For 117 years, Jewish Family Services has supported individuals who fled war, persecution and violence to seek refuge in Central Ohio. This work is driven by the core Jewish value of welcoming the stranger and by the fact that the Jewish people have themselves been refugees throughout history. Over the past century, Jewish Family Services has assisted Jews fleeing pogroms at the turn of the 20th century, Holocaust survivors in the 1950s, Soviet Jews in the 1960s and 70s, Somali refugees in the 1990s, and more recently Bhutanese Nepalis, Afghans, Ukrainians, Congolese, and others from countries all over the world. We work closely with government and community partners to help these families build safe, stable, and productive lives in Central Ohio.
Today, we speak out to express our deep and growing concern with the rapidly increasing threats to the safety and stability of these friends and neighbors.
In recent weeks, the entire Afghan and Somali populations in the U.S. have been targeted due to the wrongful acts of a few individuals – acts which we do not condone. Whenever people are harmed through violence, fraud, or other misconduct, we share in the grief and pain they experience. We believe firmly in accountability and the rule of law. We also recognize that the acts of a few should never define an entire community. As Americans and as a human service organization rooted in Jewish values, we are committed to the safety and dignity of both our long-standing and newly-arrived neighbors.
Threats to the safety and dignity of all refugee communities are escalating, including from our own government. The federal government has threatened to redetermine the status of each person who entered this country legally during the previous presidential administration, even though these individuals were thoroughly vetted numerous times – many of them over a period of years. Officials have paused rulings on asylum and green card applications and cancelled naturalization ceremonies. People who have been welcomed to our country through U.S. government programs are now being told that they are no longer wanted here.
This is wrong. It is contrary to the values on which Jewish Family Services was founded. And it is contrary to American values.
Our country was founded as a beacon for people seeking religious and political freedom. Throughout much of our 250-year history, Americans have opened their arms to refugees. Since 1980, the U.S. government has had a permanent, standardized system for identifying, vetting, and resettling people who have been forced from their home countries by war, persecution, and violence. Since then, the U.S. has welcomed over 3 million legal refugees.
These individuals contribute immensely to our country and our communities. Studies by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in both 2017 and 2023 and reported last week in the Wall Street Journal show that resettled refugees contribute billions more than they consume in services and assistance. Over a 15-year period, the net benefit was $124 billion. Locally, refugees contribute over a billion dollars each year to the Central Ohio economy. They have filled jobs enabling local businesses to grow and prosper and have established their own flourishing businesses, generating new job opportunities.
Welcoming the stranger is not only the right thing to do for others, it is the right thing to do for our community.
These are mothers, fathers, and children.
They are employees, business owners, and leaders.
They are our coworkers, friends, and neighbors.
They are human beings.
They enrich us in countless ways.
At Jewish Family Services, we stand with refugees.
Join us in standing up and speaking out.
Karen B. Mozenter, CEO Jennifer Goldson, Board Chair
