Chabad of Jamaica's Rabbi Yaakov Raskin Speaks with Nachum Segal on JM in the AM

Uh down in Jamaica, as you can imagine, they are reeling from Hurricane Melissa. Now, if I have it right, and we'll check with our Raskin in a second. I believe Hurricane Melissa hit land on Tuesday. That's eight days ago. Rabbi Yakov and Kai Arasin are directors of Kabad of Jamaica. They've turned their h home into a critical relief resource despite severe damage to their building. They're housing stranded tourists, displaced locals. They're operating phone charging stations. We were given the opportunity to speak to Barasin and we jumped at it. Uh, anybody out there who wants to help, by the way, they need the help. The um the way to help is Jewish.com/mlissa. Two s's in Melissa. jewishjamaica.com/mlissa. And we'll talk about dropping stuff off, etc. Since 2014, the Rascins have operated Kamad of Jamaica in Montego Bay. Rabbi Rascin, a pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM. >> Okau, good morning. >> Great to speak to you. Uh I I think I'm right that this that this uh hurricane, which is a record breaker, and I can only imagine how much damage it did to your area, uh hit land eight days ago. Um, could you tell us, are you in an area of Jamaica that was hardest hit that it could have been much worse? Uh, lucky to be alive. How would you describe the actual impact? >> Literally luckily to be alive. I think we were like just outside the eye at Treasure Beach, which is just an hour and a half, two hours away from us. Really? Uh, everybody's calling it Flatten. um for them it's going to take uh a year to recover if not longer. Uh but it's ma the main areas that got hit is the city next to us, Trilani, our city which is St. James, Montego Bay, Sav Lamar and uh Treasure Beach, Black River, that whole west side, upper west side of Jamaica. >> Are the tourists that were stranded there, and I get it, you know, people may ask, oh, why didn't you try to leave and all that? The logistics don't always make that possible. Um especially if you're trying to evacuate a large number of people. Are the tourists still with you? >> So tourists are not with us. Uh thank God the airports opened up. Uh Kingston opened up on Friday cuz Kingston, thank God, uh was not hit as bad as our side. Montego Bay airport opened up uh this Sunday or Monday. And so people are it's you know slowly seeing that people are able to leave, people are able to evacuate. Uh we got uh my wife and kids out on Friday morning, sent them to Florida for shabas. >> Wow. >> To safety. >> Good idea. Were you in Jamaica for shabas? >> I was in Jamaica for shabas. I arrived back from the airport a half an hour before. It was a happy shabas to be alive and you know a sad shabas. What normally we have on our shabas table. What what what would a normal shabas be like? Are you year round inundated by tourists and guests? >> Yes. A year round a normal shabas easily 30 to 60 guests. >> Wow. >> Sitting on our terrace that has a porch with fans, lights overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We have a beautiful view from the Kabad house. Uh people are coming and going and uh my wife of course appears cooks a storm. So you know when you arrive half an hour before chasers you take out every canned food you have. >> Yeah. >> Thank god I had some herring from Simpra very was was so tasty. >> Your your menu went in a direction I'm very familiar with. Raasin with us from Jamaica. How do you assess the damage to the Kabad house? I mean, if someone would ask you in terms of how long the sh the kabad house, your own personal space, how long is it going to take to recover? What do you tell them? >> So, the kabato suffered loss of over a half a million dollars. >> Wow. >> Uh all our all our gates uh the security gates of the property compromised. Uh my baby's room was, you know, it was a glass room which we did cover very well with wood before. All any protection that we put up, you know, on the windows, the protection fell off. We had we have a few rooms that, you know, the windows shattered and uh we're going to need to fix those. We had a miracle in the shel, literally a miracle that in the you know, it's a category 5. The sho is all covered and everything and it's high up. Um, but as the wind's going, I'm like, you know what? I'm worried that whatever it be such strong winds, the water finds itself in. And so even before the strong winds coming in, anywhere in the kabadas that, you know, it could stick its head through, water is coming in. So I ran to the shore and I covered the floor with we had, thank God, I kept all these cardboard boxes. You know, good you never throw things out. I covered the entire floor with cardboard backs boxes and you know it's it sucked in all the water so did not compromise this farm. All the talis and got very wet. One of our big ACs is damaged and uh one of the windows shattered which thank god did not you know it's it's a good window that the the glass didn't break like my kids room that you know the glass is all over the place. Right. >> Is there is there working is there working