"And you shall strengthen the stranger and resident and he shall live with you." (Leviticus 25:35)
"והחזקת בו גר ותושב וחי עמך"
CJP's role as a community convener is especially important during uncertain times. With partners within and beyond the Jewish community, we can nimbly respond to urgent needs while addressing long-term systemic change. As the immigration landscape changes by the day, CJP is empowering volunteers and community members to express their most deeply held Jewish values by taking action to welcome the stranger. Together, we're striving to ensure that people in the immigration process have access to legal services and employment opportunities, while also working to reunite and support refugee parents and children who have been separated and detained.
Amanda Hadad, Director of Social Justice (tzedek), discusses CJP’s efforts to support immigrants on their path to self-sufficiency.
CJP’s Legal Aid Fund for Immigrants (CLAFI) is a partnership that has allowed Catholic Charities to double the size of their legal team for refugees and immigrants who have a legal path to citizenship.
In a joint initiative with Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), we’re helping resettled refugees move from entry-level jobs to family-sustaining careers. New immigrants must often accept entry-level jobs but lack the training and education opportunities that would allow them to advance their careers and make progress toward economic self-sufficiency. Together We Rise is a three-year program designed to overcome those hurdles by providing job training, career coaches, and higher education. More than 1,000 refugees who found their first jobs in the U.S. through JVS are currently participating in Together We Rise.
Between May and early June 2019 , more than 60,000 children were detained at the U.S. border. Witnesses have reported physically and emotionally harmful conditions. CJP has launched the Fund for Detained Children to provide dedicated Child Advocates for children in detention, as well as backpacks filled with basic necessities to help the children once they have been released. Donations will support the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.