Agency helps refugees face American surprises
Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley assists immigrants in resettling by providing English classes, food, household goods, gas money, bus passes
When Murtaza Arian and his wife, Husna, came to the U.S. in May from Afghanistan, they were overwhelmed by all the unknowns.
“We didn’t know anything,” said Murtaza Arian, 25, who had worked in Afghanistan as a translator for the U.S. Armed Forces. He and his wife had arrived in the U.S. under Special Immigrant Visas or “SIVs,” granted to people who worked with the military as translators or interpreters in Iraq or Afghanistan.
After settling in San Jose, the couple got a helping hand from Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley. Since 1978 the nonprofit has resettled refugees in the Bay Area as part of its Refugee Self-Sufficiency Services program, which assists up to 200 refugees an-
“When I came here I had no car, nothing. They helped us with transportation, food, finding a job. My wife started from zero but now she can speak English a little bit.” — Murtaza Arian, who is a maintenance worker at the Los Altos Golf and Country Club
nually — including 154 refugees so far this year — in taking their first steps into life in America.
“When I came here I had no car, nothing,” said Murtaza Arian, who works as a maintenance worker at the Los Altos Golf and Country Club and plans to become a Lyft driver, while his wife learns English and plans to go to school. “They helped us with transportation, food, finding a job. My wife started from zero but now she can speak English a little bit. She’s getting better. I see that.”
The organization’s clients hail primarily from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, parts of the former Soviet Union and Africa, and many arrive with significant trauma from past civil unrest, discrimination and persecution, according to executive director Mindy Berkowitz. But the organization is committed to helping refugees and immigrants from all faiths and backgrounds.
“When people hear that they will be resettled by a Jewish agency, some of them are hesitant because for hundreds of years they were told that Jews are their enemies,” said Zoya Lazer, the group’s director of refugee and career services. “But it’s actually a nice surprise when they see that we are nice people, kind people. They are happy to stay with us.”
Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley seeks $20,000 to purchase needed items
for 150 to 175 refugees, including food, gas, bus passes, household goods, clothes, backpacks and school supplies. The funds would also be used to expand case management and coaching hours.
The organization’s mission took on new meaning this year, as federal policies under President Donald Trump catapulted the debate on refugees to the forefront of American politics. In January, Trump implemented a controversial executive order banning visa-holders from several Muslim-majority countries and temporarily banning all refugees from entering the U.S.
The ban, which sparked nationwide protests, was blocked by the courts shortly after, and the Trump administration has since attempted to implement two revised versions of the travel ban. The latest
executive order faces additional legal hurdles, though a federal judge in Hawaii issued an injunction in October blocking the majority of the ban.
“People are coming more traumatized because of the uncertainty,” Lazer said. “They don’t know what’s going to happen.”
On a recent day at the organization on Oka Road in Los Gatos, Chyn Gyz and his wife, Bakynai Begaliva, of Kyrgyzstan, participated in a small English class. In tow was their 17-month-old daughter, Liana. Surrounding them were refugees from Iran and Afghanistan, among other countries.
The couple settled in San Jose two months ago after a brief stay in Texas. Gyz, an economist and tech entrepreneur in his native Kyrgyzstan, came west in search of better career opportunities. He hopes to immerse himself in the vast technological universe that makes Silicon Valley unique.
“Every day we encounter new things, new people,” said Gyz. “Our goals are very big. We’ve been working on it for a long time.”
But the 27-year-old knows that like all new arrivals, he must start from scratch.
“You have to start building from zero — new friends, new job, new people,” he said. “At first it was really difficult for us.”
The young couple was granted visas under the Green Card Lottery, a government program that grants about 50,000 permanent visas to people from underrepresented countries in the U.S.
As part of its Refugee Self-Sufficiency Services program, Jewish Family Services steps in from the moment individuals and families arrive at the airport.
It greets refugees with “Welcome to America” gift baskets of food and household goods and provides everything from English courses to transportation, groceries, job skills and career guidance, furniture donations and free legal assistance with green card and citizenship applications as they assimilate to life in the U.S. It also connects those in need of additional medical and psychological assistance with trained practitioners.
“This is their first stop,” said John Bracken, an ESL instructor at the organization. “It’s their conduit into the community.”
Lazer said most of the resettlement staff are former refugees themselves.
“We play a vital role in their lives here because we come from the same corner,” she said. “We know what they’re going through, and we are helping them learn how to navigate the system.”
Damir Gatin and Elena Gatina, refugees from Russia, are focused on one thing as they settle into America: getting their son into college. Arthur, 17, dreams of attending Stanford.
“We as parents are happy to give him this opportunity,” said Gatin. “I think it’s the main reason to do this. For his and our daughter’s future.”