Resettling Unfunded, Unattached Soviet Refugees in Small U.S. Communities


 

Publication Date:

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Madeleine Tress

Research Area: Population and demographics; Social conditions

Keywords: Immigration; Social Services; Communal Organization

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The resettlement of Soviet fews in the United States has largely been the responsibility of intermediate and large cities with comprehensive federation/agency/synagogue infrastructures. In 1990, 34 small U.S. communities, mostly in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, resettled individuals who were designated as privately funded and unattached; that is, refugees who were both ineligible for public funding and had no relatives in the United States. A telephone survey of these communities revealed that raising funds for resettlement was not a problem; rather, there are limits to voluntarism, which cannot substitute for professional services within the Jewish community.