The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2010 - Page 11
Communltv Mews
Learning How to Transition from Refugee to Free Citizen
By Karen Brodsky
What is it like to be free? God
performs miracles at the Red Sea
ending generations of slavery and
suffering. Their Egyptian captors
have drowned. They trust in God
and Moses. The children of Israel
are thrilled, even enchanted, with
their exit from Egypt. They sing a
beautiful song to God for their
freedom. Now what?
Totally unprepared for freedom,
the Israelites were told to take
their unleavened bread without
baking it; pack up their children
and livestock and leave quickly.
They did not know what to expect
or even where they were going.
What will happen next? What will
it be like? They have to be taught.
After years of repression, fear,
persecution, physical danger, and
life in refugee camps, without
guidance and support, many of the
refugees whom HIAS NC has set
tled in Charlotte have no idea what
to expect. They have to be taught.
Refugees coming to the U.S.
arrive speaking more languages
and dialects than ever before,
which makes resettlement in the
U.S. a challenge. Rising to that
challenge is the Center for Applied
Linguistics (CAL) in Washington
DC. CAL works with the U.S.
government, international organi
zations, refugee resettlement
agencies in the U.S., and their rep
resentatives overseas to be the
resource for much of the informa
tion available for and about
refugee populations.
CAL provides the curricula for
cultural orientation classes
throughout the world to prepare
refugees for resettlement in the
U.S. It also publishes refugee
backgrounders about new refugee
groups for U.S. resettlement work
ers. Once HIAS NC caseworkers
leam that they will be resettling a
new group, such as the Bhutanese
who have lived in refugee camps
in Nepal for years, they learned
from CAL about the history and
the cultural background of this
group.
Funded by the Department of
State Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration (PRM),
overseas cultural orientation pro
grams are provided in more than
40 countries by international or
U.S. based organizations contract
ed by PRM. Cultural orientation
classes can last somewhere
between 16 and 24 hours—^never
enough time. In some places, class
time is much shorter Refugees are
presented with various less obvi
ous subjects: hygiene, repayment
of loans, weather, skills, and atti
tude.
CAL gives the booklet,
“Welcome to the United States: A
Guidebook for Refugees,” avail
able in 16 languages, to all
refugees overseas who have been
approved for resettlement to the
U.S. The Guidebook covers fun
damentals, including community
services, housing, transportation,
employment, education, health,
managing your money, rights and
responsibilities, and cultural
adjustment.
There is no funding for domes
tic orientation, and HIAS NC case
managers, case aids and ESL
teachers do their best to provide as
much information as possible but
there is so much for the refugees
to leam in order to succeed at life
in the U.S.
In the case of the Somali Bantu,
whom HIAS resettled between
2004 and 2006, cultural orienta
tion was particularly challenging.
According to CAL, the Bantu, a
tribal minority in Somalia, were so
marginalized as a group; they
lacked true representation in poli
tics and access to government
services, educational opportuni
ties, and employment. The
Bantus’ lineage to slavery relegat
ed them to second-class status—or
worse—in pre-war Somalia,
where they experienced discrimi
nation from other Somali groups.
Once in the U.S., this tribal
people had to leam many things
we take for granted. For example,
they had never seen a door knob
and had to be taught to tum it and
push either in or out to open doors.
Mastering the use of keys required
an even higher level of expertise.
They faced many similar chal
lenges, including use of the stove,
the refrigerator, the bathroom and
other commonplace tasks.
So this is what it is like to be
free. Refugees in Charlotte leam
that with freedom comes tremen
dous responsibility. For them,
unfortunately, manna does not fall
from the skies. With help from
HIAS NC and the Charlotte com
munity, the majority become con
tributing members of American
society.
“We are now resettling other
groups,” said Ellen Dubin, direc
tor of HIAS NC, “most of our cur
rent clients come from Asia, both
Near East and Southeast Asia.
They do know how to use keys
and door knobs, but are faced with
many other challenges.”
HIAS NC enlists the aid of
many volunteers, who help with
cultural orientation, drive clients
to appointments and help them
learn to ride the bus and use
money. It is a particularly reward
ing volunteer activity as many
develop extended friendships with
clients, who are grateful for the aid
they receive.
To volunteer for HIAS NC,
donate fumiture and house wares
(always needed), or make a cash
donation, call 704-535-8803, or e-
mail Ellen.Dubin@hias.org. ^
Larry Horowitz, CLU, ChFC
Financial
5950 Fairview Road, Suite 608
Charlotte, NC 28210
704-556-9982, Fax: 704-369-2918
Helping in the CREATION, PRESERVATION &
DISTRIBUTION of your Estate
Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC and
Registered Investment Advisor. Financial and Woodbury
Financial Services, Inc., are not affiliated entities.
Drs. Tricia Rodney & Scott Menaker
GIVING CHARLOHE SOMETHING
TO SMILE ABOUT FOR OVER
25 YEARS.
NEW PATIENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
Call today and join your friends
who already experience dental
care at its finest.
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SmileCharlotte.com ; Drs. Menaker & Rodney, DDS
2711 Randolph Rd., Suite 205 : 704.377.2503
Insurance & financial security should go
HAND-IN-HAND.
If an Abused Person Needs
a “Friend,” Will You Help?
“Friends” are needed for one-
on-one relationships with people
and their children who are trying
to survive abusive situations.
Volunteers will be given basic
training to help them understand
the dynamics of domestic abuse,
its effect on families, how to navi
gate support services, and active
listening techniques.
To be heard, to be acknowl
edged and validated - these are
sometimes the greatest gifts one
can offer. Confidentiality, reliabil
ity, a loving and supportive nature
and an open heart are the require
ments for volunteers. “Friends” is
a service for the Greater Charlotte
Shalom Bay it
of North Carolina
Jews Working to End
Domestic Abuse
Jewish community supported by
(name of agency) under the aegis
of Shalom Bayit-NC. Training
will begin in early spring. For
more information contact
info@shalombayit-nc.org or call
Carol at 704-609-3120 or Marsha
at 704-756-9209. ^
JCC Tributes
August Family Teen Program
Endowment Fund
Mazel Tov to Shellie Barer on the
anniversary of her bat mitzvah
from Judy and Stan August
Mindy Ellen Levine Day Camp
Endowment Fund
Wishing Sandra Levine a happy
birthday from Lynn and Paul
Edelstein
Charlotte
Paul Spil Memorial Softball
Endowment Fund
Congratulations to the King fami
ly from Linda and Morris Spil
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