Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
The Surge of Refugees and the Jewish Response
As European governments scramble to deal with the hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving on their borders, the Jewish community has asked what is being done to help, particularly in light of our own history as refugees seeking asylum from antisemitism. We, at the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), a part of the Jewish Federation, wanted to take a closer look at the magnitude of the issue, what has been done by the American Jewish community in the past and what is being done, now. At the JCRC, we are proud of the rich tradition in our Jewish community of helping vulnerable refugees find safety and freedom and regain control of their lives. While we urge the vigilant scrutiny of asylum seekers, we remain steadfast in our Jewish values, remembrance of our unique history, and our biblical mandate to “welcome the stranger.”
Today’s Global Refugee Crisis: A JCRC White Paper
In 2015, more people left their homes to seek safety and security elsewhere than in any year for the previous two decades. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number exceeded 15.1 million and is expected to grow in 2016. The demographics of refu
gees appears to be changing. In Greece, the number of men last January dropped to 45 percent, from a high of 73 percent six months earlier. As a result, the world is seeing more women and children under the age of 17.
The world’s refugees come from nations that are war-torn, like Israel’s neighbor, Syria; nations with surging violence, like in Central America; and nations facing environmental crises, such as the Marshall Islands, which are disappearing. For three decades, Afghanistan offered up more refugees than any other country, until last year when Syria surpassed it.
Despite the fact that millions of refugees leave their countries, most stay within their borders, as close to home as possible. The UNHCR estimates that of Syria’s population of 22 million, 6.5 million are internally displaced, and that one Syrian family is displaced every second. Turkey hosts more refugees than any other country in the world.
Typically, refugees are housed and cared for in camps before leaving to seek asylum in a third country, by essentially showing up on the country’s doorstep. Eventually, most asylum seekers either return to their country of origin or seek official immigration status and resettlement assistance through international organizations.
Israel’s Role in the Current Crisis
IsraAID is the main Israel-based agency that is responding to the needs of Syrian refugees in their host countries, focusing on Jordan, Iraq, and Bulgaria. The nonprofit organization provides emergency medical aid, trauma support, and psychological help. In Greece and Italy, IsraAID staff are onsite to provide triage and backpacks filled with hygiene kits and winter clothes.
Jewish Federation’s Response
Funds raised by the Federation annual campaign support the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (The JDC or Joint). Founded in 1914 to aid starving Jews in Palestine and Europe, today their work, among many Jewish humanitarian initiatives, includes assisting victims of natural or man-made disasters outside of North America on a nonsectarian basis. This work is done through the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR), which the JDC organized in 1994 and is a collection of 49 Jewish agencies. In June 2013, the Jewish Coalition for Syrian Refugees was convened to raise funds and awareness of the dire situation facing the rapidly growing number of civilians fleeing Syria’s expanding civil war. Since then, it has taken a leading role in providing an apolitical, nonpartisan Jewish humanitarian response to their plight.
A consortium of Federations supports the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Association (HIAS), which is the only Jewish organization whose mission it is to assist refugees—whoever they are and wherever they are. Guided by Jewish values and the historical experience of forced migration, HIAS helps both refugees who are unable to immigrate with safety and stability as well as those who are able to be resettled. Their work includes resettling 3,500 refugees from many countries each year in the United States.
Local Response
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s annual campaign also supports the work of the Metropolitan Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC), which activated the interfaith community to help Catholic Charities resettle up to 300 refugees this year, an increase over the usual 200 refugees. Most of the refugees are from Bhutan and Africa. Because of the increased need and the desire of various synagogues to help with the refugee crisis, many Jewish families from various Cincinnati-area congregations have signed on to help with the work of resettlement.
Cincinnati’s Jewish Family Service has continued to help new Jewish Americans from the former Soviet Union and other countries. Many services occur at the JCC, including classes in English as a second language and citizenship. Interpretation and translation services help in day-to-day situations such as doctor visits. Since new resettlement of Soviet Jewry ended in the last decade, JFS has not resettled new refugees. In light of the global refugee crisis, JFS is considering the most effective way to deploy resources to support refugees who are resettled in Cincinnati.
