Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement

"We make the world better, one family at a time"

 

Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR)

The Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR) is a partnership of six New Haven-area synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. As a co-sponsor for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), the principal refugee resettlement agency in Connecticut, JCARR helps new refugee and immigrant families resettle in our community. The synagogues - Congregation Beth-El-Keser Israel (BEKI), Congregation B'nai Jacob, Congregation Mishkan Israel, Congregation Or Shalom, Temple Beth David, and Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven - have all had a history of individually sponsoring refugee families, dating back to the 1980s. They saw the need to reinvigorate those efforts in light of recent refugee crises worldwide. Since December 2015, JCARR’s Coordinator and numerous volunteers have welcomed one asylum-seeking and five refugee families who fled their home countries to escape persecution and violence.

JCARR’s vision for refugee resettlement is intricately connected to our historic Jewish tradition of welcoming the strangers among us, and of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Refugee families come to this country after years of instability, living in challenging, and sometimes unsafe, environments. They endure experiences that can be traumatic and often result in a sense of humiliation and helplessness.

“My grandfather was saved by coming to this country from Germany in 1921. God knows what would have been if that opportunity wasn’t afforded to my family. We need to do whatever we can to uphold that tradition of welcoming and giving people an opportunity to succeed and survive." Peter Stolzman, JCARR Volunteer.

As refugees begin the journey of rebuilding their lives in their new communities, JCARR volunteers embrace working in partnership with these families to respectfully help them regain their dignity, confidence and sense of control. This means volunteers work with—rather than do for—family members as they learn a new language, become familiar with their new surroundings, solve day-to-day problems, adapt to new roles, and learn from mistakes, all while developing the skills they need to become self-sufficient.

JCARR volunteers are committed to collaboratively work through challenges in cross-cultural communication, resolve problems that arise, and share experiences with refugee families to enhance mutual understanding and appreciation of our differences and similarities.

 

  • Jean Silk

    JCARR Coordinator
    jsilk@jewishnewhaven.org

Do "Tikkun Olam"

Help make the world a better place, one family at a time.

JCARR Welcomes New Family