Interview: Rabbi Yossi Marrus Keeps Hope Afloat in Flooded Texas

As mass flooding ripped through parts of Texas this week, with a death toll of at least 119 people, aside from at least 173 missing, relief and rescue efforts are intensifying.

Belaaz spoke with Rabbi Yossi Marrus, head of the Chabad center in Boerne, Texas, located near the epicenter of the massive disaster.

Rabbi Marrus discussed his relief efforts and the massive kiddush Hashem he and his operation are accomplishing.

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What can you tell us about your activities there?

To give you some context, we live in Boerne, Texas. Boerne is about 35 minutes outside of San Antonio, the biggest city in this area. We have a Chabad house here. The tragedy took place in Hunt, Texas, where the camp was with all those poor kids, which is about an hour away from us. Comfort, Texas is about 40 minutes away. It’s not mamish in my backyard, but we are the closest Jewish organization to them.

The first step for us was checking that the Jewish people we know in the Texas Hill Country were okay, which, Baruch Hashem, everyone was. Then we started a campaign to assist the general community.

We started immediately to reach out and see how we could help. We were contacted by many good people from Chabad headquarters and Chabad of Texas, which is based in Houston, asking, “How can we help you?” They helped me put up a special website, and donations started to come in. Most of the work we’re doing now is for the non-Jewish community.

As a chaplain, I go to the fire departments to thank them, saying, “We’re praying for you.” I say Tehillim with them in English and tell them that the Jewish people love them. People are contacting me from all over the worldl to tell us that they want to help.

Today [Tuesday], I was in one fire department and asked them, “What can we do to help?” The chaplain was in tears that I came. They said, “We need this supply, we need that supply.” I took out my checkbook, wrote a check for $1,000, and took care of all the supplies they needed for the day. Tomorrow is another story; they’re going to need more.

To give you an idea, I went to Comfort, Texas, a different area. Yesterday, I was in the very serious areas; you have to go there with a police escort. I walked into another place today, the Comfort Area Foundation, which helps families. They have water and are giving things out to people. For example, HEB, our big grocery store here, is like a ShopRite or a Pathmark. They’re giving out $100 HEB cards.

People were lined up to pick up these cards and get food. A lady came over and said, “I need food for my family.” I had a couple hundred dollars cash in my pocket, so I gave it to her and said, “Go buy whatever you need for your family.”

I then turned to the person in charge and asked, “What do you need?” She said, “We need to buy more HEB cards and some other stuff.” I wrote a check for $2,000 on the spot and said, “The Jewish community cares for you.” She was so grateful. I gave her my card and said, “If you need anything else, call me.”

I’m not trying to compete with the massive Jewish organizations coming in with thousands of volunteers. Besides, there isn’t much for them to do, because right now, 161 souls are still missing. People don’t understand the magnitude. The governor announced just an hour ago that 161 people are still missing, spanning along the Guadalupe River for 40, 50, or 60 miles. A 30-foot wall of water came through, and anywhere close to the Guadalupe River was wiped out. Massive trees were uprooted. They said it had more force than Niagara Falls.

There was so much rain, and the way it fell in the Hill Country, it all came into this one area. You have massive trees that have been uprooted, and they don’t know if there are people under them, or bodies at this point. They have to go with chainsaws, thousands of workers, to cut the trees and move them. It’s muddy. It’s inch by inch, foot by foot, with the search and rescue and the dogs. It’s something people don’t understand. You can’t just go in. I’m getting calls from Houston, Dallas, and Austin from people wanting to volunteer. I tell them, “Unless you’re a search and rescue specialist, you’re not getting in.”

I want to give you another story. I went to a different fire department. They had a lot of food, but it was all outside, and it’s boiling hot. All these firefighters are working, and when they come in, you don’t want the food to be spoiled. I came in and asked them, “What can I do to help?” Besides saying a prayer and gathering them, which they appreciated, they said, “We don’t have any refrigeration.” I thought, “That’s easy.” People are sending me donations. I pulled up Lowe’s, bought a couple of refrigerators, and had them delivered.

That’s what we’re trying to do:  to make a Kiddush Hashem. Especially in a time when many people hate the Yidden, it’s an incredible opportunity to show that we live in America and help each other. Wherever we go, the people are unbelievably grateful.

Did you hear anyone say, “I don’t want Jewish charity?”

Nobody, not at all. They say, “G-d bless Israel. G-d bless the Jewish people.”

I always tell people that the Jewish community is concerned and sends their love.”

I’m not going to fix the world’s problems, and I definitely can’t solve this horrific tragedy. But if I can contribute in a small way, it’s first, to help these poor souls, mamish, who are all created b’tzelem Elokim, and second, to help these poor people going through such tragedy.

If I can also make a Kiddush Hashem, I think that’s also extremely important.

Did you work with any other Jewish organizations?

I’m in touch with the Federation of San Antonio and the Federation of Austin. We had a Zoom today with an Israeli group that helps people with special needs, and they’re trying to see how they can help. I also got a call about an amazing Jewish search and rescue group from Mexico. They’re on the ground right now. We’re going to have them, hopefully, for Shabbos. They’re helping, but the chaos is significant. This will take a long time. Many people don’t realize the Texas Hill Country is so spread out. We’re not talking about an area like in Brooklyn where the disaster is just a few avenues over. This is a very wide and big area, and it’s impossible to know who needs what. I’m trying to connect with the local city and county organizations and work through them. That’s what I’m trying to accomplish.

Speaking of which, how have your interactions with state and local agencies been? Have you dealt with FEMA?

Rabbi: FEMA is not here yet. It usually takes a couple of days or weeks for government authorization. I don’t think they’ll be dealing with me per se. I immediately reached out to my government contacts, and they were very appreciative. My question to them was, “Who should I call? Who can I connect with to help?” It was one of the city council members in Boerne, where we live, who told me about somebody he knew who had a warehouse and was trying to distribute supplies. I called them up, and we formed a partnership. We’ve already sent out a couple of trucks of supplies.

Why should I reinvent the wheel when the resources are already there? All I need to do is tell the community we’re partnering with this amazing group. What a Kiddush Hashem. These people have probably never seen a religious Jew before, and I’m partnering with them, sending them people and volunteers. They’re big YouTubers; they do branding for YouTube and influencers. It’s an incredible thing that we’re partnering with them. There’s no ego; it’s all about helping people. That’s what it’s about.

When things are less chaotic and rebuilding begins, we’ll be able to do more and bring in volunteers. For now, you only have to go online to see the disaster is profound.

Is there a Jewish population in Boerne?

I know maybe 120 Jewish families throughout the entire Hill Country. It’s very small.

Are they displaced? Or were they able to stay?

No, everyone is fine. They’re very proud of the efforts and what we’re doing. They’re extremely proud, helping and donating. Everyone is trying to help in whatever way they can. Today, I took one of the community members with me. He was so moved and touched. He took some videos and pictures and said, “This is so beautiful what you’re doing.”

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