While natural disasters will always be an unfortunate part of life, some events surpass our worst nightmares. Such is the case with the triple disaster in Japan.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake — Japan’s largest ever — followed by a massive tsunami and, most frighteningly, the breach of several reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, add up to an alarming moment in history.
We in earthquake-prone California watched in horror as so many towns and villages in northern Japan were effectively erased from the Earth. We know someday our state will experience a temblor unlike any we have ever seen. All we can do is live our lives and prepare as best we can.
As for the nuclear plant disaster, the full extent of the damage and consequences remains unclear. But with radioactive steam already leaking into the atmosphere, it is not unreasonable to include a worst-case scenario among the possibilities.
Should that occur, the devastation would be beyond comprehension. A full meltdown, and the resulting unchecked release of radiation, could render a vast territory uninhabitable forever. It could crush the Japanese economy and take the global economy down with it.
In the face of such prospects, we remember the blessing religious Jews recite upon hearing bad news: “Blessed are you, HaShem, our God, Ruler of the universe, the true judge.”
Whether one is religious or not, there is wisdom in these words. We are ill equipped to grasp a calamity of this magnitude, too stunned to account for the loss of life (with more to come should the worst occur with the reactors).
In time the family of nations will likely reappraise the extensive use of nuclear power plants. It might turn out that we collectively decide they are simply too vulnerable, too risky.
Meanwhile, our top priority is to do all we can, as individuals, as a Jewish community and as a nation, to save lives and aid the victims, millions of whom are now shivering in shelters with little food or water.
Feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Is that not a key clause in the Jewish mission statement? It’s your turn. Please review our list on page 16 of Jewish agencies helping with the rescue and recovery effort in Japan, and give as generously as you can.
Our thoughts are with the people of Japan as they begin the overwhelming task of rebuilding. Our thoughts, too, are with all of humanity, for events like this remind us we are one fragile people on a small and dangerous planet. We’re all in this together.