Plus: Wonderful News For Asylum Seekers in Israel

April 2020


[[link removed]] HIAS Partners Find Ways to Stay Connected to Clients During Pandemic
[[link removed]] With COVID-19 restrictions in place around the country, resettled refugees have
been cut off from vital face-to-face support from case managers, volunteers, and
others. But HIAS’ affiliates are getting creative and finding new methods to
help their clients remotely. Here's how HIAS' partners are adjusting.
[[link removed]]As the situation around COVID-19 changes every day, so do our response pages.
Check HIAS.org [[link removed]] for the latest info on our operations.


[[link removed]] HIAS Applauds the End of Israel’s Deposit Law
[[link removed]] On April 23, the Israeli Supreme Court struck down the country’s Deposit Law,
which withheld 20 percent of asylum seekers’ salaries as an incentive for them
to leave the country. The decision will give asylum seekers and their families
badly needed financial relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about HIAS’ work on this issue.
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[[link removed]] Refugees Answer the Call to Help in New York
[[link removed]] With the coronavirus tearing through New York, Afghan refugees Farid and Wahida
Popal wanted to help, not hunker down. Farid joined the virus response team at
White Plains Hospital and Wahida is helping sew thousands of protective masks to
distribute to medical facilities.
Find out more about the Popal family.
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[[link removed]] Things to Know About Refugees and COVID-19
[[link removed]] Few people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than displaced persons, whether from
lack of sanitation, health care, jobs, or legal protections. Here are some vital
things to remember about the needs and rights of displaced persons during the
outbreak. Read the full list here.
[[link removed]]More news and stories on our blog.
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In case you missed it:

* Former HIAS Chair Dianne Lob Confirmed as Conference of Presidents’
Chair-elect
[[link removed]] – Former HIAS Chair Dianne Lob was elected as chair-elect of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, U.S. Jewry’s
foreign-policy umbrella group. A daughter of German Jewish refugees, she will
be the third woman to lead the organization when she formally takes office
next year. Read the HIAS Statement
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* A New Home in a Country Shuttered by a Pandemic
[[link removed]] – The New Republic examined the hardships faced by resettled refugees during
the pandemic, finding that many are losing jobs and running out of money just
as their American lives were getting on track. Alicia Wrenn, HIAS’ senior
director of resettlement and integration, and Elizabeth Mandelman, our senior
director of advocacy and policy, both weighed in on the difficulties.
* We must recommit to helping refugees. We all come from Egypt
[[link removed]] – In a Passover op-ed he wrote for The Forward, HIAS Chair Bob Aronson urged
Jews to remember that refugees, asylum seekers, and other especially
vulnerable populations are in need of protection and compassion. “We must not
invent new Pharaohs where none exist and hoist bricks on the backs of those
who, like us, seek freedom.”
* Leahy and Lankford Urge Relief for Asylum Seekers
[[link removed]] – Senators Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, and James Lankford, an Oklahoma
Republican, issued a statement calling on the Department of Homeland Security
to help asylum seekers whose resettlement has been halted by COVID-19. The
senators want the government to extend the validity of those asylum seeker’s
documents so they can still be resettled when travel restrictions end. HIAS’
policy and advocacy team worked with Leahy and Lankford to issue the
statement.

Take Action:

* Find a list of ways that you can help
[[link removed]] refugees and asylum seekers, even while social distancing.
* Learn about our remote volunteer opportunities
[[link removed]] .

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