electricity right now where you are? where we are, there's no working electricity probably for the next uh probably till December. That's what they're saying. They're they are working hard to get things back in our city because it's the main city for tourism. And even though people got very hit, let's say the Hyatt Hotel is across the street from us, they said they're not open till February. >> Wow. >> Another hotel that's across the street from us, I spoke to the manager yesterday. She said she's trying to get a part of it open by December 5th. >> So the ripple the ri the ripple effect of this episode is massive. huge. So this is this is our place. Other cities forget about tourism over there for the next year. >> Wow. >> So Rios can accept tourism. Nico Rio will accept tourism. Um Kingston, some places in Tigle Bay, but the the other parts are are devastated. I I'm going out there with we have a team of volunteers part going to give out food and water. We had a uh a guy from the Kabad house, an Israeli. He has Jamaican friends. Uh so he went to go visit uh his friend's grandmother who went at the devastated place. She lost her entire house. >> Oh. >> She came here. We let her sleep at the Kabad house and everything. She joined us for Friday night dinner. She said two days she did not eat there. No, there was no dry eye by that. You know, we're sitting there with canned food by the table. Uh but there's no dry eye but just to hear that and that is how what right now before I even start rebuilding I'm trying to get out to these places where all the bigger reliefs you know they're going to the main places are not reaching you we're getting you know to the mountains and all those areas. >> How many people do you have who volunteer to go on these missions for you and with you? >> Okay. So right now we have six volunteers. We have two bakim who came in from the the US and then I have another four local volunteers. Uh the good part you know one some of the local volunteers staying with us. Another local volunteers is in another city next to us. So she comes to the kabad picks up supplies and goes out. >> And for those wondering how you're speaking to us because I'm assuming you're on a cell phone. Uh you you have your own source of >> Thank God we just got Yes. uh we were, you know, in general in Jamaica, any storm, we would lose an electricity, water, uh for a day or two or three days. When you left the you're you're the only coast place in town and you have 10 freezers, you need to get a generator. So, we were blessed by an incredible sponsor who gave us a huge generator. uh you know we have a big fab house that uh can hold up the entire place and we got it just before Hurricane Barrel. >> Wow. >> So Hurricane Barrel which was tiny compared to this we didn't have electricity and water for a month. So we were we were operating on the generator and now right now I'm operating on generator. I just got back cell phone service yesterday and and we have blessed someone brought in from New York to me a couple Starlinks because my Starink got compromised so I could use it on the go. And when I traveled and that's how I could stay connected for five days, we weren't disconnected from everybody. It was pretty interesting. >> So, how were how was the how is the plane P L A N Effort coordinated if they couldn't reach you because a plane actually left, am I right, before Shabas to go to Jamaica with supplies? >> Yes. So, thank God my wife had she never gave up on her American number. >> Wow. >> Which was a great move. >> Wow. So right after the storm it's like we lost contact and mamish Kalis and all the schlook around the world were dobing for us you know just I just asked everybody to dab and the building was shaking you know sitting with a a 5-month old baby in a room at a certain point we just I locked told my wife and kids just the safest place was a bathroom which had no windows and everything >> right >> and you know even our safe room was well covered and everything you know we planned this out. There's snacks. They downloaded a a Tovito before, you know, right? >> Shouldn't be any traumatic experience. And so, so after the storm, uh, which in the middle of the storm actually, one of our windows blew open and I ran to get my mattress for my room and my bedboard to hold that those doors and windows closed. >> Wow. >> And put like a whole contraption with with beds. Rain is non-stop coming in. We had like water all over the place. The rooms flooded. And so right after all that, you know, you know, literally I was tugof-war with Melissa. She went to I said, "It looks like it's calm now." She checked her phone. She's two bars. T-Mobile was working here. I think it's I don't know if they connected with Starling. And uh and we were able to just tell everybody we're okay. We're safe. A lot of damage. >> Unbelievable. >> And and we're out to help everybody. Rabbi Yakov Raskin's with us. He's director of Kabad of Jamaica with his wife Kaya. Um, you got to help out everybody. Uh, you can go to the website jewishjamaica.com/mlissa. There are two s's in Melissa. jewishjamaica.com/mlissa. And