|
|
April 9, 1999/23 Nisan 5759, Vol. 51, No. 28
Federation joins groups mobilizing to help refugees
Local donations will aid those fleeing Kosovo
LOU HIRSH
Contributing Editor
and PETER EPHROSS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Valley's Jewish community this week joined the growing number of organizations nationwide looking to help beleaguered ethnic Albanians who have fled by the thousands from their homes in Kosovo.
"The Jewish community is all too familiar with the situation of the ethnic Albanians," Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix leaders said in a statement released this week. "We empathize with the plight of the refugees of Kosovo and believe we have a responsibility to assist in any way possible."
The federation has established a local open, mailbox to accept cash contributions, which will be provided to displaced refugees on a non-sectarian basis. Checks should be made out to the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF), and should be sent to the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, 32 W. Coolidge St., Suite 200, Phoenix 85013.
"The world has watched in horror, as yet again the forces of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic undertake a systematic campaign of 'ethnic cleansing,' this time directed at the Albanian population of Kosovo," the federation statement said. "We have been horrified by the brutal and vicious atrocities committed against the Albanian ethnic population in that area. At stake is the global commitment to fundamental human values, the right not to be persecuted because of one's religious or ethnic heritage."
Efforts to aid the refugees are being organized nationally by several Jewish organizations, including the CJF (of which the Valley federation is a member) and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
Tami Schultz, director of the Phoenix federation's Jewish Community Relations Council, told Jewish News that local efforts are intended to deal with immediate needs of the refugees, and the local federation is not taking sides on issues relating to U.S. involvement and NATO bombing of Serb targets in Yugoslavia.
"Right now we're dealing with humanitarian issues with the situation in Kosovo. We're not getting involved at this point in the political debates," Schultz said.
United Nations officials estimate that as many as 500,000 people have fled Kosovo and outlying areas amid recent fighting. Despite U.S. plans to shelter up to 20,000 of the refugees on a temporary basis, Schultz said it's unlikely that refugees will be coming to the Valley.
"I think it's safe to say that if an organization like JDC called on us to accept some refugees, we would do it. But we don't think that's going to happen," she said.
Although U.S. officials have not elaborated on plans to house the refugees, it was unlikely at press time April 7 that refugees would be coming to the mainland United States. Officials have recently said the Kosovars would most likely be air-lifted to U.S. military bases in Cuba or Guam.
While the local federation has programs in place to help new arrivals if called upon - in conjunction with Jewish Family and Children's Service and area assistance agencies - this has happened decreasingly in recent years, reflecting a national drop in immigrants from places such as the former Soviet Union.
Despite several recent anti-Semitic incidents in former Soviet republics, local officials report no uptick in resettlement requests. According to Fred Zeidman, the federation's director of planning, many Jews choosing to leave the former Soviet republics are now going to Israel rather than the U.S.
This is a marked change from 1992, when the Jewish community helped a peak number of 101 immigrants, mostly from the former Soviet Union, resettle in the Valley. But since then, said Zeidman, the demand for such services has generally been in decline. The federation aided 55 immigrants in 1993, 33 in 1994, 47 in 1995 and 58 in 1996, but the numbers dropped again to 38 in 1997 and to 10 in 1998.
In 1999, the federation expects to aid about eight to 12 newcomers with resettlement, Zeidman said.
The national decrease in new immigrants has led some Jewish communities to help non-Jews, in part to keep federal matching funds coming, since money is granted on a per-capita basis to meet demand. (See story, page 4.) In Phoenix, for example, the federation in recent years has helped resettle several Iranians of the Baha'i faith. In part due to limited funding, Zeidman said current resettlement efforts are focused on re-unification of families, meaning those being helped are those with relatives already in the Valley.
Many groups responding
As part of the national response to the Kosovo crisis, several Jewish organizations are taking donations, and hundreds of contributions have already poured into the JDC's offices in New York to help with the shelter, medical, food and clothing needs of the refugees, according to Steven Schwager, the group's associate executive vice president.
As of Monday, April 5, some 650 donations totaling more than $78,000 had been received by the JDC, an "unprecedented" response in such a short time, according to JDC officials.
The American Jewish Committee has contributed $25,000 to the relief effort for the refugees as an initial donation.
"We cannot stand silently while a human tragedy unfolds in Kosovo," said AJC President Bruce Kramer.
Jewish leaders are showing their support for the Kosovo refugees in non-monetary ways as well. The World ORT Union recently met with some 20 non-governmental organizations in Albania. At the meeting, a group of human rights representatives and lawyers was established to interview Kosovar refugees now in Albania in order to document human rights violations that occurred before they fled their home province.
And when the national director of the Anti-Defamation League was asked to speak at an Albanian-sponsored rally last week opposing the Serbian policy of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, Abraham Foxman was more than happy to accept.
"As Jews, we certainly understand ethnic cleansing and hate crimes," said Foxman. "And as complicated as the history is, one of the lessons of our history is not to be silent in the face of hatred."
About 300 people took part in the Albanian American Civic League-sponsored rally March 31 in front of the United Nations in New York. It was unclear how many Jews attended.
|
