The Jewish Community of Japan Aids Its Home in the Rebuilding Process (ContributorNetwork)

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami in northern Japan devastated the physical landscape, but as the aftermath unfolds, time has proven that it cannot kill the spirit of a proud people such as the Japanese. The Jewish Community of Japan (JCJ) has a history spanning over sixty years in Tokyo, and the members of that community, along with foreign partners, have already been doing their part to help rebuild the country they call home.

Within 24 hours of the quake, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) contacted the JCJ to assist with relief efforts. The board members of the JCJ identified NGO-JEN (http://www.jen-npo.org/en/index.html) as a great way to channel supplies and workers to those who needed it most on the ground in northern Japan, so they set up a fund to funnel money from the JDC directly to NGO-JEN. To date, the JDC and the JCJ together have raised more than $60,000 for the cause. The immediate response of the JDC has been a gratifying experience for the community, and has helped NGO-JEN to work more efficiently to put the aid and supplies where they are needed most.

Some members of the Jewish community are setting up deliveries to go without having the auspices of an organization. One member was able to get a truck and supplies out to Miyagi Prefecture within a week of the disasters. He organized food, blankets, medical supplies and even shoes to the victims. Culturally, most Japanese people who are in their homes do not wear shoes, so when the earthquake and tsunami occurred, they fled in stocking feet. Beyond blankets and coats to combat cold weather, shoes are also good items for donation.

Another board member of the JCJ has been working with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) as they have set up a field hospital in Minamisanriku to help those affected by the disaster who need on-site medical attention. This is a wonderful contribution from the State of Israel to the people of Japan. The JCJ member who has been in touch with the group helped with obtaining necessary items on the ground for the Israeli team, such as Kosher food and other Japanese supplies. If they stay through the Jewish holiday of Passover in mid-April, he will assist in getting them ready for the holiday as they deem necessary.

Things are getting back to normal in the community itself. The Rabbi of the JCJ, Rabbi Antonio DiGesu, plans to hold services as usual this Sabbath. The religious school, which boasts close to eighty children, will have classes this Sunday. Passover preparation continues in full force. On a normal year, the JCJ hosts upwards of 200 people for first and second night seders, celebrated at the start of Passover, and there is no reason for that to cease.

Most of the JCJ members are foreigners from across the US, Europe, Australia and other places. Most, if they left at all, are now returning to Tokyo - their adopted city. Time and time again the Japanese have proved their ability to recover from the wreckage of disaster, and this time will be no different. Throughout history, the Japanese have proven themselves a resilient group of people, as have the Jews. The Jewish Community of Japan is honored to assist this proud people and be part of their culture and society as they go through the rebuilding process.

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Fish Swim in the Streets of Flooded Florida Community (ContributorNetwork)

Residents along Florida's Treasure Coast got caught in what is being called "torrential" rainfall over the weekend, which caused widespread flooding in low-lying areas. Many residents were still without power on Monday as the Florida Power and Light Co. struggled to take care of downed lines.

Vero Beach managed to set a rainfall record on Saturday. The town recorded an accumulation of 7.05 inches in a few hours. The area got more rain on Sunday, though not quite as much. It was enough, however, to keep some areas of the city flooded on Monday, making cleanup and recovery efforts difficult.

What is the Treasure Coast?

Florida's Treasure Coast is made up of three counties that lie along the ocean -- St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River. It includes the towns of Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach, among others. Palm Beach County, while not a part of the Treasure Coast, is often included in reports concerning the other three counties. Treasure Coast was so named because of the legend of the Spanish galleons that supposedly shipwrecked there more than 3 centuries ago, spilling tons of gold and silver into the ocean.

What was the storm like that hit the Treasure Coast?

Fast. The rain that accumulated in Vero Beach fell within a six-hour period. The rain was too much for the town's drainage systems to handle. The previous rainfall record in Vero Beach was 3.99 inches in 1953.

