World Jewish Relief has launched an emergency appeal to respond to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi over the weekend. More than 800 people have been confirmed dead but that number is expected to rise dramatically as rescuers reach more remote areas. 

Donations could allow us to provide emergency relief such as shelter, food and water, medical and hygiene kits and sanitation. The World Jewish Relief emergency team is currently assessing the situation in Indonesia to determine how we can provide the best support to people hit by this tragedy.

On Friday afternoon a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi and was followed by a devastating tsunami. Buildings collapsed and homes were washed away as the tidal water engulfed the coastal areas. In Palu, the capital of central Sulawesi, bodies are lying in the streets and along the shoreline as people start to deal with the devastation. There is still no electricity and communications are severely limited. The airport runway has also been damaged and vital access roads to the area are blocked by debris and landslides.

People are still trapped inside the rubble after homes, hotels and shopping centres collapsed and rescuers have been digging by hand to find survivors. Makeshift open-air clinics have been set up outside hospitals to deal with the influx of casualties and people are camping outside their homes because of the fear of further aftershocks.

There is also very little information about the coastal town of Donggala, home to 330,000 people and there is great concern for the growing numbers of people affected by this double catastrophe.

Paul Anticoni, World Jewish Relief’s Chief Executive, said: “As we approach the end of Sukkot we are once again shown how vulnerable humans are to the forces of nature. The horror of what those affected have been through is devastating but Jewish tradition teaches that whilst we cannot stop natural disasters, we can choose how we respond to them. Please help us act now to help the people of Indonesia hit by this disaster.”

World Jewish Relief has launched its Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami Appeal with the backing of the UK Jewish communal agencies.

This is a separate appeal to World Jewish Relief’s Rosh Hashanah appeal providing a lifeline to Jewish families in eastern Europe. Donations for World Jewish Relief’s Rosh Hashanah appeal will not be spent in Indonesia.