Plus: HIAS launches new podcast, HIAS and UNHCR seal formal partnership, and
more
View this newsletter in a web browser [[link removed]]
December 2020
Share this newsletter:
[[link removed]
Update: 2020 Review, Meeting Challenges in a Difficult Year]
[[link removed]
Update: 2020 Review, Meeting Challenges in a Difficult Year]
[[link removed]] 2020 Year In Review: A Global Pandemic Met With Resilience
[[link removed]] The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges and hit refugees and
asylum seekers particularly hard. Yet HIAS stepped up, helping more clients in
2020 than ever before. Take a look back at 2020.
[[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Go Inside The Lives of Refugees With 'Crossing Borders'
[[link removed]] How much do you really know about the 80 million who have fled persecution and
conflict? Our new podcast takes you inside the lives of refugees and the people
helping them rebuild. Subscribe to the podcast today!
[[link removed]]
[[link removed]] A Biden Appointment That Carries the Jewish Story Itself
[[link removed]] President-elect Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security is
Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban Jew and former HIAS board member who came to the
U.S. as a refugee. Read our CEO's column about the pick.
[[link removed]]
[[link removed]] HIAS and UNHCR Strengthen Long-Standing Partnership
[[link removed]] After decades of working side by side, HIAS and the U.N. refugee agency signed
their first formal cooperation agreement, which will expand and strengthen ties
between the groups. Learn more about the agreement.
[[link removed]]More news and stories on our blog.
[[link removed]]
In case you missed it:
* In Aruba, HIAS, Clients Work Together Through Pandemic
[[link removed]] – In response to the refugee situation in Aruba, HIAS established an office on
the island in 2019 to help Venezuelan refugees recover from trauma and to
deal with the stresses of living without legal status. Three stories from
Aruba illustrate what the lives of refugees there are like – and the
resilience they have shown during the pandemic.
* Israel Scholarship Ceremony Spotlights Social Activism
[[link removed]] – HIAS Israel has given scholarships to student immigrants, or olim, since the
1970s. This year, we awarded 46 scholarships to students from eight
countries, the majority from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. The
scholarship recipients were selected out of more than 400 applications by a
team of volunteer judges, most olim themselves,.
* HIAS Puts Chromebooks and Computer Education In The Hands of Clients
[[link removed]] – In partnership with local affiliates, HIAS has distributed more than 600
Chromebooks — inexpensive laptops that run on relatively simple software – to
clients across the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A series
of videos helps teach newcomers to use the machines, allowing them to access
a wide range of vital services.
* HIAS Condemns New Trump Administration Asylum Regulations
[[link removed]] – On Dec. 11, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security finalized a
rule that restricts most aspects of the U.S. asylum system. “We continue to
oppose every provision in this rule, because they fly in the face of U.S.
obligations to ensure that people seeking protection in the United States
have access to an asylum system that adheres to our immigration laws,” said
Naomi Steinberg, HIAS’ vice president for policy and advocacy, in a
statement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch and Learn:
* Mandy Patinkin Shares What Refugees Have Taught Him with HIAS Assembly
[[link removed]] – Patinkin and his wife, fellow actress and activist Kathryn Grody, joined
HIAS’ National Jews for Refugees Assembly on Dec. 14 to celebrate Hanukkah
and tell HIAS supporters why welcoming the stranger is so important to them.
“Anybody that wants to have a decent life, that’s oppressed, that’s our
obligation,” Grody said during the virtual event.
* Book utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020_11_25_hias_update] – HIAS’ virtual Book and Film Club welcomed Dr. Jessica Goudeau to discuss her
book, "After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in
America." Goudeau shared everything from how she came to form a relationship
with women whose stories featured in her book to the role of faith in her
advocacy for refugees.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get Involved:
* Check out upcoming HIAS events [[link removed]] to stay engaged on refugee issues during the pandemic.
* Check our list of ways you can help [[link removed]] refugees and asylum seekers, even while social distancing.
* Learn about our remote volunteer opportunities [[link removed]] .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help HIAS Help Refugees. Make Your Year-end Gift to HIAS today.
[[link removed]]
Did you know that HIAS is on LinkedIn
[[link removed]] ? You can also find us on Instagram
[[link removed]] and Medium
[[link removed]] .
For up to the minute news and updates, follow HIAS on Facebook
[[link removed]] and Twitter
[[link removed]]
[
[email protected]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] 1300 Spring Street
Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-844-7300 Click here to unsubscribe from emails from HIAS.
[[link removed]]
