J-Teen trip to Oklahoma by Jacob Schwartz

Why did we go? This particular trip was centered around helping victims of the Moore Tornado which occurred on May 20th, We also helped the less fortunate people in OKC area. Aside from providing help where needed, a big part of J-Teen is hearing people’s stories, and we heard from a wide variety of amazing people on our trip.

About Tornados Tornados drop down from the sky and pull up unpredictably. They can come back down again in different places. Can grow extremely fast. Ranked on the Fujita Scale F0 - F5 Moore Tornado had winds estimated to be up to 210 mph

Moore Tornado lasted only 39 minutes 25 fatalities, and 377 injuries 1.3 miles wide at its peak Plaza Town Elementary School was destroyed, injuring 75 people (including children) Caused over 61,500 power outages that lasted for days

Pictures School being rebuilt, it is scheduled to reopen by next year. House that was completely destroyed by the tornado. Only the foundation still remains.

Habitat for Humanity We worked with Habitat to help build and repair a house for a women who lost her home to the Moore Tornado last year. On the second day we helped paint a house for a family who had many medical bills to pay and needed a home. ●Painting ●Caulking ●More Painting ●Even More Painting

About Habitat For Humanity Habitat's vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat is an organization that helps build homes for people in need. They are located all around the world and have many volunteers help them each year.

Pictures Woman whose house we were repairing. Brand new tornado shelter (just a cellar underground). Charlie and Justin painting the house.

More Pictures! RANDOM GIANT DOG! (from next door) This was the back of the house. There was still a lot of work to be done but it could be finished in just a few weeks with hard work. She lived in an area with a lot of trees that were behind her house. Now, it is just a barren area with a small pond. All of the trees were ripped up by the tornado. That is how powerful tornadoes can be.

Native American Story Teller We met a Native American women who was a storyteller for the Chickasaw tribe. She was one of only three in the world for her tribe. She was able to speak so beautifully and her stories were very entertaining.

Native American Artist We met a Native American artist who worked with many types of media o cinematography o photography o photoshop o painting o drawing Two of the movies he worked on were in the Sundance Film Festival

OKC Bombing Facts April 19, :02 AM, thousands of lives were changed forever 168 fatalities, 680 injured Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building o No important government offices were in it Biggest act of domestic terrorism in the U.S. (Perpetrators:Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols)Timothy McVeigh Terry Nichols

OKC Bombing Memorial Built next to the site of the bombing It is a museum that takes visitors on a journey of what happened before, during, and after the bombing. Outside there is a fence with items of loved ones who were lost. A reflecting pool is outside, between an arch with 9:01 and 9:03.

Additional Notes Visiting the memorial was a really powerful experience because it showed me how much this affected so many people. The speaker whose father died from this disaster was so inspirational. She was so strong to be able to make it through that situation and share it with us. I am very grateful for that opportunity and I would like to say thank you for that. Also hearing from the prosecutor who worked on the case gave some very interesting insight about how he felt that the death penalty was deserved for this incident even though he had never believed in it before.

Pictures The fence from the original building where people hang tributes to their loved ones. Wreckage from the truck used for bombing. A plaque from the room with pictures of all of the fatalities. This one affected me the most.

More Pictures The chairs are laid out in 9 rows, each row represents a level of the Alfred P Murrah building. Each chair represents a victim and the small chairs are for the children who died. The reflecting pool with the 9:03 arch at the end.

Jesus House It is a rehabilitation center that helps homeless people who have both a disability and an addiction problem. Also has a food pantry, soup kitchen, and hands out food to people in need every morning. We helped with handing out food, and talking to people to hear their stories.

The Loving Saint James Baptist Church We visited an African-American baptist church. It was such a unique and fun experience to be welcomed and see how they spend their Sundays. They were very enthusiastic and really wanted us to enjoy the service and participate with them. It made me get enthusiastic about the service from their vibes.

Thanks To Everyone! Thank you, Jeff,for hosting us and teaching us about the Jewish Community in Oklahoma City. You were such a great host and we would love to see you and your USY group come up here and visit some day!