Baltimore, MD - Nov. 20, 2015 - The Baltimore Jewish Council joins with the organized Jewish community throughout the United States in calling for our nation to welcome those fleeing persecution in other countries. In doing so, we remain convinced that this can be accomplished without compromising the safety of our nation, which has always been a significant aspect of the United States refugee resettlement process.

As Jews, we are tragically familiar with the hurdles of the refugee screening process. Many of us struggled for the immigration of our families and friends facing persecution in Russia or have ancestors who suffered discriminatory immigration policies during the Holocaust. We therefore hope that the Federal government will do all that it can to educate the American people about the plight of those fleeing persecution, including refugees seeking asylum from the violence and chaos in Syria and the Middle East.

Finally, we urge our citizens to consider the situation faced by the refugees with utmost compassion; we must educate ourselves about the methods already and soon-to-be in place, designed to assure a successful and safe resettlement process.