HIAS Refugee Resettlement

The Temple resettles refugees fleeing their homelands in partnership with HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and the U.S. State Department.

Refugees are people who cannot return to their homeland due to a well-founded fear of persecution. They may be persecuted for their religious or political beliefs. Many flee from war, genocide, or brutality by a military regime. 

The OKC-HIAS Refugee Resettlement Program
Harold Ginzburg, Program Director, OKC-HIAS

The Board of Trustees of Temple B’nai Israel and the Ginzburg Memorial Fund, have agreed for Temple B’nai Israel to become an associated Refugee Resettlement Agency for Oklahoma City, as part of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). HIAS is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. HIAS was founded in the fall of 1881 to help the large number of Russian Jewish immigrants coming to this country; they left central and eastern Europe to escape antisemitic persecution and violence. My grandparents were part of that wave of immigrants. None of my grandparents ever spoke of what organization(s) helped them settle, but I know they did so with the aid of relatives and countrymen and women.

In the past decade, HIAS has expanded to 30 Refugee Resettlement Agencies across the country. Many are a part of Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) in their local communities; Oklahoma City does not have a JFCS. Of the 30 Refugee Resettlement Agencies, only two are congregation based. Congregation B’nai Emunah in Tulsa, and now us. This is a remarkable feat: with Oklahoma’s limited Jewish congregations and membership, we can be so intent on ‘helping the stranger.’ Tikkun Olam – repairing the world – is a hallmark of Reform Judaism. We are attempting to do this one person, one family at a time.
Most, if not all, of the refugees we will receive [they are pre-selected for us] will not be Jewish. Many will be Muslims from Afghanistan, Somalia, Republic of Congo, and from other nations where religious and political persecution is commonplace. This will be a faith-based challenge. We will not be immune from generalized and specific criticisms rendered by those we are trying to assist in their integration into American culture. Prejudice and bias is as universal as poverty, famine, and political unrest.

We anticipate resettling approximately 100 individuals in the next 12 months. Some will arrive solo, some will arrive as families, some will have infirmities, physical and psychological. All will be relocating for at least the second or third time. They will be grateful and angry: grateful for the opportunity to start a new life unencumbered by fears of persecution, and angry that they had to involuntarily leave their homeland, language and culture.

The question you have been waiting to ask: What can you, as part of our community, do to help? We are engaging in a community activity and we all are a part of this community. We will need household items, furnishings, and community volunteers to assist the newcomers as they experience a supermarket, find employment, and learn American (and specifically Oklahoman) culture. While most, if not all, will know something about the United States, few will know what Oklahoma represents and how it is to live here. Movies and TV often present us as still being in the 19th century.

What are our specific needs? See the link on the right hand side of the page to learn more.  A donation of any quantity of any item is much appreciated. Of course, cash money will always be accepted, and a donation receipt provided.

Hal Ginzburg is the lead volunteer for HIAS-OKC, representing the Ginzburg Fund and serving as the liaison between the Temple Board of Trustees, Temple staff, and HIAS.