16 | SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021
OUR COMMUNITY
A
s chaos and vio-
lence wash over
Taliban-controlled
Afghanistan, resettlement
agencies across the U.S. are
preparing to support an influx
of Afghan refugees fleeing the
country.
Jewish Family Services of
Washtenaw County, which has
a robust resettlement program
in place, is one of the agencies
getting ready to help. They’re
now resettling their first Afghan
refugee since the violence esca-
lated a few weeks back.
JFS also has two additional
cases in the pipeline for Afghan
refugees hoping to start new
lives in Washtenaw County, but
are preparing to help dozens, if
not hundreds more, in the com-
ing months.
“These individuals were
evacuated in early July,
” Shrina
Eadeh, director of the resettle-
ment program at JFS, explains
of the two waiting cases. “Right
now, they’re currently in
Virginia and Texas doing their
processing.
”
The first Afghan refugee
helped by JFS this summer
had a family member living
in Washtenaw County. Other
cases, however, are known as
“free cases.
” In these particular
cases, individuals arrive with-
out friends or family in the
area. Upon receiving a case,
JFS reviews it and determines
if their organization will be a
good host for that individual’s
unique needs.
Yet JFS is no stranger to
the Afghan humanitarian cri-
sis. For years, they’ve helped
Afghan refugees build new
lives in Ypsilanti and Ann
Arbor, among other cities in the
Washtenaw County area. Now,
though, the need is more press-
ing than ever.
“We really felt the need to
answer the call,” Eadeh says.
“We felt that we could help
individuals who are com-
ing from Afghanistan right
now have a home here in
Washtenaw County.
”
SERVICES FOR ALL
While operating as a Jewish
organization, JFS goes beyond
assisting only the Jewish
community. “One of the mis-
Ann Arbor Jewish agency prepares for infl
ux of Afghan refugees.
Putting Out the Welcome Mat
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The food pantry
at Jewish Family
Services of
Washtenaw County