Fundamental value

“No one is vetting Syrian refugees for signs of antisemitism” (Comment & Features, February 5) correctly quotes me as saying: “Refugees coming to the US are subject to more vetting and screening than any other non-citizen arriving in America, subject to multiple layers of screening and review.” It notes that no one, however, is screening these refugees for antisemitism, and that Syrian textbooks are rife with antisemitic invective against Jews.

This is not untrue. The good news, however, is that when I visit Syrian refugees resettled by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, I always ask how they felt to be greeted at the airport by a Jewish organization and about being assisted by HIAS and Jewish Family Service agencies.

Consistently, the refugees tell me that they quickly came to realize that everything they were taught in Syria about Jews was a lie, that the first Jews they ever met were in the United States, and that these Jews welcomed them. This “Jewish” has done more to help them than anyone ever has.

HIAS has learned that the best way to combat antisemitism is by being true to the fundamental Jewish value of welcoming the stranger and the refugee. MARK HETFIELD Silver Spring, Maryland The writer is president and CEO of HIAS.

Editor’s note: The opinion piece, by Charles Jacobs, incorrectly spelled Hetfield’s name as Hatfield.