OUR COMMUNITY
Putting Out the Welcome Mat Ann Arbor Jewish agency prepares for influx of Afghan refugees. ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
s chaos and violence wash over Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, resettlement agencies across the U.S. are preparing to support an influx of Afghan refugees fleeing the country. Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, which has a robust resettlement program in place, is one of the agencies getting ready to help. They’re now resettling their first Afghan refugee since the violence escalated a few weeks back. JFS also has two additional cases in the pipeline for Afghan refugees hoping to start new lives in Washtenaw County, but are preparing to help dozens, if not hundreds more, in the coming months. “These individuals were evacuated in early July,” Shrina
16
|
SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021
Eadeh, director of the resettlement program at JFS, explains of the two waiting cases. “Right now, they’re currently in Virginia and Texas doing their processing.” The first Afghan refugee helped by JFS this summer had a family member living in Washtenaw County. Other cases, however, are known as “free cases.” In these particular cases, individuals arrive without friends or family in the area. Upon receiving a case, JFS reviews it and determines if their organization will be a good host for that individual’s unique needs. Yet JFS is no stranger to the Afghan humanitarian crisis. For years, they’ve helped Afghan refugees build new lives in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, among other cities in the
Washtenaw County area. Now, though, the need is more pressing than ever. “We really felt the need to answer the call,” Eadeh says. “We felt that we could help individuals who are coming from Afghanistan right The food pantry at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County
now have a home here in Washtenaw County.” SERVICES FOR ALL While operating as a Jewish organization, JFS goes beyond assisting only the Jewish community. “One of the mis-
