This summer, the AJA community was reminded of the strength that comes from standing together. On July 4, devastating floods swept through Central Texas, destroying homes—including that of AJA parent Chrissy Eliashar and her three children.

In a recent episode of The Rabbi and the Other Guy podcast, Chrissy shared her family’s harrowing story. Woken in the middle of the night by a neighbor’s urgent cries, she and her children escaped their Jonestown home with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Within minutes, the raging water had swallowed their house, car, and belongings.

“I was screaming, counting heads, trying to make sense of what to do,” Chrissy recalled. “But my son looked at me and said, ‘Mom, we’re alive.’ That was the moment I snapped back into being mom. We had survived.”

What followed was nothing short of remarkable. Within hours, AJA parents arrived to help clean out what little could be salvaged. Friends offered meals, clothing, and shelter. Congregation Agudas Achim, Shalom Austin, and the wider Jewish Federation network mobilized quickly—providing not only emergency financial relief but also thousands of donated supplies from across the country. In total, nearly $800,000 was raised nationwide to help Texas families rebuild.

For Chrissy, who has no extended family nearby, the experience underscored what it means to be part of AJA: “Whether it was a matzah ball or a million, people gave exactly what they had—and I needed every bit of it. The community literally showed up in boots.”

As her children return to school, Chrissy is deeply grateful for the stability, safety, and love that the AJA community continues to provide. Her story reminds us all that while floods can take away homes, they cannot wash away the bonds of compassion, resilience, and faith.

At AJA, we are more than a school. We are a family. Listen to the full podcast episode here.