we'll talk about the drop off in a second. Um, so that plane that I'm referring to again put together, I'm assuming volunteers and just great brothers and sisters that all of us have around the world. That's what I'm assuming. Um, did it I assume it had a tremendous amount of supplies, right? That had a a whole bunch of stuff that you needed >> a a whole bunch of stuff. Uh I must say our good friend and supporter Javina together with Tatsola ear and uh kosher uh KC market in South Florida and the Kabata Rabbi Tenant House from Kabat Power filled up cases of canned foods kosher stuff and uh clothes uh medicine uh satellite phone because you know I'm going to these places I have nowhere to talk to right uh a Starlink So it it was I must say the hug from the Jewish people from our brother and sister is is felt gratefully and just the amount of people you know someone who came to visit us years ago who just sent me a text or a call or email it and these moments it just I I you you just feel the love to another level like mamish mero literally >> unbelievable. Um, before we talk about the drop off, which we'll get to in a second, I'm just curious, and maybe others are curious, when the emergency starts, right, you start this battle with Melissa, as you described, and you're trying to protect your family. How many hours is it till you could actually breathe a sigh of relief that the damage is extensive and horrible, but it's over? >> So, it was four and a half hours about. >> Wow. And even when it stopped like you know the rain still came and there was still like these gust crazy winds uh for you know till like so let's say it started at 2 it started about like uh exact time 12:30 1:00 I had service till 2:30. >> Wow. 2:30 was like when we knew the I arrived onto the island about that time and as soon as I arrived was it service was gone and so it was it was it was it was a very slow storm like Daryl I remember it was two hours of crazy gust winds or or less of that and you know it was over here it just didn't stop and you're just like doing and asking Hashem like enough stop this already. You know, you just And actually at the end, I I just said, you know what? I was telling Hashem enough. I'm going to sing hollow to him. >> Wow. >> I'm alive. >> I'm singing hollow. I'm hold I'm holding I'm holding the match saying halo and I'm finishing kay. And that's when it it started to come. >> I maybe should have started singing hollow earlier. >> You've learned if god forbid there's another storm. Rabbi Rascin's with us. And you know, Rabbi Rasin, the timing is amazing. Not that this ever a coincidence. God is the ultimate producer, as I like to say. It's eight days later, and today is the day we're speaking to you. Today, the day that so many people in New York, in our community, and around the world who are watching what's going on in New York, are so focused on the changes that are happening before our very eyes. And I think it's really important to remember the message that you just told us, and that is that he, the one above, is in charge. He is who guides everything. He is who decide when the storm whether it's a political storm or a rainstorm starts and stops. And I think there's an important message in there especially a day like today. >> Absolutely. And you know it's what keeps us going here continuously especially through this moment now which is uh you know last night it it hit me for the first time. You know wife the kids away place is a mess. broken all over. But the rabbit told Dr. Jonathan Saxs, the former chief rabbi of the UK, >> right? >> Uh, a yid never gets into a situation. A yid got to make a situation. And so the moment, you know, yes, we were all we're all beaten up over here. First thing is how we can bring the word of Hashem to every single human being over here. And you know, first of course to our leadership community there and then to our neighbors and there there's something after disaster neighbors that living in our community of the Kabad house who never stop by to say good morning or hello to me or we didn't even know that they they here you know there's that neighborly love over here and the entire island of just caring for one another. It's special. >> It is amazing. And you know on the other end and I and I know you appreciate that and you appreciate the uh the friendliness and the outreach but the kish hashem that you and those around you uh you know are are doing on a regular basis but especially in situations like this inviting in Jew and non-Jew alike for whatever life saving supplies they need and just to help them get back on their feet or they give them a you know a good word and some encouragement. I mean it really is amazing. It's a tremendous lesson for all of us watching how you operate. And again, I'm reminding everybody that you're sitting in a devastated area right now, 8 days after the storm. It's a devastated area. Go to jewishjamaica.com/melissa. Now, Rab Rascin, I have here two addresses. And both of them, frankly, are addresses that are surrounded by our listeners. I hope they'll participate. I have a New York