JDC-CIMI SEMINAR ON ISRAELI-DIASPORA RELATIONS SETS EXAMPLE FOR OTHER NATIONS

NEW YORK, NY, May 28, 2010 – Leveraging Israel’s unique relationship with the Jewish Diaspora, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI) held a 4-day seminar for countries seeking expertise in building robust ties to their ethnic diasporas. The seminar was attended by government officials from Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. The seminar was fully funded by MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office.

“In a world that is increasingly interconnected, we’re eager to share the Jewish people’s successful experience maintaining bonds with one another across multiple continents and languages with other historic and emerging diaspora communities,” said JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager.

CIMI staff created and ran the workshops that included briefings by Israeli government officials, academics, philanthropists, and NGO experts focusing on techniques for designing and sustaining diaspora ties, as well as issues related to education, fundraising, and building a culture of philanthropy. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the A. Ofri International Training Center, MASHAV, and UNDP. Past seminars have included government representatives and diaspora associations from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Founded by JDC in 1999, CIMI is dedicated to the development of effective global policies/practices in immigrant integration, homeland-Diaspora partnerships, and temporary and forced migration. CIMI works with a number of international partners including the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

For more information about CIMI, please visit their WEBSITE.

JDC: Addressing Critical Needs in Haiti

Stay informed. JDC's new blog, No Passport Required features images and impressions from JDC and its partners in Haiti. And our disaster response page is a one-stop communications hub for the latest program developments.

Thank you. Your support is already making an impact as part of $2.8 million donated to JDC's Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

This is the face of Haiti right now. And so is the face of Michel, a young man the JDC team met who has survived what may be the new century's greatest catastrophe yet. He lost his family, his home, and his livelihood in the earthquake. Like hundreds of thousands of fellow Haitians, Michel is struggling to regain his bearings amidst the rubble that just two weeks ago had been homes, schools, hospitals, markets, and places of worship.

Michel has lost nearly everything except his life ... and the will to keep going.

This spirit of resolve, witnessed by JDC's team on the ground, is building a sense of hope among the Haitian people as large-scale humanitarian assistance shows no signs of letting up. And your support is enabling JDC to be part of this epic response.

Our work is expanding with new partners:
International Rescue Committee will use JDC support to fund several water supply projects that will provide sources of clean, potable water in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding community.

Through the ProDev Foundation, a local Haitian NGO, 20 JDC-sponsored water tanks will ensure clean drinking water for people living in tent villages.

A JDC-allotted grant to Chabad-Lubavitch of the Dominican Republic is funding convoys carrying milk due to reach children in Haiti tomorrow.

Through existing partners on the ground, JDC continues to successfully channel critical food, water, and medical aid to victims under intensely challenging circumstances.

EcoWorks International's feeding program, run out of the remains of a local hospital, is bringing cooked meals and water to 250 patients and their families daily, and bringing rice and other food to 4,000 orphans.

An expanded partnership with Heart to Heart International, which includes the purchase of four trucks, is ensuring that medical relief and supplies reach isolated communities.

JDC-funded equipment helped the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces complete the mission of its field hospital, which was operational within 10 hours of the earthquake.

JDC's commitment to you and to the people of Haiti is to not only ease the suffering of today, but to help this island nation rebuild for tomorrow.

To Make a Contribution:

Online: www.JDC.org

By Phone: 212-687-6200

By Mail: check payable to
JDC-Haiti Earthquake Relief
P O Box 4124
New York, NY 10163

Text "JDCHAITI" to 8-5-9-4-4 to donate via mobile phone

NEW YORKERS CAN DONATE SUPPLIES TO HAITI THROUGH JDC PARTNERS

NEW YORK, NY, January 15, 2010-The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world's largest Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, in collaboration with the Afya Foundation, began loading their first container of supplies in New York City this morning at 9:30 a.m. to be shipped to victims of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake. The container, which is filled with hundreds of mattresses and blankets donated by Jewish Home Lifecare in New York City, will be shipped for Partners in Health International to manage the logistics of distribution on the ground in Haiti.

