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DECEMBER 16, 2021 | The Jewish Home
claimed 80 lives. According to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, that state alone may have over 70 people dead from the storms. Among the buildings damaged in the strike are a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, and an Amazon warehouse in western Illinois, as well as a nursing home in Arkansas. The tornadoes hit at least six states: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. On Saturday morning, Beshear said, “I’m pretty sure that number [killed in Kentucky] is north of 70 ... it may, in fact exceed 100 before the day is done. The level of devastation is unlike anything I have ever seen.” In a later statement, Beshear said, “I want to thank every local emergency management employee, police officer, firefighter and first responder. This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history. It’s hard to put into words. “Remember, each of these lost lives are children of G-d, irreplaceable to their families and communities. But we will make it through this. We will rebuild. We are strong, resilient people – and we’re going to be there every step of the way. This is one state standing strong.”
Beshear has declared a state of emergency. Two deaths each have been reported in Arkansas and Missouri, while four have been reported in Tennessee and six in Illinois. In Kentucky’s Warren County, the 12 storm-related casualties include children as well. U.S. President Joe Biden said he monitored the situation closely and had contacted the governors of the hardest-hit states. Calling the storms one of the “largest tornado outbreaks in our history,” Biden added, “I want to emphasize what I told all the governors: the federal government will do everything, everything you can possibly do to help. “And so, I’m working with the governor of Kentucky and others who may want me to be there, I made sure that we’re a value-added at the time, and we’re not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery, but I do plan on going. “My heart aches for those people right now, including the rescuers, including the burden on them and what they worry about. I just think that we just have to keep at it. We have to keep focused. And this is going to be the focus of my attention until we get this finished.”
Met Removes Sackler Name
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will remove the Sackler family name from seven of its galleries, the institution said on Thursday. In a press release, the museum said it made the decision together with members of the Sackler family, “in order to allow The Met to further its core mission.” In a statement, descendants of physicians Mortimer and Raymond Sackler said, “Our families have always strongly supported The Met, and we believe this to be in the best interest of the Museum and the important mission that it serves. “The earliest of these gifts were made almost fifty years ago, and now we are passing the torch to others who might wish to step forward to support the Museum.” “The Met has been built by the philanthropy of generations of donors – and the Sacklers have been among our most generous supporters,” said Dan Weiss, President and CEO of The Met. “This gracious gesture by the Sacklers aids the Museum in continuing to serve this and future generations. We greatly appreciate it.” In 2019, The Met said it would no longer take donations from the Sackler family due to the company’s “production of opioids and the ensuing health crisis surrounding the abuse of these medications.”
Candle Factory Flattened by Tornado
A Friday night tornado left a Mayfield, Kentucky, candle-making plant flattened and raised fears that tens of people had died. On Saturday morning, 40 of the
Mayfield Consumer Products’ employees were rescued, while many others were missing. Search-and-rescue teams worked to locate survivors. Most of the casualties wreaked by the storm occurred in the candle-making factory’s collapse. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear noted, “I think the largest loss of life in this tornado event is and will be there, and it may end up being the largest loss of life in any tornado event in a single location in the state’s history,” Beshear said during a Saturday morning press conference. “It’s heavy machinery ... it’s the building that’s flattened. It’s cars from the parking lot that is on top of it. It’s huge metal drums, even ones with corrosive chemicals that were inside. It’s ... pretty awful to witness.” One worker who made it out alive amid the rescue was Kyana Parsons-Perez, a 40-year-old who filmed several videos on Facebook Live as she was trapped under five feet of debris. “I’m at work in Mayfield, and we are trapped,” she said in a video posted to Facebook posted Friday night. “Please give us some help. … We are trapped. The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us.” Another worker in the facility on Friday night, Chelsea Logue, said there was a “really big boom and the building lifted up, swayed and crashed down.” “All you could hear was screams from people,” Logue related. She added, “I was trapped under a wall … by the grace of G-d I got out of there.”
Paper Power
Elon Musk has been named Time’s Person of the Year, and he truly makes the grade. Recently, a college paper graded by Musk two decades ago nabbed thousands at auction. RR Auctions said the papers, which were written in 1995 by