area address in Newark, New Jersey of 257 Verona Avenue. And I have a South Florida address in Hollywood, Florida of 2927 Bogotaa Avenue. Now, what what's the story with this? Do you literally want people to bring supplies, cases, boxes? Is it other things that are being collected? What's happening with this actual relief, physical relief effort? So there a lot of people reached out and you have you didn't who have access to companies that can donate generators, boxes of tarp, uh clothes, canned food, and that's what it's mainly uh made for. You know, the you know, essential items. We have a list on our website. um uh it should be as well on the relief website that you know exact which items should be sent. It's not like if someone has old clothes sitting in the house that they didn't wear for 10 years which can probably come to use but >> right not in this context like you know someone has yeah five a closed box of or a brand new generator and they're able to donate it. It's literally going to save lives over here. And that's what we uh we we set up these addresses. I'm very uh thankful to Ripel Harowitz uh from his company for opening his warehouse to accept the supplies so we could get out the container by early next week. I want to close it up before Shabas. And uh my good friend Schlommoish from Florida who accepted in his private pl area to uh to accept all these boxes and to ship it to us. If anybody maybe knows of a faster way uh air cargo that is uh you know willing to uh donate space on their air to get it here faster that would be huge. >> Um you know we we got already two you know flights in actually the neighboring from Cayman Islands right away sent for our fellow Yidden a tiny plane six-seater but stuffed it up with uh six long battery packs. You can hold up a fridge for eight hours, one generator, tarps. >> Is your Is your generator still working? The one you described, the massive one, is that able to just keep going 24 hours a day? >> Yes. A miracle that, you know, I again I I say Hurricane Barrel really got me ready for the aftermath, >> right? >> So, I have all these like a few diesel companies. So, I called up each one and they arrived just before Shabas to refill the tank. Wow. Every week it cost me $1,500 just to keep up the Kabad house to electricity. And we put up 5,000 water five water tanks which you want a thousand gallons to keep running. So for the first week actually even though I had the 5,000 gallons of water people have no water, our pump was broken. So we couldn't pump the water in. >> So literally uh taking out buckets like water carriers and we I must say I was where I'm still very stingy on water. Forget about a hot shower. But we water, we showered with carts and wash our hands in a shisel and take that shisel water, put it in the bathroom. You don't want to waste any drop. >> It's very precious. >> It gives you an appreciation for the uh for water, doesn't it? And >> absolutely like you appreciate to be alive that I have a roof. I'm seeing people with with nothing. >> Yeah. >> Appreciation to life is a new level. >> Let's help our Rascin and his family. Everybody, by the way, at a normal during normal times, how do you keep, you know, supplies and food for, you know, 30 and 60 guests of Shabas in your freezers? Are you getting constant deliveries from Florida? Like, how does it work? >> Okay, so as the years we keep growing, uh, two years ago, you know, that's a regular small shabas and we reach to much more. Wow. Uh, and Hanukkah is like from, you know, the winter is is non-stop. It gets very very busy. So, we built in a walk-in freezer in the in the Kabat house. Uh, where uh every uh few months we bring in a shipment from Florida or New York, bring in a freezer container. >> And you and you and you said there's a Kabad House in Cayman Islands as well. How many Kabad houses are in your quote unquote neighborhood in that part of the world? Yeah, I'm such I'll tell you I'm such I'm such a homebody. If I'm not in Jerusalem or New York and New Jersey, I'm nowhere. What does it look like in the body >> right now? >> Yeah, there is kabad in 19 locations in the Caribbean. >> What? >> Who would believe? Yes. I >> There are 19 There are 19 kabat. What number were you in 2014? >> We were number 10. Yes, >> there are 19 kabad houses in the Caribbean all getting their food from the way you described it from Florida to New York and major ships. >> Some actually sometimes during co we brought down a sha down because it was just so difficult to bring things in and get permits. >> Wow. Uh so you know actually till today I do we make our own halov I go I have 45 minutes from here actually we reached out to that fellow who gives us the you know kasher is planned and everything to just understand the extent of the storm he literally has cows who are dead I called him before I'm like you have plans to keep your cattle he's like no they they know how to survive the storm it won't be so bad >> and some didn't survive Category five, >> right? >> Yeah. >> Understood. Let's help our Rasin and his family, everybody. What an important conversation