Essex County Community Helps Relocate Iraqi Refugee Family In N.J.

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A trio of Jewish houses of worship in South Orange – with the support of several local politicians and community members in West Orange and Maplewood – recently helped to resettle a refugee family of six from Iraq to their new home in North Jersey, officials announced Monday.

The show of goodwill is part of a larger effort to resettle refugee families in Essex County, according to a GoFundMe campaign that has garnered massive support and raised almost $65,000 as of Tuesday.

The three South Orange houses of worship involved in the effort - Congregation Beth El, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel and Oheb Shalom Congregation – posted the following message about their campaign:

“After fleeing Egypt, our ancestors wandered for forty years in the wilderness. After the destruction of the Temple in 70CE our people wandered in exile for 2,000 years. After the Shoah many of our families were once again in search of a home. Ours is a history of wandering for, too often, we have been refugees, seeking a safe haven from persecution. Now it is our turn to fulfill our obligation to welcome the stranger.”

• See related article: South Orange Offers Immigrants Sanctuary, Passes Resolution (PHOTOS)

“Our synagogues are partnering with Church World Services to provide the most vulnerable refugees the opportunity to start again in the United States,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “In the coming weeks, there will be many opportunities to volunteer as we prepare for this/these families to arrive, and once they've settled in the area. We are grateful that we have already raised funds to help resettle one family. We hope you will continue to support these efforts as we prepare to welcome the second refugee family to our area.”

See the online fundraising campaign here.

RELOCATING SYRIAN REFUGEES

In December, the Newark Archdiocese announced that it plans to resettle 51 asylum seekers from several nations, including Syria, in Essex and Hudson counties during 2017.

“There is no political agenda there… this is just what the church does,” archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness told NorthJersey.com.

New Jersey has the ninth largest population of Syrian refugees in America, according to the U.S. State Department.

• See related article: Newark Archdiocese Will Resettle Syrian Refugees In Essex, Hudson, N.J.

Photos: West Orange Township, Facebook

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