New Yorkers can participate right now by donating the following supplies to the drop-off location

Afya’s Warehouse at 510 Nepperhan Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701.

Sheets
Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Towels
Clothing
Water Purification Tablets
Water
Electrolyte Tablets
Small Water Buckets
Ensure (or any liquid food supplement)
Respiratory Masks
Personal Care Items
Gauze
Bandages
IV Starter Kits
Syringes
Gloves
Needles
Ringers
Hand Sanitizer
Topical Antiseptic
Casting Materials
Cotton
Closed Toed Shoes

Please note supplies cannot be accepted which are expired or less than 5 months from expiration.

The Afya Foundation has been working in collaboration with Partners in Health International for many years to collect and deliver medical supplies that are donated by hospitals, health organizations, companies and people to communities in Haiti.

JDC continues to conduct a full and rapid assessment of the situation on the ground, and is reaching out to its network of partners to determine immediate needs of the hardest-hit areas. These efforts are part of JDC's International Development Program (IDP), which provides immediate relief and long-term assistance to victims of natural and manmade disasters. JDC and its partners worldwide have implemented similar relief efforts in more than 60 countries. Many IDP-operated programs are ongoing and are helping to rebuild infrastructure and community life in disaster-stricken regions.


To Make a Contribution:

Online: http://www.jdc.org/

By Phone: 212-687-6200

By Mail: check payable to
JDC-Haiti Earthquake Relief
P O Box 4124
New York, NY 10163

JDC CRISIS RESPONSE: HAITI

In the wake of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti, the immense scale of the devastation is only beginning to be understood. News sources are reporting the loss of more than 100,000 lives and massive damage to the island's infrastructure.

JDC is the official humanitarian assistance organization acting on behalf of the Jewish community and The Jewish Federations of North America. In this capacity, JDC has moved swiftly to coordinate relief efforts with its network of Israeli, American, and other local partners on the ground.

JDC is currently supporting Heart to Heart International to provide immediate medical aid, equipment, and services to victims of the earthquake. JDC is also working with the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces and has purchased critical medical equipment for its field hospital, including infant incubators for its neonatal unit and orthopedic devices. Further partnerships are being explored for the next phase of JDC's support for Haiti's victims.

JDC brings unparalleled experience to this effort through its International Development Program (IDP), which has provided immediate relief and long-term development assistance to victims of natural and manmade disasters in more than 60 countries.

To Make a Contribution:
Online: www.JDC.org

By Phone: 212-687-6200

By Mail: check payable to
JDC-Haiti Earthquake Relief
P O Box 4124
New York, NY 10163

JDC Facilitates Turkish-Israel Cooperation for Hearing Impaired Children

Sevgi Yüksel’s little boy was 8 months old when she first suspected something was wrong. She noticed that her child was having trouble hearing.

“We frequently consulted with pediatricians after that,” said Yüksel, who lives in Istanbul with her family. “By the time he was 1 ½ years old, the nature of his impairment became evident, and I was told that my son needed special training.”

Initially, Yüksel didn’t know where to turn.

“I didn’t have any information about how we could do this. I learned everything about my son’s care by doing my own research, and one of the most important things I discovered was that there was an institute in Israel that helps families like mine get the training and information they need.”

Yüksel was referring to the MIHA Center for the deaf. Through a JDC initiative launched in 2007, the Center has been engaged in an international cooperative effort to improve the lives of hearing impaired children in Turkey by lowering the age at which these impairments get identified, and by encouraging families with hearing impaired children to begin the rehabilitation process as early as possible.

Briefing from Steve Schwager, Executive Vice President and CEO, JDC

Throughout our history, Jews have often lived as desert nomads, immigrants, refugees—always searching for a place to call home. But the creation of the modern State of Israel finally provided the perennial Jewish wanderer with a permanent home. At the same time, Israel’s 60 years of experience in integrating and absorbing immigrants offers important lessons to other countries in the fields of immigrant integration and migration. Irv and I want to inform you about the unique ways in which JDC-Israel is sharing decades of Israeli experience and know-how with governments and organizations across the globe dealing with the myriad challenges in assisting migrant groups.

The Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI)
In 1999, JDC established CIMI as a program that draws on JDC-Israel’s professional experience in developing innovative programs in areas that assist a wide range of vulnerable populations. CIMI also works with partners in Israel and internationally, including MASHAV (the Government of Israel’s foreign aid branch through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

CIMI is dedicated to the development and application of effective policies and practices around the world in three areas of migration: 1) Immigrant Integration; 2) Homeland-Diaspora Partnerships; and 3) Temporary and Forced Migration. These goals are achieved through training and consultations for policymakers and practitioners, while also supporting project development.

Israel’s experience is both unique and universal. As one participant in the CIMI/Mashav Professional Exchange for Latino Leaders (March 2008) stated:

"It was affirming and challenging to witness the universality of the migration story. It was wonderful to see the many dedicated individuals who assist people coming to a new country through their struggle to learn the language, find a job, and adapt. And, unfortunately, the underlying tensions that emerge when new immigrants arrive, in this case between ‘veteran’ Israelis and new immigrants, appear to be universal as well.”

So while Israel shares its expertise in migration issues with the rest of the world, CIMI also brings international experience back to Israel to help address the country’s own new migration challenges.

Leveraging the Expertise of JDC-Israel and CIMI
While Israel’s raison d’être is to assist its own Jewish immigrants, its geographic position and growing status as a developed country have made it a destination country for many other migrant groups as well. The Government of Israel, therefore, has turned to JDC-Israel and CIMI for assistance in addressing the complex contemporary challenges these migration flows bring; we, in turn, have responded by providing policy consultation and innovative programs for these most vulnerable of migrants. The challenges, of course, are numerous: how to assist the Sudanese, Eritrean, and other asylum seekers crossing the border from Egypt; what to do for the children of foreign workers; or how to assist women who are victims of trafficking to obtain dignified employment alternatives when they return to their countries of origin.

This project represents the first comprehensive migration management capacity building program ever implemented in Israel, combining the relative strengths of CIMI in Israel, international expertise of the UNHCR and IOM, and local partners in Israel, which include government ministries—the Ministry of the Interior (with the newly established Immigration Authority), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—as well as local non-government organizations.

As one of the European Union's (EU) efforts in its struggles with migration challenges, it recently provided funding to CIMI to hold a film festival in Israel focusing on the issues facing both Israel and Europe. The festival, entitled "People on the Move: Migration Cinema in Israel and the European Union,” was held on September 9-10, 2008. Over 2,000 participants viewed films and listened to panel discussions that explored issues related to immigrant experiences and multi-cultural societies as they are presented on film. Partnering with JDC and CIMI on this initiative were the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund. The event brought together immigrants from the FSU, Ethiopia, Latin America, professionals from the migration field, and filmmakers. Sharing experiences both visually and verbally created a new understanding of immigrant experiences in Israel and the countries within the European Union; participation of guests from England and Ireland set the stage for future collaboration. As a follow-up to this cultural exchange, CIMI will organize a study-visit to Israel later this year for Integration officials from all the 27 European Union Member States.

CIMI experts also had a serious impact at the international policy level at the International Conference on Serbian Diaspora and Homeland Development held in Belgrade in November 2008. The Conference was part of a comprehensive Diaspora Program, and CIMI was contracted by the United Nations Development Program to provide technical assistance to the relatively new Serbian Ministry for Diaspora. The Conference led to the adoption of concrete recommendations that emulated Israeli programs; it encouraged the return of qualified migrants and the development of direct philanthropic relations between Serbian Diaspora communities in the US and local institutions such as Serbian universities. Noting that the Serbian Diaspora has tremendous potential to contribute to the country’s development, the Serbian Minister for Diaspora, Srđan Srećković, said that the recommendations adopted at the Conference will feed into the creation of Diaspora Legislation and a National Diaspora Strategy. He added that Israel’s knowledge and practice in this domain are of crucial importance to his country.

These examples of CIMI’s effectiveness demonstrate another venue in which Israel is shining as a “light onto the nations.” And these fruitful exchanges remind us that when countries work side by side, the potential to improve and transform the lives of all vulnerable immigrants is exponentially increased.