To help the refugee cause, B’nai Moshe launched, with the help of Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor, a project to fill 55 new backpacks with school supplies for refugee children being settled in Washtenaw County.
On March 5, Congregation B’nai Moshe in West Bloomfield took part in a community-wide HIAS refugee awareness Shabbat. Attendees heard the story of Jennie Mizrahi Lieberman, who as a young girl and a Cuban refugee, was helped by HIAS to settle with her family in the US.
To help the refugee cause, B’nai Moshe launched, with the help of Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor, a project to fill 55 new backpacks with school supplies for refugee children being settled in Washtenaw County. Through a registry set up on Amazon as well as monetary donations, the entranceway to B’nai Moshe began to fill up with over $4,000 worth of school supplies.
On Sunday, March 13, volunteers came together to sort and pack the backpacks with supplies and a few treats. These backpacks will be delivered to JFS in Ann Arbor where they will make their way into the hands of refugee children from kindergarten to high school.
“While these backpacks cannot address all the challenges of being a refugee, perhaps they will lighten someone’s load a little and put a smile on the face of a child. We also hope this will not be the end of our support for refugees as we look for more ways to have a positive impact,” said Executive Director Steve Fine.
The number of families leaving everything familiar behind and starting a completely new life will only continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Settling these families and helping them to transition takes a village. Reach out to HIAS, JFS or any other organizations to help those arriving to a place they hope to call home.