FAITH

Wilmington rabbi joined Puerto Rican relief effort

Ben Steelman StarNews Staff
Rabbi Julie Kozlow, in scrubs with a Puerto Rican flag while on mission. [CONTRIBUTED]

"I guess I hit my limit," said Rabbi Julie Kozlow with a smile. "I said to myself, I have to go do something. I can't sermonize anymore -- I have to model how it's done."

That was in late September, as Kozlow, the rabbi for Wilmington's B'nai Israel congregation, was listening to yet another news story on the horrors in Puerto Rico. Already hit this year by Hurricane Irma, Puerto Rico felt the full brunt of Hurricane Maria on Sept. 20. Although weakened, the storm destroyed the island commonwealth's power grid, leaving all 3.5 million Puerto Ricans without electricity and inflicting more than $8 billion in damage. Although official estimates put the death toll at 54 from Maria, it is estimated that nearly 500 Puerto Ricans were killed.

Kozlow decided she had to take time off and do relief work -- not an easy proposition. "Being a rabbi is a 24/7 job," she said.

Still, her congregants were supportive. When she approached congregation president Barry Weiss, his response was, "Rabbi, what took you so long?" B'nai Israel members and others in Wilmington's Jewish community quietly raised $12,000 for Kozlow to distribute during her work. (Much of her time now is spent writing thank you notes.)

After some research, Kozlow approached International Medical Relief, a 12-year-old non-profit based in Loveland, Colo., which dispatches teams of doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical professionals on mission trips to developing countries. Its mission to Puerto Rico, departing Oct. 28, was one of its first forays into disaster relief.

"Can you use a rabbi?" Kozlow asked. Yes. The team assigned her as a counselor to help storm victims coping with post-traumatic stress, depression or the effects of grief.

Her team deployed in three different locations: a suburb of San Juan, the commonwealth's capital and largest city; to Vieques, a small island to the east of Puerto Rico; and to Las Marias, a small municipality in the mountains west of the mainland. Roads to Las Marias had been closed by fallen trees, so the IMR team was among the first outsiders to reach the area.

"You learn quickly what we Americans take for granted," Kozlow said. "Like water." Clean water supplies were almost non-existent on the island, which made it practically impossible for residents to wash their clothes, their food or themselves. Much of the money Kozlow raised went to purchase 50 water filters, an urgent need.

Like others on the team, Kozlow dressed in blue surgical scrubs, a universal sign that they were there to help. Like the rest of the team, she slept in a pup tent within larger facilities, such as former schools, to keep off the clouds of insects.

With other team members, Kozlow went out daily, visiting houses, talking with residents and finding needs. Fortunately, the rabbi had spent many years living in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Spanish-speaking countries. "My Spanish came back quickly," she said, although she still used an interpreter.

Some dangers were obvious, like mountainside houses that teetered on eroded foundations. Others were more subtle. In some urban neighborhoods, the interpreters found it wise to phone ahead to clear the team's visit with local drug gangs, who otherwise might shoot and ask questions later.

Kozlow was surprised at how cheerful the people were. "These people had no expectation of being looked after," she said. Nevertheless, she saw signs of despair in such things as piles of unwashed dishes, and in piles of ruined furniture or belongings in the street. "It was traumatic," she said.

Kozlow did what she could. Since it was Halloween, she'd bought bags of Halloween candy to pass out along the way. She organized Shabbat services for small communities of Jewish Puerto Ricans.

One older man asked nothing for himself but sought school supplies for his grandchildren, who had lost everything. Kozlow used some of her funds to gather back packs and stuff them with pencils, paper, notebooks and other needed items.

After Kozlow returned to Wilmington on Nov. 4, International Medical Relief wrote, "The comfort you provided to these individuals, mothers, children and families is beyond measure."

Reporter Ben Steelman can be reached at 910-343-2208 or Ben.Steelman@StarNewsOnline.com.

If you want to help

Some organizations offering relief to victims of Hurricane Maria

* American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

* International Medical Corps: https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/

* Catholic Relief Services: www.crs.org

* The Salvation Army: 800-SAL-ARMY (800-725-2769)