News articles on help to Syrian refugees by Israeli and Jewish aid groups.

Morning Star article;assistance by British Jewish communities to Syrian refugees

The UK based Morning Star ran an article highlighting the numerous initiatives by Britain’s Jewish communities to help Syrian refugees, both in Europe and the UK itself. The piece noted that while political opinions vary widely among Britain’s Jewish communities, by and large they have been very supportive and involved in efforts to help and assist refugees coming to the UK.

Some have suggested that the Jewish community is only concerned about crime and terrorism, that Jews are more in line with Ukip policy in opposing migration, especially from Muslim countries.

But this could not be further from the truth. For many of us it is heartbreaking that in 2016 there are still people living in refugee camps who are struggling to survive.

This feeling is not confined to Jews on the left, such as myself. It is shared by others who are non-political or even right-wing

The piece goes on to mention in detail the numerous Jewish congregations, celebrities and political activists who have come out in favor of assistance to refugees, and the efforts they have undertaken to alleviate the hardships experienced by those fleeing the Middle East to Europe and the UK.

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-02-04T19:07:52+00:00February 4, 2016|News items, United Kingdom|0 Comments

World Jewish Relief provides training to Syrian refugees in the UK

LRJlfH_web_UK based Jewish News has a report on an initiative by the World Jewish Relief to provide language and employment training to Syrian refugees in the United Kingdom, utilizing its experience from providing similar services in Eastern Europe.

The program will focus on cities earmarked by the UK government for refugee resettlement, and will offer “personalized services” to around 1000 refugees.

This would not be the World Jewish Relief’s first program in assisting Syrian refugees. Previously, the organization had raised an incredible £820,000 in donations to assist refugees in Turkey and Greece. The organization also has long standing aid efforts focused on helping Syrian refugees in Jordan.

After shelter, the first priority for any refugee is to become self sufficient. That means finding employment and learning the language of their new homes. By focusing on these areas, the World Jewish relief has demonstrated that they know exactly where and how assistance to refugees can be best focused and would provide the most benefit.

To read the Jewish News article, click here.

By |2016-02-03T20:41:27+00:00February 3, 2016|News items, United Kingdom|0 Comments

Jewish Center of Princeton offers to house Syrian refugee family

jewish-center-of-princeton

NJ.com has an article on the offer by the Jewish Center of Princeton to provide housing for a Syrian refugee family, in the event of one being accepted for resettlement in the New Jersey area. The idea of housing a refugee family was first proposed to the congregation by Rabbi Adam Feldman during the last Sukkot holiday, a time associated with “creating peaceful shelters”.

The resettlement process to the USA is typical a lengthy one, taking at least two years for Syrian refugees, but shelter and housing are always the top priorities of any refugee family that resettle to the USA. To this end the Jewish Center of Princeton have been in contact with other agencies helping refugees in the New Jersey area, such as the HIAS and First Friends of New Jersey & New York Corp to help connect a refugee family with the center.

A congregation member,Melissa Hageri, expressed in a letter the sentiments behind the center’s desire to assist a Syrian refugee family;

We know what it means to be homeless, made to leave places we once called home and to wander seeking freedom.  We have been, at various times in our history, refugees and strangers in strange lands.

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-02-02T19:03:35+00:00February 2, 2016|News items, USA|0 Comments

BBC; revolutionary Israeli procedure that rebuilt a wounded Syrian’s face

The_logo_of_rambam_health_care_campus_cIn February 2015 the BBC ran a remarkable article on a revolutionary procedure carried out by Israel’s Rambam Hospital to rebuild a wounded Syrian farmer’s face, using a titanium jaw created via a 3D printer.

The procedure was the first of its kind in Israel, having been pioneered only a few years previously in Europe.

The Haifa based Rambam hospital treats around one fifth of the total number of wounded Syrians who come to or are sent to Israel for treatment.

To read the entire article and view the video report, click here.

By |2016-01-30T23:04:16+00:00January 30, 2016|Israel, News items|0 Comments

UK based JCORE support for resettlement of refugee minors

JCORE_logo_to_use_inhouseThe UK-based Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE) released a statement welcoming the UK government’s decision to resettle unaccompanied refugee minors from the Middle East to the United Kingdom.

While welcoming the move, JCORE also appealed to the government to expand the plan to include minors currently living in camps all over continental Europe, citing the precedent of the Kindertransport rescue efforts which saved over 10,000 Jewish children just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Unlike in the Kindertransport, when the UK was alone in its offer of sanctuary, today we need to see the UK work with the rest of the world in finding realistic resettlement solutions to protect these vulnerable children. For those that are resettled here, it is crucial that proper resources are made available to local authorities to cater for their needs.

JCORE have a long history of supporting refugees in the UK. Their past initiatives have included a program to help mentor refugee doctors to assist them in becoming qualified to practice medicine in the UK, and petitioning the government to implement a resettlement plan for Syrian refugees, in addition to initiatives on providing free legal aid and health care to asylum seekers.

