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RSJI: REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

You shall not oppress the stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were a strangers in the Land of Egypt. (Ex. 23:9)

Group Chairs: Zane Blechner and Cindy Zeldin                  Clergy Liaison:  Rabbi Sam Kaye

The Temple's RSJI Refugee Resettlement group works tirelessly to assist the refugees in the Atlanta area get integrated and settled from the many different countries represented there from around the world. We specifically do a lot of work with the Global Village Project, a school for mostly middle-school aged girls for whom more time and special attention is required before they can transition well into high school. 

Our goals are:
  • To support the resettlement of refugee families into Georgia, creating a smoother and more complete integration into their new homes.
  • To advocate for these families in civil, academic, and other settings for their rights and privileges.
  • To teach fellow Temple members about the specific challenges that face these immigrant families who've fled their homes in search of a better life.
How we've accomplished these goals:
  • We are working weekly and annually to support the Global Village Project (GVP) by hosting their annual fundraiser, volunteering there weekly, and partnering in other ways to ensure that these young women find their voices and move on to successful careers in whatever jobs they seek after graduating high school.
  • We have organized food and neighborhood tours to Clarkston, GA, an area that has received one of the highest rates of refugees seeking resettlement in recent years. On the tour, you can taste foods from around the world and see first-hand how hard people are working to start their lives over.
  • We have catered dinners that highlighted food from Syria, helping to both expose our congregants to their stories and establish the families' business, a new stream of income featuring the strengths of these refugees.  
Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784