Shabbat of Mindfulness
Fri., 7/30 6:30pm

Torah Study
Saturdays (8:45-10:00 am)

WTBA Summer Virtual Yoga
Saturdays (8:45-9:45 AM)

Shabbat of MindfulnessFri., 7/30 6:30pm

Torah StudySaturdays (8:45-10:00 am)

WTBA Summer Virtual YogaSaturdays (8:45-9:45 AM)

Shabbat of Mindfulness
Fri., 7/30 6:30pm

Torah Study
Saturdays (8:45-10:00 am)

WTBA Summer Virtual Yoga
Saturdays (8:45-9:45 AM)

Events Calendar

Refugee Resettlement Program

“You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 10:19

TBA’s Refugee Resettlement Program currently assists four refugee families – three from Syria and one from Colombia. Our assistance includes, but is not limited to:

Tutoring family members to help improve their English language skills
Arranging medical and dental care
Delivering food
Helping the children with their schoolwork and serving as liaisons with their schools
Exploring opportunities for job training and employment

We are supporting the efforts of Human Rights First, a nonprofit that helps asylum seekers living in the DC area. Currently, these families are mostly from Latin America and Africa. We have assisted Human Rights First with targeted collections and are exploring other support that we can provide. We are also supporting the work of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), which works to protect refugees worldwide who have been forced to flee their homelands for ethnic, religious, and other reasons. We also work with a number of interfaith groups in Montgomery County to share information and support other faith communities’ efforts to help refugee families.

TBA Contacts: Ron Lobel, Emil Mendelavich, and Susan Fox

Click on the links below to learn more about the many ways you can help support the Refugee Resettlement Program. Each link includes a contact name and email for more information.

Transportation

We maintain a list of volunteers who have offered to help refugee families with transportation needs, which mainly occur during weekdays and involve taking family members to and from doctor’s appointments. As needs occur, we send out a request to see who can be available at a given date and time. May be in Prince George’s County or Montgomery County.

TBA Contact: Brad Harvey
Tutoring
Medical Needs

We occasionally need the assistance of physicians, dentists, mental health professionals, and nurses to consult on medical issues and/or to provide periodic health services. You can add your name and specialty to our growing list of people who can assist as needs arrive.

TBA Contact: Ron Lobel
Employment Opportunity Assistance
Public Benefits Assistance
Housing Opportunity Exploration Assistance

Most of the refugee families we assist live in Prince George’s County, mainly because the rent is less expensive than in Montgomery County, although Montgomery County generally offers better employment opportunities and services. You can volunteer to help identify affordable housing opportunities in Montgomery County for families that want to move

TBA Contact: Ron Lobel
Social Outings Assistance
New Neighbors Interfaith Alliance
The Tikkun Olam Committee is involved in establishing a new interfaith coalition, called the New Neighbors Interfaith Alliance, to assist refugees, asylum seekers, asylees, and undocumented immigrants settling in Montgomery and PG Counties. As part of our organizational effort, we are developing a list of resources to assist volunteers with information that they could use to help immigrants. We are looking for volunteers who would be interested in identifying resources in an area of personal interest/experience. The areas we are interested in developing resources for include:
- Education (ESOL instruction, individual child tutoring, interfacing with/advocating for schools, special testing for special needs, and identifying special programs like Head Start, etc.)
- Physical Resources (food, clothes, furniture, school supplies, and computers)
- Health (help with routine checkups for family members, vaccinations, general interface with health providers, and health insurance issues)
- Social Integration (understanding public transportation, driving lessons/support, holiday celebrations, summer camps, understanding the current environment/pandemic, and
  recreational opportunities)
- Family Support (budget management, calendar management, filing of important papers, childcare identification and support, and child behavioral issues and emotional support)
- Housing (affordable or subsidized housing and assistance in moving)
- Government Programs (Medicaid, SNAP/food stamp benefits, WIC, Temporary Cash Assistance applications and re-certifications, work authorizations, green card applications, and tax filings)
- Job Support (job searches, resumes/job applications, interviews, understanding job responsibilities, and job benefits)
- Legal Aid
- Translators
- Social and spiritual support
Our goal is to compile clear and practical information in all of these areas to help the volunteers from the different faith communities assist immigrant families. Please let us know if you are interested in helping compile a list of resources for one of the above topics.

TBA Contact: Brad Harvey
Other Ways to Help

Gift cards. We periodically give Target or Walmart gift cards to the families we assist or use them to purchase specific items that a family needs. Please send donations of gift cards to Debbie Ezrin in the Temple office.

Laptop computers. We collect laptop computers with Wi-Fi capability for the families we help. If you have one to donate, please contact Rich Luxenberg.

Financial contributions. To make a contribution to TBA’s Refugee Program, click here. In the drop-down menu, please designate Tikkun Olam. Then email TBA’s Refugee Resettlement Program co-chairs: Ron Lobel, Emil Mendelavich, and Susan Fox to let them know the value and purpose of your donation so it can be spent accordingly.

Want to learn more? Click below for more information about refugees:

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