Jewish Groups Call On President Obama To Take In Syrian Refugees "How can a nation built by refugees from political persecution turn our back on refugees fleeing religious and political persecution."
Religion News ServiceBy Jacob Wirtschafter Posted: 09/17/2015 10:11 AM EDT MICHALIS KARAGIANNIS/REUTERS A Syrian refugee boy is carried toward a bus after disembarking a passenger ship at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, on Sept. 15, 2015. LOS ANGELES (RNS) Advocates for Syrian refugee resettlement found unexpected allies as major Jewish groups have called on President Obama to open America’s gates to 100,000 asylum seekers from the war-torn Arab nation. The American Jewish resettlement agency HIAS has launched a petition drive calling on Obama to resettle 100,000 Syrians in the U.S., and Reform rabbis pledged to make refugee assistance a key theme for High Holiday sermons and congregational activism. Jewish American groups, saying they can’t be bystanders as the worst refugee crisis since World War II unfolds, are joining Arab-American leaders in a critique of existing policies, which have sharply limited the numbers of refugees settled in the United States. “How can a nation built by refugees from political persecution turn our back on refugees fleeing religious and political persecution,” said Reform leader Rabbi Rick Jacobs in a letter sent Friday (Sept. 11) to Obama and congressional leaders. Only about 1,500 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since the start of the civil war in 2011. The Obama administration announced Thursday(Sept. 10) that it would accept 10,000 refugees in the coming fiscal year. “We know what it is like to be denied entry, to be turned back at borders, to be put into camps. We also know now what it is like to have a refuge,” said Rabbi Malcolm Cohen of Las Vegas’ Temple Sinai. HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield said the request for additional Syrian refugees is also a matter of ensuring Israel’s safety. “The crisis in Syria threatens to destabilize Jordan, Lebanon, and perhaps even Turkey and Egypt,” he said. “This cannot be good for Israel.” Technically, Israel and Syria have been at war since 1948, and while Jerusalem has provided medical treatment to hundreds of injured Syrian civilians and anti-government rebels, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for his country to shelter refugees. Akram Abusharar, a Gaza-born immigration attorney who handles approximately 80 Syrian asylum cases per month at his office in Anaheim, Calif.’s “Little Arabia,” said the initiative could be very helpful. “The Jewish community has more capacity to move the politicians on this issue than the Arab-American community,” said Abusharar. “I have 119 cases for Syrians pending at the asylum office in Anaheim,” he added. “They’re not a priority for the INS. Refugees could wait up to two years to be called for an interview.” Authorities move more rapidly on applicants coming from Mexico and Central America, he said. Obama has focused the Syria narrative on the Islamic State group instead of on the humanitarian disaster, according to Suzanne Akhras, founder of the Syrian American Medical Society, which works to provide medical assistance to refugees in the Middle East as well as partnering with interfaith leaders in Chicago’s Jewish community to resettle 12 refugee families on that city’s North Side. “HIAS has consistently called for more resettlement and pushed back against discriminatory rhetoric opposing the opening of doors to Syrian refugees,” said Omar Hossino, public relations director for the Syrian American Council in Washington, D.C. On Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 11:24:15 AM UTC-6, Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > *Obama’s vow to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees under fire after Paris > attack* > > By Stephen Dinan <http://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/stephen-dinan/> - > The Washington Times - Saturday, November 14, 2015 > > President Obama's plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees is under fire > after Friday's terrorist attack in Paris, with one GOP presidential > candidate saying the U.S. should halt its plans as long as it's not able to > assure Americans it can weed out potential terrorists. > > The Islamic State, which controls significant territory in Syria, has > claimed credit for the coordinated attacks, which have left 129 dead and > 352 wounded in Paris — and had earlier claimed credit for downing a Russian > jet over Egypt. > > The Associated Press said a Syrian passport found near the body of an > attacker was linked to a man who entered the European Union through a Greek > island last month. > > Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who's on the rise in the presidential > campaign, said those events show the Islamic State, also known by the > acronym ISIS, views itself at war with the U.S., and the Syrian refugee > program Mr. Obama announced is a risk. > > "We need to immediately declare a halt to any plans to bring refugees that > may have been infiltrated by ISIS to the United States," he said in a > statement. "We need to redouble our efforts to prevent ISIS agents from > penetrating our nation by other means." > > Fellow candidate Mike Huckabee went further, calling for a halt in all > admissions of those coming from countries where the Islamic State or al > Qaeda have a "strong presence." > > "During the debate last week, I stated that we should not admit those > claiming to be Syrian refugees and was condemned by the left for that > position. I was right, and the events in Paris affirm that," Mr. Huckabee, > a former Arkansas governor, said in a statement. "Even the far left and > politically correct government of France has closed its borders. It's time > for a president who will act to protect Americans, not just talk and > protect the image of Islam." > > Mr. Obama has ordered the U.S. to prepare to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees > in 2016, with more expected in 2017, as he said Americans must do their > part to help give a safety valve to the hundreds of thousands fleeing the > war-torn region. > > But officials have acknowledged vetting Syrians will be difficult because > the U.S. does not have access to Syrian records, and it's tougher to verify > would-be refugees' stories and backgrounds. > > Much will depend on the in-person interviews conducted by Homeland > Security officers — an area where officials insist they've become expert, > thanks to experience vetting Iraqi refugees. > > Early news reports out of Paris said a Syrian passport was found at the > site of one of the attacks. And reports said Poland has already decided to > suspend its participation in the European Union refugee program in the wake > of the attack. > > But refugee program defenders took to social media to urge that countries > not stray from their commitments to taking in Syrians. > > Some of the defenders said the violence in Paris is what the refugees are > fleeing, and makes it all the more imperative to keep the programs going. > > In the U.S., however, Mr. Obama was already having a tough sell. Some > Republican members of Congress have proposed place restrictions on the > refugee program as a condition in the major spending bill that's expected > to advance through Congress over the next month. > > Sen. Charles E. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said > Congress should require the FBI and other counterterrorism officials > certify their ability to vet refugees before the program goes into effect. > > Spokespersons for Mr. Grassley and several other high-profile critics of > the Syrian refugee program said Saturday it was too early to tell what > effect the Paris attack would have on the debate. > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmYmltN2kwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NDc2MDY2MTY-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! 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