A group of 11th graders from New Jersey recently participated in a unique trip that involved suiting up in hazmat gear, boots and two layers of gloves to protect themselves against hazardous materials—all to help people in a different state whom they had never met.
The students from Naaleh High School for Girls in Fair Lawn, N.J., participated in a three-day Orthodox Union relief mission to Asheville, N.C., one of 10 OU missions to visit there since September. That’s when Hurricane Helene tore through six U.S. states and left utter devastation in its wake—particularly in Asheville.
“The citizens of Asheville need a lot of physical assistance to repair damage and make their houses safe again so that they can move back in,” says Naaleh student Yaeli Baron. “We spent nearly two full days scooping out over eight feet of mud and water from the basement of one home, and completely tore apart the walls and floors in another.”
Since 2005, the OU has run more than 270 relief missions to more than 20 national and international locations, including Israel, India, Romania, Rwanda, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Texas and New Orleans, among many others. Some 90% of the missions are domestic and center on hurricane relief.
Geared for teens, young professionals, adults and seniors, OU relief missions partners with other OU divisions like NCSY, SPIRIT, TJJ (the Jewish Journey), as well as local communities and schools. Naaleh has participated in OU relief missions for three years and was the first school to visit Asheville to help with damage from Hurricane Helene. They were also the first to go to New Orleans following Hurricane Francine, which was also in September.
“OU relief missions offer incredible opportunities for our students to perform a unique form of chesed for someone they’ve never met before and probably won’t ever see again,” says Naaleh’s dean of student experience, Rabbi Aryeh Wielgus. “To be able to immerse themselves for a few days in an experience centered entirely on giving to others is so valuable. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate.”
Rabbi Ethan Katz, founding director of OU relief missions, says that the OU is renowned among North American disaster relief organizations, which often reach out to collaborate ahead of impending hurricanes.
“We have a reputation for mobilizing support almost immediately after a natural disaster,” he says. “Organizations want to partner with us because we provide quality manpower, while they coordinate logistics. In May, I attended a VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) conference in Arizona, where about 500 attendees prepared for hurricane season. Seven organizations of different affiliations asked to collaborate with us; Jewish, Muslim, Mennonite, Baptist, Lutheran, Protestant, and Greek Orthodox.”
In Asheville, OU relief missions work with NECHAMA, Jewish Response to Disaster.
“We really appreciate working with OU relief missions because they bring in people to engage in really meaningful work immediately post-disaster,” says NECHAMA director of operations Max Manasevit. “Watching participants swing hammers and use power tools is proof of the Jewish people’s strength as a nation.”
A typical OU relief missions work day begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m., followed by dinner and a fun night activity. Katz says the type of physical labor involved largely depends on the amount of time that has elapsed since the disaster.
“Usually when we go in, water is no longer on the ground but pieces of ceiling, garbage, filth and mud remain,” he says. “If you touch a wall, it might crumble in your hands, and the carpets are wet and moldy.”
The goal, Katz says, is to try to salvage whatever items are still intact and usable, and return them to homeowners. As the homeowners are frequently present while mission participants are working, utmost sensitivity is required when sifting through their possessions.
“The first day is spent emptying all of the household belongings and sorting them into piles of items that can be salvaged and those that must be discarded,” he says. “When we find a family heirloom or picture, it’s particularly meaningful, because it’s usually all the homeowners have left. On one occasion we found a hand-carved chair belonging to someone’s grandparent. It was very moving.”
Once all of the debris has been removed from a home, participants tear down the drywall. The house is then fumigated and left to dry out for a period of time (either weeks or months, depending on the weather) before being rebuilt.
Baron says that her school’s experience in Asheville was much more than just fixing homes. “It wasn’t just about cleaning or rebuilding,” she reflects. “It was about showing empathy and being there for people who had lost so much. Just being present and offering a helping hand during tough times truly matters. This is a core principle of Judaism: helping others and making sure that no one is left behind.”
The mission also presented an opportunity for Baron and her peers to make a kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of God’s name.
“In our interactions with people at the hotel and beyond, we had the opportunity to show what Judaism is really about—living with kindness, fairness and a commitment to helping,” she says.
OU relief missions’ participants may sometimes be the only Jews people may encounter in their lifetimes, Katz adds, which makes their interactions all the more significant.
“The people we help have never heard of the OU,” says Katz. “But we are visibly Jewish, and it’s especially obvious that we’re Jews when we work with NECHAMA, because we wear their T-shirts and NECHAMA’s truck is with us, both of which have the Jewish response to disaster tagline on them. We also tell participants that if the people we’re helping initiate conversation of any kind, they should continue it, even at the expense of stopping to work for a bit. Most of the time, the fact that we are Jewish comes up in conversation.”
‘Affirming our Jewish values’
Wielgus believes that OU relief missions are particularly meaningful in the aftermath of Oct. 7.
“In light of the situation in Israel and the ongoing antisemitism we confront daily as a community, it’s really special that our students are playing such an important role in countering the narrative,” he says. “By participating in these missions, they are affirming our Jewish values of life, chesed and giving.”
Baron is also grateful to have played a leadership role in the mission.
“This experience made it clear that true leadership is about showing kindness, making a difference in others’ lives and using our actions to help heal the world,” she states. “I left Asheville with a deeper understanding of tikkun olam, and a stronger desire to continue to do chesed and help others whenever possible.”
Contact: Rabbi Ethan Katz, director of OU relief missions, (646) 459-5142, katze@ou.org.