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our story
In winter 2021–2022, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County invited congregations of all faiths in the Ann Arbor area to participate in their new refugee settlement co-sponsorship program.
In response, Beth Israel Congregation and Temple Beth Emeth, assisted by the deft leadership of our founding coordinator Harvey Somers, formed a collaboration which soon expanded to Jewish Congregations Organized for Resettlement (JCOR), comprised of six member organizations: Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan, Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation, Jewish Cultural Society, and Pardes Hannah along with BIC and TBE. The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor serves as JCOR’s fiduciary.
JCOR works in partnership with JFS, which provides orientation and training and guidance to JCOR volunteers who work under the supervision of a JFS caseworker.
In August 2022, JCOR accepted responsibility to co-sponsor its first family of four from Colombia.
JCOR’s first refugee family arrived in Ann Arbor following an arduous journey from their home in Colombia in August 2022. In less than 12 months, both parents were fully employed, both teenagers had completed their first year of school in the U.S. in good form, and big sister had a summer job. The father earned a driver’s license, and the family purchased a (used) car which saves $700/month that previously paid for contracted transportation to and from work.
summer 2024
In the sweetness of summertime, JCOR’s family is making strides and JCOR is looking forward.
The father of JCOR’s current refugee family—our third—has secured his driver’s license and is working full-time-plus and the mother of the family is beginning her new part-time job in July. The parents and their 14-year-old son are accelerating their English lessons and all three boys are splitting the summer between riding bikes, playing with friends, summer studies, and hitting a nearby pool as often as possible including to celebrate the Fourth of July. They help Mom around the house sometimes, too.
The high point of summer so far was the day the family’s car arrived. This little miracle was made possible by the neighbor of a JCOR volunteer who stepped forward to donate his 20-year-old, 40,000-mile Toyota to JCOR. Thanks to his generosity, the family has the autonomy that personal transportation provides in a community like Ann Arbor where public transportation is challenging.
“Please tell all the people at JCOR how much we appreciate all of the things you are doing to help us begin our lives here,” the father said recently through a translation app. “It is very important to us.”
“For decades, I have not seen such joy in [my husband’s] eyes as I saw when he got the car. You must know how important and happy a moment it was for us,” the family’s mother added.
It is rewarding to know that the support of our six collaborating congregations will be part of this Syrian family’s American origin story.
JCOR will continue to work with this family through January 2025 as they move steadily forward in their pursuit of independence. Simultaneously, we will begin plans for our fourth family. In coming weeks, we will start the process of soliciting donations and contributions of furnishings for our next refugee family’s new home. If you would like to volunteer with us in the fall, please let us know on the Volunteer page on this website.
