Japanese person thanked me, as a Jew, for Israel’s immediate response to the disaster...

(Read the whole article on JTA)