Refugee Ban Rattles Jewish Community Volunteers By Rachel Nusbaum, HIAS.org Feb 02, 2017 Members of Am Shalom welcoming a Syrian refugee family at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Jan. 27, 2017. (Courtesy of Am Shalom) "Shock would not be the right word," Rabbi Jonathan Blake told The Journal News. His congregation, Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, […]
HIAS Leaders Set the Record Straight in Forward LTE Feb 02, 2017 On January 31, the Forward published a letter to the editor charging that “under Jewish law,” HIAS is in “no position to judge” Trump’s executive order banning refugees because the organization has a “profit motive” and receives “millions of dollars” to admit refugees. […]
1,500+ Rabbis Sign National Letter Calling for Welcoming Refugees Jan 17, 2017 As questions loom over whether the Trump administration will alter or restrict the federal refugee program, rabbis across the country are urging elected officials to maintain, and strengthen, the current system. Today, HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, released a letter signed […]
Experts, including HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield, discuss the role faith-based organizations have taken during the refugee crisis and the challenges of aiding and resettling refugees in the United States and abroad.
Recognizing the growing demand for assistance navigating the tedious legal process tied to securing asylum status in the U.S., HIAS recently launched a pro bono training program for attorneys to volunteer their services.
HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield was named to the Forward newspaper's annual list of “Jews who have impacted American life” for 2016. This year’s Forward 50 recognizes Hetfield for being at the forefront of the Syrian refugee relief efforts.
Former HIAS client, Kindertransport survivor and refugee advocate Manfred Lindenbaum was interviewed live on Democracy Now!, sharing his personal experiences as a refugee and responding to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s son’s comparison of Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles.
Speaking to assembled world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, President Obama called for empathy for the “innocent men and women and children, who, through no fault of their own, have had to flee everything that they know, and everything that they love.”