Tulsa’s Congregation B’nai Emunah has received federal approval to serve as a refugee resettlement agency and will begin preparing to receive 50 Afghan refugees in the coming weeks, synagogue officials said.
The synagogue joins Catholic Charities, already an official agency, to give the Tulsa area two refugee agencies.
The 50 are in addition to the state’s previously reported total of 1,800 refugees, which included 800 previously approved for Tulsa.
Catholic Charities is heading up resettlement of those 1,800, who are among the tens of thousands of refugees who were evacuated from Afghanistan in August as the U.S. withdrew from the country.
“We see welcoming refugees as a way to make our city a stronger, more vibrant and better place,” Rabbi Dan Kaiman said, adding that the plan had been in the works long before the Afghanistan crisis.
People are also reading…
He said Catholic Charities originally approached synagogue leaders about the possibility months ago. B’nai Emunah has had a long relationship with the organization and for about five years has offered an English as a second language program for refugee mothers and citizenship test preparation.
“Everyone instantly understood that this is something we had to do,” Kaiman said of becoming a resettlement agency. “It is work beautifully designed for a synagogue community to undertake and an opportunity for us to step forward in a new way.”
He said the synagogue, which has become an official partner of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is collaborating closely with Catholic Charities officials as they develop housing and food options.
“In large part, our program will mirror the work they’re doing,” he said.
As an agency, the synagogue will have to add staff. Kaiman said a director of refugee resettlement was hired this week and that caseworkers also will be added.
Volunteers will be “super critical,” Kaiman said.
Tulsa refugee arrivals officially began Sept. 24. So far, about 20 are now in Tulsa and receiving support, Catholic Charities reported.
Kaiman said there’s no timetable for when the synagogue will receive its first refugees.
He said the Jewish community has only to look to its own history to know the difficulties refugees face.
Going back to the time of Moses, Jews have faced frequent “displacement and relocation,” he said.
“And, unfortunately, reaching the Promised Land does not mean an end to the struggle. On the contrary, even when we make it to our destination, the challenges we face are immense and ongoing.”
Kaiman said local and state officials have been supportive throughout the synagogue’s application process.
“We see doing this work as a way to build Tulsa,” he said. “That’s been the message from local leaders and public officials. There’s a real opportunity here. Our long-term effort is to capitalize on that opportunity and make Tulsa a better place.”
Featured video: AP poll finds most in U.S. favor Afghan ally refugees
With American troops gone and the Taliban now in charge, thousands of at-risk Afghans who worked with the United States are still stranded in their home country. Some have escaped, but many in the U.S. want to do more to help.
Reaction from Oklahoma political leaders on Afghanistan refugees' relocation
Stitt
Gov. Kevin Stitt, pictured in Tulsa on Sept. 11, 2021, was among the first Oklahoma leaders to welcome Afghans fleeing for their lives as the last U.S. troops began withdrawing and the Taliban took over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. “I welcome Afghans fleeing the terrorist Taliban regime to come to Oklahoma and live in the freedom we hold so dearly,” the Republican governor said in a tweet on Aug. 18. “My office is exploring every possible avenue to help to ensure no American citizen nor any of our allies are left behind.”
Lankford
Republican U.S. Sen James Lankford, pictured in Tulsa on July 23 for a news conference about illegal immigration, said: “I absolutely think that we need to continue to be able to welcome refugees from Afghanistan into Oklahoma and into the United States. When I talk to veterans of the Afghanistan war, they bring two things up to me in the past week. The first thing they'll say is how disappointed they are and how frustrated they are that it's ending this way. The second thing they say is, 'Those people that fought alongside of us, I want them to get out.'"
Cole
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said: “I am proud that the United States and our allies are helping those that have helped our service members during our time in Afghanistan escape the evil wrath of the Taliban while also ensuring they are vetted for security and medical risks. I urge all Oklahomans to welcome these refugees from the Taliban to our state and to our communities.”
Dahm
Sen. Nathan Dahm, a Republican from Broken Arrow, said the congressional delegation should propose changes to the federal law on refugee resettlement to give states more input. “Every member of our federal delegation in Congress has the opportunity to work to address this,” Dahm said. “It’s time they put the people of Oklahoma and America first and at very least allow us to have a say on who is relocated into our State.”
Lahmeyer
Lankford’s announced primary opponent, Jackson Lahmeyer of Owasso, has been critical of the relocations. In a tweet, he said: “1,800 Afghans could potentially arrive in Oklahoma. The Biden Administration has NO WAY to fully vet these refugees. Yet James Lankford still wants them to come into our communities.”
Digital offer
