In furtherance of the commandment to care for the stranger among us, Beth El leadership has embarked in preliminary discussions with local community volunteers to pursue an active role in the refugee crisis around the world. We have met with Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, a leading advocate for refugee resettlement in the Omaha area, to discuss how Beth El Synagogue can be a partner in this effort along with the numerous other faith-based organizations throughout the city that are already participating.
Every month, 100 families come to Omaha as part of the resettlement process. Our role would be to sponsor one family, to not only welcome them to the community but also to assist in finding housing, arranging donations of furniture, household items, clothing and food supplies, in addition to three to six months of family mentoring. The program fundamentals will all be outlined by Lutheran Family Services and they will assist us in the process.
At this time we are asking for volunteers who would like to participate in this program. With so many families arriving daily, our target is to meet the new family by the end of September. Prior to that we will hold an informational meeting at Beth El, wherein Lutheran Family Services will provide details regarding the specifics of the program.
We are currently trying to gauge the level of interest within our community, so we would love to hear back from you and determine who wants to participate. At a minimum, we need between six and eight people to oversee this process; however, we hope and anticipate this will be an endeavor in which our entire congregation participates. Please email exec_assistant@bethel-omaha.org, if you would like to volunteer.
Rabbi Steven