24-29-refugees cover 1/27/16 4:32 PM Page 24 For related multimedia Cover Story | content click here. SYRIAN REFUGEE Safety concerns, Jewish ethics guide attitudes toward helping those in need CRISIS By Melissa Gerr aturday morning, a few was a moral obligation to help people everyone receives a full medical to a city. About 1,800 Syrian refugees days after the terrorist attacks who didn’t have a home and that we screening within a week or so of arrived in the United States in 2015, Sin Paris last November, Rabbi could not relive the history of the arrival. Then the IRC’s employment and the largest Syrian community is Daniel Cotzin Burg of Beth Am used Second World War and turn away services team steps in to help the located in Toledo, Ohio. According his Shabbat sermon time to invite an from people in need.” She added that adults find work. to the United Nations High Com- open discussion about the brutal and though she has her concerns about “That’s the big ask by the U.S. gov- mission for Refugees, Syria’s civil war tragic incidents that occurred through- the State Department’s ability to screen ernment,” said Ruben Chandrasekar, remains the single biggest generator out the city and their afermath. refugees adequately to weed out poten- executive director of the IRC’s Balti- worldwide of both new refugees and Several people expressed their anger tial terrorists, “I believe that most of more and Silver Spring offices. “We continuing mass internal and external and concern about the way Syrian these people are not security threats. welcome you, but you’ve got to work, displacement. Muslim refugees — those feeing possi- Tey’re homeless just like so many of to pull yourself up by your boot- “Te reality is, because [Syrians are] ble persecution and fear of death — were our [ancestors] were, and they deserve a straps. So we help folks find their first a new migrant group and because of the repeatedly linked with terrorist activi- chance to start over in a new place.” job. Then usually within three to four lengthy vetting process, we’ll be seeing ties in the rhetoric of some politicians Te group learned that the IRC months, 85 percent of our clients are very few coming to Baltimore in the and in the media. Tey also voiced helped resettle more than 800 refugees working and paying their bills.” coming year,” said Beth Am member concern about an ensuing climate of fear last year; 35 of them are Syrians, but Stafers at the IRC cited several Joe Nathanson, who went on the IRC and hateful sentiment aimed at refugees there is no information on how many large local employers who regularly visit and has an extensive background that could spread from that portrayal. Syrians will be resettled in Maryland return to them seeking employees, in economic urban planning for Te discussion resulted in a small in 2016. The organization provides impressed by the pool of new immi- refugee communities. group of congregants meeting with clients with up to eight months of grants’ work ethic. About 12 percent With nearly 60 million refugees employees of the International Rescue case-management support when of Maryland’s population is foreign worldwide, and 4.5 million of whom Committee’s Baltimore ofce on East- they arrive to help them stabilize and born, yet immigrants own and run are Syrians — one quarter of that ern Avenue in Highlandtown a few navigate a new life. Refugees are met about 22 percent of small businesses, country’s population — Mark Het- weeks later to learn what they might do at the airport and ensured simply which are viewed as economic gener- field, president and CEO of HIAS, to welcome and assist Syrian refugees furnished affordable housing — the ators. Currently, there are sizable the organization formerly known as who are expected to arrive in Baltimore first month’s rent is paid for — and a communities of Burmese, Somali, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, in the coming year. frst warm meal, and their children are Ethiopian, Eritrean, Congolese and called the Syrian displacement “the Congregant Wendy Schelew, who has enrolled in school. Each new arrival Iraqi populations throughout the biggest refugee crisis” since World a decades-long history volunteering and must attend a fve-day orientation that greater Baltimore area. Wa r I I . working in refugee resettlement in covers details such as instructions for The available resources and capac- “Frankly, the U.S. response is dis- her native Toronto, went to the IRC, she riding the bus, getting groceries and ity of resettlement agencies deter- proportionately low compared to explained, because “as a Jew I really felt it fnding English-language classes; and mine the number of refugees assigned other refugee crises,” he said. 24 Baltimore Jewish Times January 29, 2016 24-29-refugees cover 1/27/16 11:21 AM Page 25 “IF PEOPLE ARE COMMITTED TO PROTECT REFUGEES JUST BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE THEY DO OR WORSHIP LIKE THEY DO, THAT WON’T REALLY LEAD TO ANYBODY BEING PROTECTED. SO WE HAVE TO STAND UP FOR EVERYBODY.” — Mark Hetfeld, president and CEO, HIAS Hetfeld noted that 240,000 refugees fingerprinting and often iris scans, are use during the screening processes, Reform Judaism and the Jewish were admitted to the United States collected from all applicants and are and we don’t have that luxury with Community Relations Councils from Vietnam in 1980; by contrast, crosschecked with databases at the Syrians.” nationwide for signing a letter that just 10,000 Syrians are slated for FBI, DHS and the Department of “But security is not a new issue for opposed the induction of additional admission this year. Defense. If the applicant passes all of refugees,” Hetfield added, citing the restrictions and security measures In 2016, for a person to gain refugee these screenings, he or she submits to more than 400,000 Soviet Jews who and for “supporting dangerous Syrian status and legally enter the United health screenings and is enrolled in came here from what was “probably immigration.” States, according to the Department of cultural orientation classes while the most fearsome [foe] that the Groups representing the Conser- Homeland Security, he or she must information continues to be checked United States has ever had. There was vative and Orthodox movements, frst apply through the United Nations against terrorist databases to ensure plenty of opportunity for mischief by however, have joined the JCRCs, the High Commission of Refugees. Less no new intelligence has turned up the Soviets … and the U.S. knew that AJC and the URJ in backing the call than 1 percent of those applying since the application process began. and tried to screen for it. I’m sure to resettle Syrian refugees. achieve resettlement. A person must In total, the vetting process can last they caught some and others slipped prove he’s been driven from his home 12 to 24 months from application to through, but the bottom line is, we’re Jewish Roots, “due to a well-founded fear of being arrival here, and it’s considered the stronger as a country because we Jewish Ethics persecuted for reasons of race, religion, most rigorous of any country in the brought in those 400,000 Soviets. Albert Einstein’s plea for political nationality, membership in a particular world. However, in November, the But there was a risk.” social group or political opinion,” as House of Representatives voted 289 Chandrasekar hopes that advocacy asylum in 1933, when the Nazi stated in the 1951 Refugee Conven- to 137 in favor of a bill that would by his and other resettlement organi- regime took hold of Germany, “was tion, which was created in response to further tighten the vetting process zations will push the U.S. to increase the guiding force behind the creation the Holocaust and to prevent coun- for Iraqis and Syrians. The bill was President Barack Obama’s pledge to of the IRC,” Chandrasekar said. tries from denying refugees entry and defeated in the Senate on Jan. 20. accept 10,000 Syrians and 85,000 “He was responsible in many ways in sending them back to life-threatening Still, FBI director James Comey refugees overall to 100,000 and stimulating the IRC.” situations. testified in October that “a number 200,000 refugees, respectively. He added that in the beginning it If an applicant clears this first step, of people who were of serious concern” It’s a prospect that has some in the was “a clandestine organization that his or her documents are sent to the have slipped through screenings, Jewish community, including Zionist had staff in German occupied terri- State Department, where more infor- including two Iraqis arrested on Organization of America national tory,” such as Varian Fry, a Jewish mation is collected and security terrorism-related charges, as reported president Morton Klein, concerned journalist-turned-activist who cre- screenings are done via the National in The Washington Post. “There’s about the nation’s safety. ated fake travel permits allowing Jews Counterterrorism Center, the FBI no doubt that was the product of a “The violence perpetrated by to escape to other parts of Europe and the Department of Homeland less-than-excellent vetting,” Comey Muslim immigrants in Europe — and the United States. “Our history Security. Syrian applicants get addi- said. “I can’t sit here and offer any- especially toward European Jews — as an organization is linked to the tional interviews and screenings body an absolute assurance that portends what America has in store if Jewish community and its history.” called the Syrian In-House Review, there’s no risk associated with this.” we bring more such immigrants here,” Now, the IRC has ofces in 33 coun- which could include more cross- Hetfeld compared the Syrian vetting Klein wrote in an opinion piece pub- tries and 26 American cities.