this was on a day like today about Amuna Bon moving forward, remembering who's in charge, remembering who controls the weather and everything else. Jewish.com/Melissa Melissa has two s's in her name. jewishjamaica.com/mlissa. This happened eight days ago. We have to pay more attention to what's going on in communities around the world, especially those who are in the midst of relief efforts. And those of you in the New York area, Newark, New Jersey has a drop off point that we mentioned, 257 Verona Avenue. Those of you in Florida, Hollywood has 2927 Bogat Avenue if you want to drop off supplies. And obviously, you could be in touch with anybody from the Jewish Jamaica.com website. be in touch with me. Email me and I'll certainly forward you to the right people if you have a major donation you want to make of supplies and or money uh for the cause. All I could say is uh you're very inspiring. I'm glad I am glad we're able to speak today and I really hope that the uh Jewish community around the world takes notice of what's going on down there and the incredible work you're doing and helps you rebound to get back on your feet. >> Thank you, Rebnham. Really, really appreciate it. God bless you and uh this gull should end very soon. >> Amen. And maybe before it does, I'll actually visit you in the Caribbean. >> Exactly. >> 19 kabat houses in the Caribbean. I can't get over that. Amazing. >> You know, the Reb and my father were very close. I don't know if you know that. Do you know that? I have no idea if you know that. >> I I I know you have a a good a very well connection with Kabat. the the reason I I'm >> I don't know the details. >> I mean the f the famous line was my father was late for Shakar is they knew he was either in Israel or he was sitting with the Reb. That was always the uh because my father was never late for anything. >> Wow. >> And and I just and and >> I'd love to hear more. >> Oh there's plenty online and I and I and I I mentioned it because it is you know he always spoke about how incredible the sacrifice and I don't think you view it as a sacrifice. I think you view it as an avoda and your family, your wife knowing, you know, the the type of people that that are, you know, leading the uh the homemaking portion uh and beyond leadership and homemaking portion of the kabad house. I I I think he regarded as a vod then as a real service to God and to mankind. And uh you know, he never stopped talking about the uniqueness of of the rebloim. And I just uh you know all I could say is that um the the story as devastating as it is is incredibly inspiring. >> I just share with you one good thing for Melissa. It was uh so Melissa hit on Tuesday. So Wednesday, Thursday, first thing I can call our local Jews in our area. So even though I wanted to go drive to them, of course my my car was hit by Melissa with all the things flying on it, >> right? So I had my gardener take me in his as we call in yiddish atante right no AC you know driving around town looking for yen and I go you know they're sharing their experience and everything and this fellow guy tells me he said you don't understand I just met a new yid his last name is Levy I said let me show you he's he's just a block away from me so we walk together to his house and to discover a new yid uh in our city is huge for us because we struggle uh saying without our visitors we struggle for minions. >> Yeah. >> And just to find another Yiddisho of course right away you know we ask how he is physically and we put on cylind for the first time in his life. He he goes back to a lineage of Jamaican Jews who came to the island a few hundred years ago. >> So So Mel Melissa's responsible for another Jew putting on it. Huh. >> Absolutely. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I'll tell you. And >> and discovering him. >> And I I would g I would guess I would guess most of the three million residents of Jamaica are cursing out Melissa. You're you're giving you're being mal you're being malus. >> No, I'm not. That's the only malamus. She's she's an evil I will say >> and nonetheless, you see, even if someone as evil as her can lead to to an an incredible incredible revolution of a Jewish life. Amazing. >> Am I asking? >> I we could say you want to discover this kid, you didn't have to do it without category five, you know. Another way >> there are other ways. I could have picked them up hitchhiking on the road. Come on. Come on. Come on. You know, make it a little easier. You know, it's so true. You know what they say, you'd rather it be done in a much more much more pleasant manner. Exactly. God bless your best regards to your family and thanks so much for joining us. Continued uh helping and the amazing efforts going on down there. Jewishama.com/Melissa. If you want information about the physical drop offs, email me or or contact them through that website. They'll give you all the information. More coming up at America's one and only Jewish moments in the morning radio program heard on listener sponsored digital radio around the world web.com and the single network and of course the beloved NSF. Yeah.