A three-day joint seminar on welcoming refugees into new communities kicked off in Paris.
The seminar organised by the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC), the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the Fonds Social Juif Unifié (FSJU) and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in cooperation with the EJC brought together around 75 participants from Europe’s Jewish communities to share expertise in relocating refugees.
EJC Director of European Affairs Ariella Woitchik gave opening remarks and outlined the coordinated efforts made by the EJC and its affiliated Jewish communities to provide humanitarian aid and shelters for as many Jewish and non-Jewish refugees as possible.
“it was extremely important for the European Jewish Congress and its President Moshe Kantor to help on the ground as soon as possible by sending representatives of our crisis management body, SACC by EJC, who worked alongside our affiliated communities and other organisations in order to bring refugees some relief and security.”
Ariella Woitchik also encouraged communities to fill out the Database of Relocation Availability form, created by HIAS Europe and ECJC, in order to coordinate capabilities of Jewish communities and avoid parallel structures.
Through the extensive expertise of HIAS in the field, participants were able to get insights into facilitating the relocation of refugees and responding to the current humanitarian crisis with dignity and sensitivity.
During the seminar, interactive workshops were organised and participants were able to share their experiences and best practices. Representatives from over 18 different countries talked about their successes and challenges in the hosting of Ukrainian refugees and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation.
