Dear RSNS members,
At Yom Kippur last fall, Cantor Eric announced that our congregation would embark on a sacred effort to resettle a refugee family in our community with the help of HIAS and the U.S. Government. I am delighted to report that after assembling and training a core leadership group of RSNS volunteers, our application was approved by the U.S. government to become an official PSG (Private Settlement Group)! We will be matched this September with a refugee family of four, and anticipate their arrival some time in early fall, around the one-year anniversary of our commitment to this effort last Yom Kippur.
The family will arrive legally through a Federal Government program called Welcome Corps that connects private groups with established refugee resettlement agencies in order to expand our nation’s capacity to support new immigrants. We will be guided by HIAS, the oldest refugee agency in the world, founded to help Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe. All of the people who are admitted to the United States through this program are currently displaced from their home country and have been granted refugee status by the U.S. government. Because they have been so thoroughly vetted and they are being admitted legally, they are eligible to participate in the workforce and programs like subsidized health insurance and food assistance as soon as they arrive. The family we welcome will have already completed a difficult process—usually several years long– before they get here, and we will be here to facilitate a smooth and successful transition. How will we do that?
As a Private Sponsor Group, we have committed to assuring that the newcomers have personal documentation, financial support, food, clothing, furnished housing, medical and mental health care, employment, transportation, support for learning English, that children are enrolled in school and that the family makes community connections within 90 days of their arrival. That’s a tall order. Fortunately, our Sponsor Group comprises individuals who have expertise in some of these key areas and we will handle enrollment in school and benefits, accessing health care and getting required ID and immigration documents. We are lucky to have such a skilled core group of congregants leading the way, but for this to be successful we will need YOUR HELP too!
The entire RSNS community can help in several ways. Please take a look at the list and do what you can to help us make a family feel truly welcome!
1. We need to find a safe and affordable 2-bedroom apartment in an area that is friendly to people whose first language is Spanish (such as Manorhaven or Glen Cove). If you have any leads, please let Cantor Eric and me know. We have a letter from the Welcome Corps program that explains to potential landlords that the occupants have been thoroughly vetted by the United States government. RSNS has raised money that will pay rent for the first 3 months, and the letter will be helpful because the occupants will not have a credit history. If you are able to donate additional funds towards this effort, you can do so by writing us a check, or donating online and writing “HIAS Refugee Family” in the memo line
2. We will probably need to furnish the apartment: beds, table, chairs, sofa, television, dishes, pots/pans, utensils, and other basic kitchen supplies, bed linens, towels, lamps . . .so, if you have items that you are preparing to donate or sell, please consider holding on to them until early September, when we will know what we need for the family.
3. We will need to stock the pantry and refrigerator when the family arrives.
4. We will want to set up the apartment so that it is clean and welcoming.
5. We will need to pick the family up at the airport (probably JFK, but might be Newark), and we probably need two SUVs/drivers.
6. We will need people to help with getting the family to appointments by giving them rides or by familiarizing them with local public transportation. If you speak Spanish, and can accompany a family member to help translate and navigate them at a medical appointment, job training, school guidance meeting, etc, that would be extremely helpful!
7. If you have a bicycle that you no longer want, that would probably be very helpful to the family.
8. We will need cold weather clothing that is suitable for our weather. The family will probably come from a place that does not have cold weather and snow.
9. We will need people to participate in the welcoming effort, by attending and inviting the family to gatherings and local events and inviting children to playdates.
10. Finally, we want you to ask any questions and share any suggestions you have about this initiative. Please feel free to reach out to Cantor Eric and me.
The Torah commands us, in several places, to welcome the stranger. I look forward to partnering with many of you to embrace this mitzvah together, we make a family feel at home in their new home.
Georgia Lerner
RSNS Welcome Circle Lead Coordinator