Vero Beach is part of Indian River County, which was by far the hardest-hit area of the Treasure Coast. Overall, the county experienced rainfall estimated at 8 to 10 inches. While it is not unusual for the Treasure Coast to have rain and some mild flooding due to hurricane activity, rainfall like that experienced this weekend is rare, particularly in the record-setting amounts seen on Saturday.

What are the reports about fish swimming in the streets?

In Vero Beach, residents reported seeing catfish, albeit small ones, swimming in low-lying streets that had been overcome by floodwaters. The rainfall had caused a nearby creek and pond to overflow its banks, spreading the fish out into the neighborhood. The fish were able to swim along parts of U.S. 1, prompting residents to try and catch them.

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Street market bonds tsunami-hit community in Japan (AP)

OFUNATO, Japan – The irreverent back-and-forth starts almost immediately when sellers arrive at the morning market around 6 a.m.

"You're not supposed to gain weight, we're in a disaster!"

"At least that tsunami finally gave me a bath!"

Sakariki-machi market has survived for more than two centuries in this coastal Japanese town, through natural disaster and war, not to mention the advent of 7-11s and discount chains. Now, in its small but time-tested way, it is helping to keep up morale in an area devastated by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that flattened a vast swath of Japan's northeast coast.

"This is so important to us," says 71-year-old Chioko Shomoto, sitting behind a small pile of mountain vegetables she and three elderly friends gathered by hand. "It's not really about how much we sell. This is where we relax and talk and trade information."

The market only opens once every five days along a single narrow street, regardless of the weather or what day of the week it is. It is soon filled with a colorful motley of bright flowers in pots, hand-sewn clothing, fresh fish and vegetables, the prices scrawled on small scraps of paper.

The lively scene harkens back to an earlier time, before Facebook and Twitter, before convenience stores with automatic doors and barcode scanners.

It is a real-world social network, a web of friendships forged through decades of early mornings and bad jokes. For some who lost their shops in the tsunami, it also is a place to rent a spot on the pavement for 300 yen ($3.70) and sell a few items to help make ends meet.

"I thought it would be months before people came back. But 20 days later, they just naturally started showing up again," says Yoshihiro Suzuki, 63, whose family has run the market for at least four generations. "The market gives people strength to go on with their lives."

The market opened more than 200 years ago, when Japan was still under shogun rule. It started as a place for fishermen and farmers to barter and trade, says Suzuki, whose great-grandfather registered it as a legal entity in 1912.

The market has lasted through previous calamities, including an 1896 tsunami that wiped out a third of the city's population and the death and destruction of World War II.

The powerful earthquake and tsunami on March 11 killed more than 25,000 people and wiped out entire neighborhoods and downtowns.

"I was pretty down after the tsunami, I really thought about giving up and closing the business," says 70 year-old Hiroshi Sato, a fabric seller who lost his home in Kesennuma, about an hour's drive south. "But I heard that people at the market were asking about me, so I started coming again."

He later accepts a gift of fresh potatoes from the vegetable vendor next door.

It's clear from the laughter and banter that many sellers don't take selling very seriously. Sato and others leave their stalls unattended as they wander around and exchange greetings.

For a few, though, the market has become a crucial source of income. Kenji Murakami, who lost his plant shop and his home, stands behind a leafy wall of potted flowers, small trees and other plants in a prime spot where the market borders a larger street.

"It's not enough to live on, but I make 60 to 70 percent of what I need here now," says the 62-year-old, who has been coming for 25 years.

The prices and selection may be better at the large supermarket a block away, but some continue to patronize the market.

"I've been coming here since I was a little girl," says Naoko Nagayama, 40, shopping with her husband and two daughters. "I know the older ladies, and they always take a bit off the price for me."

Most of the vendors are elderly, longtime veterans. Some say the same sense of community that drives the market makes it hard for newcomers to break in.

Tadamasa Yokoda, 57, has been hawking shoes at the market for 35 years. The tsunami destroyed his shop nearby and ruined his home, and he greets his old friends in front of a small truck jammed with sneakers, loafers, and slippers.

"It's great because you don't need to rent a shop or anything, it's very easy to get set up," he says. "But new people don't really come."

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