By |2016-01-29T21:29:56+00:00January 29, 2016|News items, United Kingdom|0 Comments

Auschwitz survivor Gene Klein; “make a human connection to today’s refugees”

Gene-Klein

Gene Klein, Holocaust survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp and author.

Gene Klein is a resident of Florida, and a survivor of the notorious Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp in which over a million Jews were murdered. He is a frequent speaker and author (with his daughter) of the book  “We Got the Water: Tracing my Family’s Path through Auschwitz.”

The San Diego Jewish World website republished an article by Mr Klein, calling on Americans to put aside “presidential candidates fanning the flames of fear” who are “falling over themselves to outdo their rivals’ xenophobia”, and instead “make a human connection to today’s refugees”.

To Mr Klein, the fact that Germany, the country that in the past was responsible for his suffering and the murder of 100 of 107 extended family members, is today welcoming refugees from Syria, is proof of the possibility that “the world can change for the better”

imagine, if you found yourself in their situation, what it would mean to be welcomed to a new country where you could live once more in peace and safety. Like me, you would be devoted to your new home. You would be honored to serve in this country’s military, be eager to work hard to make a contribution to your community, and be forever grateful for the opportunity to raise your children to uphold the values of freedom and tolerance.

Mr Klein relates his own history as a prisoner of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and subsequently as a refugee fleeing Soviet territorial expansion into his homeland of Hungary. After two years displaced to Austria, Mr Klein and his relatives were allowed to seek refuge in the USA.

Still recovering from the deprivations of the concentration camps, and the poverty of the displaced persons’ camp, I was stunned when I opened [a relatives’] refrigerator. To this day I keep a photograph of the well-stocked shelves.

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-01-27T23:36:00+00:00January 27, 2016|News items, USA|0 Comments

Toronto Jewish school sponsoring Syrian refugee family

ppdjds-logo-v2Times of Israel has a remarkable article on the efforts of the Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School in Toronto, Canada, to sponsor a Syrian refugee family for resettlement to Canada. The school is working with the JIAS, a local sponsorship agreement holder, to help resettle a family of four.

With a student body of just 143, the school managed to raise $36,000 to fund the sponsorship effort. With the family expected to arrive in Toronto soon, students have been busy creating welcome cards, some even going so far as to look up phrases of welcome in Arabic.

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-01-26T10:56:24+00:00January 26, 2016|Canada, News items|0 Comments

Saskatoon Jewish congregation & Islamic association join to sponsor Syrian refugee family

Congregation Agudas Israel

Saskatoon’s The Star Phoenix has a very uplifting article on the joint efforts of the Congregation Agudas Israel and the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan to sponsor a Syrian refugee family to resettle in Saskatchewan, Canada. The two organizations have formed the Children of Abraham Refugee Sponsors of Saskatoon to work through the private sponsorship process.

Omaer Jamil, president of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, is quoted as saying;

“One of the things is to break down the stereotypical idea of Muslims and Jews not being able to get along,” he said.

“The other is to help bring in a Syrian family — it’s just a good thing to do, a benefit for everybody involved. There are people suffering. If we can help them in any way, we’d love to do it.”

Harold Schiffman, president of Congregation Agudas Israel mentions past history, and the difficulty some European Jews had in seeking refuge in Canada during the Second World War.

“From a personal perspective, one of the difficult things is, I know there were opportunities for more Jews to come to Canada during the Mackenzie King era and some boats were turned away. I don’t want to see that sort of thing happen again,”

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-01-12T07:36:29+00:00January 12, 2016|Canada, News items|0 Comments

Israeli Defense Forces’ medical treatment of wounded Syrians

Photo by Joshua Mitnick for the Toronto Star.

Photo by Joshua Mitnick for the Toronto Star.

The Toronto Star’s Joshua Mitnick has an intriguing firsthand look at the Israeli Defense Forces’ medical assistance to Syrians wounded in the conflict. The article describes the initial apprehension many of the wounded Syrians have at being treated by a medics from an “enemy” state. Coordination of the transfer of wounded is done with groups opposed to the Syrian regime.

“We know them from wars. They are an enemy country. But, like every country, you have to distinguish between extremists and you have the innocent,” said [IDF] Sgt. First Class Jonathan Achituv.

Of particular interest is the case of “Ahmed”, a former regime soldier so previously die-hard, he had a tattoo of deceased president Hafez Assad on his chest.

“I expected to see terrible things. I expected disgusting treatment,” said Ahmed, who declined to give his real name because getting treatment in Israel could put him at risk back in Syria. “The (soldiers) said, don’t worry, we will take care of you and we’ll fix your hand.”

To read the entire article click here.

By |2016-01-12T06:50:06+00:00January 12, 2016|Israel, News items|0 Comments
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