This report offers a comparative evaluation of HIAS Welcome Circles in the United States and Europe. HIAS and HIAS Europe mobilized Welcome Circles as a flexible community sponsorship program for displaced Ukrainians. Findings in this report cover Welcome Circles from 2022-2023, including 438 volunteers and sponsors who HIAS recruited, trained, and supported to welcome 738 displaced Ukrainians across 12 European countries and 18 U.S. states. This significant international effort mobilized Jewish communities for crucial reception aid, and longer-term support for integration and inclusion.
Data is drawn from HIAS monitoring reports, and original surveys, interviews, and focus groups with HIAS staff, Ukrainian newcomers, and Welcome Circle sponsors and volunteers. The report offers lessons for community sponsorship programs to harness community demand for direct aid and wraparound support for displaced people. It offers insights for improving community responses to displacement crises, volunteer mobilization and training, and building community.
