BREAKING NEWS

184 US synagogues pledge to welcome, support refugees

Some 184 Jewish congregations and communities in the US signed a pledge of support for refugees, promising to take action to help those seeking shelter in the country.
The “Welcome Campaign” is being organized by the refugee support and advocacy group HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which was founded in 1881 to help Jewish immigrants fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe.
The letter — “an affirmative statement in support of welcoming refugees” to the United States — says signatories will support refugees in various ways, including through education, advocacy and fundraising, and on the local level.
“The American Jewish response to the largest refugee crisis recorded in history is really about who we want to be as American Jews,” Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, vice president of community engagement at HIAS, said in a statement.