As I slept 150,000 people perished beneath the waves.

I woke up early on the morning of Sunday, December 26th without a care in the world. Like many other students on winter break, I had spent the previous few days lounging around and enjoying time off from studying. As usual, my morning routine consisted of grabbing a cup of tea and then checking the daily news online on the New York Times website. It was then that I first learned about the earthquake and resulting tsunamis that struck Southeast Asia and Africa.

The scale and magnitude of the destruction stunned me. The earthquake that triggered the deadly waves measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, making it the most powerful quake to strike the globe since 1964. At that early time in the morning the New York Times was reporting that 3700 people had lost their lives. For me the number of dead was almost shockingly incomprehensible. "3700 people dead." The number kept repeating itself in my head. I had no idea how much higher the death toll would rise.

All day long I watched CNN's coverage of the disaster. I watched as the number of dead and missing steadily rose. First to 6000. Then to 10,000. By the time I went to sleep late that night the number of dead was estimated at 25,000. I found myself wondering how one is supposed to deal with this sort of tragedy.

In the days that followed, the true size and magnitude of the disaster was slowly being revealed as photos of destroyed villages and higher death counts were released. Every morning as I walked into town I would pass a convenience store that was posting the number killed by the tsunami on a large sigh outside the store. The number on the sign steadily increased so that by the third day I walked past the store it was nearly unimaginable--100,000 dead.

Although the number of dead kept rising I found myself less and less able to feel for the victims. As the numbers climbed higher my compassion and sympathy began to wane. The scale of the tragedy was simply too great to understand. I felt great sadness and grief when there were a few thousand reported dead, but by the time the number hit 100,000, it was just that, a number.

It was not until I spoke with my friend Arnab, an Indian citizen who lives in New Delhi, that I was able to better understand the human toll of the disaster. Arnab was in India when the tsunami struck but lucky he and all his family and friends were unharmed. However, this did not mean that he was unaffected by the tragedy.

Arnab described to me in vivid detail how he, much like myself, had watched news of the disaster for hours straight. But unlike me, this had happened in his home country. Many of those affected and killed were his fellow countrymen. "The news was very depressing and it just got worse every day because the death toll and number of missing people kept increasing." Arnab said.

I realized that when trying to understand a tragedy of this scale, it is important to recognize that every one of the thousands dead and missing is an individual life lost. All of the 150,000 lost had hopes and dreams, families and friends and others who will miss them. Jewish tradition teaches us that every single life is precious, and every life lost to this tragedy should be mourned and remembered.

Because the tsunami wreaked such havoc in the region, today there are millions of people needing assistance both with reconstruction and rehabilitation. There is no quick fix for a disaster of this magnitude, but there are ways you can help. The best way we can help those in crisis now is through financial contributions to reputable humanitarian organizations that are delivering food, water, and other relief supplies to the region. It is Tikkun Olam which must be done. Many of these organizations will also help the region rebuild by offering long-term assistance for years to come as they help families and communities rebuild what was lost.

For those who wish to help, below is a list of organizations aiding in the relief effort. Contact them for more information on how you can get involved.

American Jewish World Service
45 west 36th street, 10th floor
New York, New York 10018
800-889-7146
www.ajws.org

American Red Cross
International response fund P.O. Box 3743
Washington, dc 20013 www.redcross.org

CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-care
www.care.org