Director's Note

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The past several months have been filled with challenges as the asylum seeker community in Jerusalem struggles with the impact of Coronavirus. As Israel finds itself in a second wave, we continue to do all we can to serve the community and ensure their health and safety. We here at JACC would be unable to do this important work without our incredible volunteers.

Each year approximately 100 volunteers come through our doors hoping to help this community. They work with students in our Learning Center, teach English and Hebrew, and guide individuals through the Israeli legal and health systems. The relationships they build with our community are long lasting and their impact is immeasurable.

During this difficult time, they have gone above and beyond to guarantee that the community gets through this crisis. This newsletter is dedicated to them. I am personally inspired by their stories and their selflessness, and hope you will be as well.

Best Wishes,

Josie Mendelson

"Coordinating and teaching in the JACC English program has been such an incredible opportunity to get to know a community that is, unfortunately, invisible to many people in Jerusalem. The asylum-seeking community that we have come to know through our volunteering is made up of kind people who are highly motivated to learn, and manage to make time for English classes on top of their other long hours working and taking care of their families. 

Because of COVID-19, we unfortunately had to stop in-person class meetings. During that time, many of our students lost their jobs, and were not receiving financial support from the government. We had the opportunity of raising money and then purchasing and delivering food to many of them at their homes. Our students have been so kind and incredibly gracious, and while they express gratitude, we try to make clear that they deserve to be helped during this time, just as Israeli citizens are assisted by the government. 

One question that we kept receiving from students while things were mostly under lockdown was when we would resume classes. While a couple classes met online and others did language exercises virtually, we were all relieved when coronavirus numbers  were down and things started opening up. Many of our students resumed work, and we were thankfully also able to resume classes. Reuniting with our students in the classroom once again was joyful. Unfortunately, after only a couple weeks, Israel’s Coronavirus cases reached an all-time high. We have stopped classes once again, and we are once again thinking of our students and their security during this frightening time.

All of the volunteers in the English program are looking forward to seeing our students again and we are already preparing for this coming year, working on securing better textbooks for each of our levels in order to streamline our curriculum. We hope the day we are able to safely reunite with our students comes soon."

 - Betty & Leora, English Program Coordinators

"I was introduced to JACC through a friend from school, shortly after I moved to Jerusalem. My connection with the community of asylum seekers and refugees in the country had been established a few years earlier, and I wanted to find a way to combine this interest with my studies. 

My connection with the community and with JACC was immediate - despite the many difficulties the community members suffer from, the language differences that often make it challenging to understand each other, and the cultural differences between us, every meeting with the community made me smile and appreciate the connection.

After a year as a volunteer on the health team in the Rights Advocacy department of JACC, I began to coordinate a team of volunteers. Exposure to the difficult stories and day-to-day struggles of community members, along with the government's unacceptable policies, has strengthened my desire to find solutions together with community members in order to improve their lives and and ensure they receive the most basic rights, such as medical care.

Teamwork can be difficult, and consists of both successes and failures. We were recently able to assist a person who approached us after having a work accident. Abed had not received his full occupational rights from his employer and could not file his Social Security claim as a result. Accompanied by a volunteer on the team, he was able to receive the rights to which he was entitled, filed a lawsuit, and received a significant amount of money that would help him continue to survive without employment for a long period of time.

Conversely, a failure we experienced in the team recently impacted a person who approached us about two years ago. The man suffered from severe back pain that made it difficult for him to work. We accompanied him as he began to undergo physiotherapy treatments in order to try and improve his condition. After a period in which he underwent the treatments without significant progress, he decided that he could not continue to live his life without the basic rights that every Israeli citizen has, and decided to return to his homeland despite the dangers involved for him.

The Coronavirus has added extra difficulties in every aspect of life for the community, and the field of health has not been exempt from this. Added to the routine difficulties is uncertainty about the future and a lack of access to information which can result in an inability to understand the situation. For example, while an Israeli citizen is entitled to state health insurance and can therefore consult a family doctor in order to undergo a Corona examination, community members who are not insured in the same way are required to seek the help of associations for mediation with the Ministry of Health and MDA. After being tested they are often dependent on our help to receive  their test results. The health team has been working alongside other organizations in order to make the information as accessible as possible, allay the concerns among the community, and help it cope with the new reality.

Finally, I must note that in my work with the community, especially during this period, I have learned how strong the community members are in the face of these difficulties and how much support they give to each other."

-Alon, Coordinator for Rights and Advocacy Program

"I am Priest Brhanemeskel Naizgi, an asylum seeker from Eritrea. I came to Israel in 2008 via Sinai and since then I have lived here in Jerusalem. I am married and the father of three children. I am among the first Eritrean asylum seekers to come here, and I know most of the Eritrean community. Today I work at the Congregation Kol Haneshama and at the same time I am a religious Christian. Last year I was appointed pastor of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, and among other things I am also responsible for various church activities for the community.

In my free time I like to help people with different problems. Although I mainly picked up my Hebrew at various workplaces and not in a classroom, it is still relatively good and I can help and translate for people who don’t know Hebrew so well.

The Corona crisis is a global problem that has affected everyone but among asylum seekers the distress is greater. We live in crowded houses and work in jobs that endanger us. Financially, asylum seekers do not have a support net like Social Security that can help in difficult situations, and we are not entitled to unemployment benefits or any payment during sick leave. It was important for me to act and help as much as I could during this period. I am in touch with many people from the community, checking in on their various conditions and problems. 

I have known JACC since the beginning, but during the Coronavirus crisis I became more involved. I have helped with food distributions, translations for various people who sought help, provided information about the virus, and took part in a JACC and ISRAID project about dealing with stress and anxiety. I have also helped people make appointments with a doctor and get Coronavirus test results. Also in my ministry at the church I explain to people about Coronavirus, how they can take care of themselves and their children, and how to deal with the stress that this difficult period brings with it.

While JACC helps the community in many ways, they have also taught us that we must help each other within the community and not just ask for help and be dependent on others. We Eritreans come from a different culture, where it is not considered acceptable to complain or talk about problems and things that bother us. But slowly, also thanks to JACC’’s assistance, we are learning to talk things over and help each other.

I hope the Coronavirus will pass quickly and we will return to normal life. Today in the community there are many people without work, without income - and even when receiving aid money it is not enough for rent and other things. This situation is not simple. I hope it will pass quickly with the help of God."

– Priest Brhanemeskel Naizgi, Community Member

We are looking for people to join our family of volunteers!

Asylum seekers in Israel are facing many difficulties, especially during the Coronavirus crisis as they are not entitled to any governmental assistance.  We at JACC work together with community members to support and help in a variety of areas. We invite you to join us and take part in this important work!

*Some student volunteers might be eligible for 2 academic credits*