Lander-Grinspoon Academy (LGA) is partnering with Jewish Family Services (JFS) to sponsor a refugee family arriving in Western Massachusetts. A family of four, originally from Eastern Congo, arrived on Wednesday, November 28th. (Learn more!)
Sara Bedford, New American Program Director for JFS, came to LGA to help the students understand the challenges of the US refugee resettlement system. She played a dramatic game of musical chairs with students to demonstrate how the need for help outweighs the number of people seeking asylum, and the reasons why certain refugees make it through the system and others don’t. Durga Giri, now an employee of JFS, shared with the students the story of how he escaped from Bhutan when he was 5 years old.
Isabel Baxter Paris, 6th grader at LGA, asked Mr. Giri, “What was the number one thing you wanted when you first came to the United States?” He replied that he wanted a place to live, friends and community support, and food.
The school collected household items, clothing, books and toys for the family. The kindergarten class took care of grocery shopping for culturally appropriate food for the family so they arrived to a full kitchen, and older students set up the apartment with furniture, kitchen supplies, linens and other things the family will need. They also made decorations and welcome banners for the family.
As part of the school’s celebration of Thanksgiving, all students learned about the plight of refugees through hands-on activities.
Going forward, the school community will also coordinate volunteers to help the parents study for driving tests, to get to appointments, and to help them get settled.
Deborah Bromberg Seltzer, principal at LGA, said, “As Jews, we were all immigrants once, and it is our responsibility to take care of those currently suffering a similar plight. Taking care of others is an important aspect of Judaism that we seek to instill in all our students.”
Watch: LGA 5th Graders Ready Apartment for Refugee Family (WWLP 22 News)