San Diego nonprofit organizations are preparing to help the Afghan refugees now arriving in the United States while also calling for continued support for those left behind under the Taliban. Jewish Family Service has resettled 74 individuals since August 6 and is actively preparing for the increase of refugees resettled in the San Diego region under the Special Immigrant Visa program. “Most cases are assigned to JFS with little more than 24 hours’ notice before arrival, though all have prior connections — whether family or friends — to the San Diego region,” said Etleva Bejko, Director of Refugee Resettlement with Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Accounts of local Holocaust Survivors, interviewed by the staff of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, have been compiled into a book, ‘Life Lessons from Holocaust Survivors.’ More information about the Life Lessons project can be found at www.jfssd.org/lifelessons.

Migrant arrests are hitting records, but many who are intercepted are sent to Mexico while those who stay are often tested for the virus. In locations that have reported figures, migrants generally test positive at similar or lower rates than Americans living in the counties where they are tested. In San Diego, Jewish Family Service has health provider relationships to administer the vaccine.

An Afghan family shares their gratitude for being welcomed in San Diego but worry about their family who remain behind.

Jewish Family Service stands ready to Welcome the Stranger with dignity and respect and is actively assisting Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients from Afghanistan. As one of the primary refugee resettlement agencies in San Diego, JFS has successfully resettled 59 individuals (11 families) with SIVs from Afghanistan since August 6. Our staff and volunteers will remain at-the-ready to accept more families in the coming days and weeks.

A wave of Afghan refugees are expected to arrive in San Diego amid the crisis in Afghanistan.

The agency says the State Department is “prioritizing many cases to be assigned to JFS with little more than 24 hours’ notice before arrival, though all have prior connections – whether family or friends – to the San Diego region.”

Jewish Family Service of San Diego is one agency that is welcoming Afghans to our community. From August 6 – 18, JFS has resettled 74 individuals comprising 17 families to San Diego.

Jewish Family Service is excited to welcome Emily Jennewein as our new Board Chair. An experienced leader in the Jewish community for the past 20 years, “JFS is sure to benefit from her experience, and we are confident she will bring passion to the role and expand our outreach,” CEO Michael Hopkins.

In a report from the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security, reviewed the agency’s treatment of pregnant women and births in custody after a Guatemalan woman filed a complaint last year about what happened to her at a station in Chula Vista. Jewish Family Service and ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties brought this case to their attention in April 2020. Kate Clark, Sr. Director of Immigration Services, is quoted in the article.

Join us for a special episode of The Tribesmen podcast where we talk about how to care for our loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s. Aviva Saad will be sharing her story with us as well as tips on how to care for your loved ones. Don’t miss this incredible episode!

Jewish Family Service and American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties (ACLU) sent a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary, outlining the ways that migrant families are still being split apart, the harm that separation causes, and suggested immediate policy changes.

After months of being stuck at home during the pandemic, many people in the community possess great anxiety about resuming activity and socializing. Colleen Cook, aging specialist at JFS, offers practical tips to help.

Tips for Anyone Feeling ‘Reentry Anxiety,’ Especially Seniors Experts say “reentry anxiety” is an uneasiness about returning to normal life during the pandemic.

Meet one Honduran family who escaped a politically-motivated machete attack to seek asylum in the United States. Jewish Family Service of San Diego helped this family prepare for their move from SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services to New York, where their sponsor awaits. According to JFS Border Advocate, Eitan Peled, “What we’re doing is showing people we can both protect public health and afford people the right to seek asylum.”

According to Michael Hopkins, the JFS chief executive officer, at any given time 700 asylum seekers, mostly families with young children, are in the care of his agency. Their average stay in San Diego is about three days, during which time they are expected to remain in their undisclosed hotel locations both for health and security reasons.

The parking lot program aims to reach people who have recently become homeless and prevent them from falling into a downward spiral of homelessness. Olsen said that 92 percent of the people who stayed in the lot Wednesday night were first-time homeless people and 50 percent were people with a job who were having trouble finding affordable replacement housing. Forty-six percent were age 60 or older.

“I think there is a myth in the community — much like such other types of issues like substance abuse, mental illness, and homelessness — that poverty doesn’t impact our Jewish community, but the reality is that we experience it at the same rate as our general community,” Yellen said. And that, Yellen added, “has been exacerbated every moment of the pandemic.” Jewish Family Service’s newly launched Center for Jewish Care is making sure that Jewish members of our community have a professional resource to turn to for help and a path becoming stable.

Sometimes, that means stabilizing people so they’re ready to travel on to a final destination. Kate Clark, Sr. Director of Immigration Services at JFS, shares how we transformed our Migrant Shelter Services during COVID-19.

CEO Michael Hopkins discusses how Jewish Family Service is preparing to welcome new refugees to San Diego. From preparing to have a home ready for them to recruiting volunteers, JFS is already gearing up for incoming families.

The guaranteed basic income idea was tested in Stockton in 2019 and received widespread national attention. Jewish Family Service of San Diego is leading a pilot program for low-income neighborhoods of San Diego and National City.

Thank you to JFS supporter Neil Senturia for advancing JFS as the beneficiary of the bidding of his witty and insightful article about NFTs. You will have to read the article for this all to make sense. Senturia is a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies. Hear his weekly podcast on innovation and entrepreneurship at www.imthereforyoubaby.com.

Immigration authorities are working with state and local authorities and non-governmental organizations to ensure that all migrants are tested. Jewish Family Service of San Diego shares when migrants are tested on the California border.

Carole Yellen, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for Jewish Family Service of San Diego, said “volunteers like Ezra demonstrate that you are never too young to make a big impact.”

Dana Toppel, Chief Operating Officer at JFS, authors this opinion that advocates for continuing the impact of the Child Tax Credit by investing in Guaranteed Income pilots. Studies show that direct cash “significantly reduces the experience of child poverty and creates an income floor that lifts families up and out of poverty.” Dana is a Community Advisory Board Member of The San Diego Union-Tribune.