Dear Friends and Family,
As we get ready to celebrate our B'not Mitzvah, we are excited to do a project that reflects our values and commitment to Tikkun Olam (repair of the world). For our project, we are learning about and building support for HIAS, an organization that provides vital assistance to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and at the JCA here in Maine. HIAS helps people who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict, and violence. For over 100 years, HIAS has helped refugees rebuild their lives in safety.
We invite you to join us in this important cause by making a donation in honor of our B'not Mitzvah. Because of recent cuts to the refugee program, the HIAS program at the JCA in Portland needs funding to make sure that people who arrived in Maine earlier this winter are able to furnish their new homes and get basic things like clothes and even food.
Your generosity will not only celebrate this milestone in our lives but also extend hope and support to people who really need it right now.
Thank you so much.
With gratitude,
Hattie and Lila
As a HIAS affiliate network partner, the JCA welcomes refugees from countries all over the world. We help meet them at the airport, ensure they have housing, and help them find work and the services they need to flourish in their new home in Maine.
Our commitment to the needs of refugees comes from many places: from the biblical injunction to "welcome the stranger" to the personal stories of our community members' families who fled persecution to find safety here in Maine. The Refugee Resettlement program operates under the auspices of HIAS, the Global Jewish Organization for Refugees. Reception and Placement services are paid for, in part, through financial assistance provided by the Department of State.
"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.". "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.". Leviticus 19:34
| Supporters | |||
| Name | Date | Amount | Comments |
| Karli Efron | 04/07/2025 | $72.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/26/2025 | $100.00 | Megan Voss | 02/21/2025 | $25.00 | Casey Schwarz | 02/20/2025 | $180.00 | Steven Brinn | 02/19/2025 | $72.00 | Mazel Tov and what a great B'not Mitzvah project! | Anonymous Friend | 02/18/2025 | $20.00 | Congratulations! | Mahea Campbell | 02/18/2025 | $500.00 | With so much love to you both and your support of this incredible work. Xoxo | Anonymous Friend | 02/17/2025 | $100.00 | from a long-time Pajiba reader - mazel tov and happy birthday! | Mary Lilly | 02/17/2025 | $36.00 | Mazel Tov and Happy Birthday! Thanks Rowles Family for making the world a better place❤️ | Anonymous Friend | 02/16/2025 | $50.00 | Meredith Bradshaw | 02/16/2025 | $50.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/15/2025 | $1,000.00 | For Hattie and Lila, and the whole family who has shared so much strength and joy with the world. | Emily D'Cruz | 02/15/2025 | $20.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/15/2025 | $100.00 | Mazel tov! | Anonymous Friend | 02/15/2025 | $200.00 | Mazel tov! | Lindsay Traves | 02/15/2025 | $18.00 | Seth Freilich | 02/14/2025 | $252.00 | Couldn't be prouder of y'all | Lainey Bobainey | 02/14/2025 | $50.00 | Congratulations! | Gary Friend | 02/14/2025 | $100.00 | Kristen Strong | 02/14/2025 | $25.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $20.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $36.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $20.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $36.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $20.44 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $50.00 | Congratulations to you both! Tikkum olam is a huge and never-ending challenge, but people like you give others hope as well as help. As Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $100.00 | Long time Pajiban wishing all the best for this big milestone! | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $36.00 | Best wishes and mazel tov. Thanks for working to make the world a better place. Tell you dad he's a real mensch and his site is my moment of sanity for a few minutes at a time every day. | Melissa Allen | 02/14/2025 | $100.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $18.00 | Ariel Linet | 02/14/2025 | $36.00 | Mazel tov! | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $50.00 | What a great cause. Reading Pajiba helps keep me connected with others and the commenters are so darn smart and funny! | Becca Kronenbitter | 02/14/2025 | $100.00 | Thank you both for making the world a more beautiful, inclusive, compassionate, & caring place. I am so proud of you & love you to no end! | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $36.00 | Pajiba reader here. Thank you for supporting refugees and inviting us along with you. | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $28.00 | Anonymous Friend | 02/14/2025 | $20.00 | Jody Sataloff | 02/14/2025 | $72.00 | Mazel tov on your b'nai mitzvot! | Susan Switzer | 02/14/2025 | $200.00 | Wow. The world so needs your important work right now! Congratulations! |
| Total | $3,948.44 | ||