IMMIGRATION
Under U.S. and international law, anyone who steps on U.S. soil or presents themselves at a U.S. port of entry is entitled to apply for asylum. However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has deported or expelled over one million people under “Title 42,” a policy issued by the Trump administration preventing migrants from entering the U.S. due to public health concerns. Despite public health experts and immigrant justice advocates condemning the order as having no basis in public health, legally questionable, ineffective, and dangerous, the Biden administration has continued to use Title 42 to deport and expel those legally seeking asylum in the U.S. It is time for President Biden to end this policy. Join us in calling on the Biden administration to end Title 42 and restore asylum.
TSARP News
We were happy to welcome our four Afghan friends to Temple Shalom during Refugee Shabbat on March 4. They enjoyed the service, especially the music, and were happy to meet more people in our community. In the last half of March, there was an exciting new development. We were approached about another Afghan family who is in great need. Thanks to the generosity of our TSARP donors, we were able to agree to sponsor this lovely family. The father is a journalist/newspaper editor, the mother worked on women’s issues in Afghanistan and is expecting in July, and they have a 3-year-old. They are moving into the same apartment complex in Chestnut Hill where our guys live, a few doors down from them. Once they’re settled, we’ll communicate in more detail about volunteer opportunities, both for our existing volunteer base and for those who’d like to get involved for the first time. For those of you who wanted to work with kids – this is your chance!
We have been asked whether we will be supporting Ukrainian refugees. As you know, the US has committed to bring 100,000 refugees to the US, possibly under the same “humanitarian parole” status provided to our Afghan friends. Refugee support agencies such as CCAB and RIAC (the agencies supporting our original guys and new family, respectively) have their hands full with Afghan arrivals, so it’s not clear exactly how the Ukrainian effort will work and when it will begin. Please see these resources on Ukraine from the RAC Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine | Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (rac.org)
A Unique Way to Help Ukrainian Refugees
The editor-in-chief of one of Ukraine's largest publishers is asking for funds to help send books to refugee children in surrounding countries to give them "a little piece of home" during a traumatic time. Old Lion is accepting donations online that will help pay for books to be sent to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, and elsewhere.
VOTING RIGHTS
Please consider joining our amazing team of Temple Shalom postcard writers. We are working with JALSA on a new, non-partisan effort to expand the electorate in North Carolina and this effort will continue for several months. Postcards, scripts, and detailed instructions will be provided. Contact Arlene Pressman, arpressman@gmail.com for more information.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Welcome Home Drive: April 3-5
Please consider stopping by the Temple between April 3 and 5 to drop off a donation of the household items noted below. The clients of Welcome Home will be very grateful.
