Funeral services were held for an elderly Jewish couple who drowned in the floods that swept through Houston last week.
Shirley Alter, 85, and Jack Alter, 87, died when their rescue boat capsized in the rushing floodwaters. They were buried May 31 at the Congregation Beth Yeshurun Cemetery in Houston. The boat suffered engine failure before capsizing on May 26, the Houston-based Jewish Herald-Voice reported.
The Alters were wearing life jackets but were not strong enough to withstand the strong current. The couple’s 55-year-old daughter was able to float to safety, the Jewish Herald-Voice reported.
The Alters were among at least nine people killed in last week’s flooding.
Three Houston synagogues were flooded and damaged during the storm: United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Congregation Beth Israel’s Reform Temple and the Meyerland Minyan, an Orthodox synagogue.
The Jewish Federations of North America is sending Houston’s Jews $25,000 for urgent assistance.
The weekend of May 29-31, volunteers and federation staff handed out recovery supplies at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC, including boxes, bins, tape, packing materials, cleaning supplies, protective equipment, trash bags, bottled water and replacement cellphone chargers. Federation staff also went door to door in flood-struck areas delivering packaged meals. — jta