As we continue to witness both a surge in immigration from Central America and a hostile response from the White House, we’ve found an organization that has devoted itself to assisting the children, especially those traveling alone, who have been caught up in this mess.
KIND works to do the following: a) ensures no child appears in immigration court without high quality legal representation; b) lobbies for legislation that ensures children’s protection and their right to due process; and, c) promotes in countries of origin solutions to child migration grounded in the best interests of the child, to ensure that no child is forced to involuntarily migrate.
The Jonah Maccabee Foundation feels privileged to be able to support this most worthy work. Learn more by visiting Kids in Need of Defense website or their home on Facebook.
Thank YOU for making our support possible.
Dear friends,
As we continue watching refugees at our southern border be treated with cold-hearted animus, all of us want to try and be of help. Fortunately, we have friends who are lending a hand. Catholic Charities’ Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX, is frequently the 2nd stop for those entering our country. After processing at the U.S. Border Patrol immigration processing center in McAllen, men, women, children and infants are released to the Respite Center for food, a shower and other care until they move on to join their family or sponsor, awaiting their date in immigration court where they will be granted or denied their asylum claim.
We are heartbroken here at The Jonah Maccabee Foundation as we watch families being separated at our nation’s border, with children experiencing grave trauma from the prospect of never seeing their parents again. As our summer campaign concludes, we know that this is exactly what Jonah would have wanted us to do with the money you’ve entrusted to us. RAICES, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, is hard at work throughout the state or Texas providing free legal information, referrals and direct representation for unaccompanied children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Given their proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, RAICES is uniquely positioned to help thousands of children find their way back home.
With your generous donations, we’ve been able to make a grant from the Jonah Maccabee Social Justice Fund in support of the NFTY-Reform Movement Gun Violence Prevention Campaign. The North American Federation of Temple Youth has long been involved in gun violence prevention. Now, in the aftermath of the shootings at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and in response to the remarkable activism of the teen survivors there, NFTY has upped its game. We’re honored to serve as ally to every young person who is taking a stand in this difficult but crucial struggle. Jonah would have been right there beside you.
Far away and out of mind, but the Republic of Yemen, in the Arabian Peninsula, is contending with violence and famine and disease as a result of six years of internal and external conflicts. 7 million people are at risk of famine, with more than a million children under the age of five suffering from malnutrition. The nation has been struck by a cholera epidemic and the national blood bank may close due to lack of funds.
“I will never forget the sight of Jonah leading a group of tenth graders into the Manhattan subway system to find where the homeless were and to offer them food and a kind word” (Billy Dreskin, Jonah Maccabee Foundation).
We recently learned about a beautiful Israeli project called “The Road to Recovery” in which more than 750 volunteers drive critically ill Palestinians (mostly children) to receive medical treatment in Israel. 10,000 recovery trips now happen each year!
There are so many ways that we see Israelis and Palestinians coming together. We’re touched by them all. This one, saving lives one at a time by making sure patients can get from the West Bank and Gaza to hospitals throughout Israel for treatment, is simply fantastic.
