When Mohammed and his family arrived in the U.S. last year after being evacuated from Afghanistan, they were assigned to a Welcome Circle: nine volunteers from a Baltimore-area synagogue tasked with helping them settle into a new life. The experience proved to be transformational for everyone involved.
Wali Ahmadzai is building a new life — and a new business — in Florida with the help of HIAS affiliate Gulf Coast JFCS. But nearly a year after arriving in the U.S., he is one of thousands of Afghan evacuees still unsure when or how they will gain permanent legal status.
In the year since the fall of Kabul, HIAS has resettled over 4,300 Afghans through the tireless efforts of its staff, resettlement partners, and volunteers. But the work to ensure that Afghan evacuees are able to build new lives in the U.S. is not finished yet.
Good news may be on the horizon for Afghan evacuees who came to the U.S. following the Fall of Kabul nearly one year ago: the newly-introduced, bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) would provide a clear pathway to permanent status for those still in legal limbo.
After just a few months of living in the U.S., Afghans resettled by Welcome Circles are navigating how to observe Ramadan in their new homes – and Welcome Circles are learning how best to support them.
In August 2021, Stars and Stripes’ Afghan journalist Zubair Babakarkhail spent 10 days trying to escape Taliban-occupied Kabul with his family. He talks to HIAS about leaving Afghanistan and the last seven months in Pittsburgh.
With hundreds of Jewish communities around the world preparing to participate in Refugee Shabbat on March 4-5, the ongoing crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan loom large.
Just days after the six month anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the last Afghan refugees who made it to America have finally left U.S. military bases. This historic moment was just part of a larger — and still ongoing — historic response by resettlement agencies and communities across the U.S., which includes HIAS and its affiliate network.