WJCI Funds Afghan Refugee Resettlement

Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration, Inc. (WJCI) has awarded eight microgrants to support the work of volunteers in Westchester and Rockland counties, Hudson Valley, and the Northwest Bronx who have come together to resettle Afghan refugees.

With generous funding from UJA-Federation of New York and The Shapiro Foundation, WJCI created a matching microgrants program to inspire our community to step up and expand Westchester’s capacity to resettle Afghan refugees. The program will support the immediate needs of our new neighbors as they restart their lives following their evacuation from Afghanistan. Details about the microgrant program are available at www.wjci.org.

“The WJCI matching microgrants program is a substantial resource to advance refugee resettlement across and beyond the County,” said President Holly Rosen Fink. “These strategic investments have so far helped to bring a significant number of Afghan refugees to Westchester, something our team is very proud of.”

The fall of Afghanistan and withdrawal of U.S. troops last August left many individuals marked for death because they had worked for the U.S. military or companies, or the Afghan government. Since then, 77,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S.

To help these families create new lives, WJCI inspired and supported local volunteers from single synagogues or coalitions of synagogues, churches, mosques, and other communities to form Host Groups, which have raised sufficient funds to support Afghan families and individuals for one year, or until they become acclimated and self-sufficient. WJCI invited Host Groups that committed to sponsor Afghan refugees to apply for microgrants of up to $5,000 per family.

Host groups work by forming committees that: find and fund housing; furnish a new home; orient the family to their new country and neighborhood; help navigate and access federal and state benefits; enroll children in public school and tutor them in English and other subjects; connect the family to medical services; hone interview skills and find employment; and provide transportation.

Inspired by the Jewish teaching to “welcome the stranger,” WJCI works with resettlement agencies such as HIAS and IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) that train Host Group volunteers and provide case management for refugee families, most of whom lived on U.S. military bases after fleeing Kabul. Neighbors for Refugees, a non-profit based in Larchmont, N.Y., acts as a consultant, providing expertise on resettlement issues. To date, WJCI has awarded microgrants to:

Jewish Community Center of Harrison (JCCH) Refugee Resettlement Committee
Congregation Sons of Israel (CSI) Briarcliff Manor
ReSET Westchester, Inc.
Welcome the Stranger (WTS) The Reform Temple of Rockland and Islamic Center of Rockland
Northwest Bronx Coalition for Refugees (NWBCR)
Afghan Circle of the Hudson Valley (ACHV)
Ossining for Refugees
Scarsdale White Plains Refugee Resettlement Group (SWPRRG)

The microgrants are made possible with funding from UJA and The Shapiro Foundation, who teamed up to help during the crisis in Afghanistan. To date, families have resettled in Yonkers, Ossining, Briarcliff, Mount Kisco, and Goldens Bridge, and more are expected to arrive in the coming months.

“We started the Afghan Circle of the Hudson Valley from scratch, to welcome, resettle and integrate Afghan refugees here. With the help of the community and WJCI's generous grant and guidance, we've been able to raise enough money to support a family until they can find work and become self-supporting,” said Harv Hilowitz, Co-Chair of the Afghan Circle of the Hudson Valley.
For information about forming a Host Group in Westchester County or to get involved with WJCI, anyone can contact info@wjci.org.
WJCI is an entirely volunteer-run, non-partisan organization that envisions the United States as a place where refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants can live in safety and dignity. The organization includes Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, non-denominational and unaffiliated Jews from around the Westchester region, and partners with institutions and individuals of all faiths who assist and act on behalf of immigrants and refugees. In 2022, WJCI officially launched its expanded mission to engage Westchester's Jewish community in social action, advocacy, and education around the issue of immigration and refugees. www.wjci.org