IN WAKE OF HARVEY DEVASTATION, ISRAEL PLEDGES $1M. TO HOUSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY: Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett has pledged $1 million in relief aid for the Jewish community of Houston, saying, “The Jewish state is measured by its response when our brothers around the world are in crisis.” This aid will be used to help repair and restore the communal infrastructure – schools, synagogues and JCC – which are not funded or supported by the state. “The city of Houston has been hurt badly, and the Jewish community – 70% of which lived in the flooded neighborhoods – was hit hard,” said Bennett. “The old-age home and JCC were damaged, and hundreds of families will remain homeless. From talks we’ve had with the heads of the community and Israel’s Consul General, we learned the damage is vast, and the rehabilitation will take years. For years the Jewish communities stood by Israel when it needed their help; now it is our turn to stand by Houston’s Jewish community.” (J.Post)