GJC Refugee Welcoming Team Matched with New Refugee Family from Colombia
The GJC Refugee Welcoming Team is excited to tell you that the GJC has been matched by the US government’s Welcome Corps (https://welcomecorps.org) with a family from Colombia. Our new family, Ana Zapata and her 19-year-old son, Franco, arrived in Philadelphia on January 24th. If you would like to volunteer or help support the family in any way, please get in touch with either Dena Lake at denareva@comcast.net or Ivan Rosenberg at ivanrosenberg46@gmail.com.
Your generosity is unbelievable! At the moment, our new family has more than enough of everything. Thank you to everyone who donated items!
Logo courtesy of Mindy Shapiro
The Refugee Immigrant Justice Initiative at Germantown Jewish Centre
Following GJC’s first Refugee Shabbat years ago, a group of congregants launched a Tikkun Olam initiative to ensure that refugees and other immigrants are treated justly and with dignity. Our own families’ immigration experiences and the biblical imperative to remember that we “were strangers in the land of Egypt” impel us to speak and act with moral clarity. Our group’s work has three components. First, we identify and publicize humanitarian actions to fight family separations and other injustices. Second, we are organizing groups from GJC and other area synagogues to advocate on behalf of refugees with our elected officials. Third, we are committed to expanding direct support to immigrants in our area. While much of our work lies within each of these focus areas, we come together as a larger group to share ideas, learning, and energy.
Want to get involved? Please reach out directly to Seth Lieberman (lieberma@aim.com) or Joyce Lieberman (rejoice34@gmail.com).