The board of directors of Reform Jewish Congregation Bet Ha’Am in South Portland has taken a stand on the ongoing controversy over whether asylum seekers in Maine will receive General Assistance benefits. We strongly oppose state actions to terminate those benefits, and we strongly support the actions of Portland, South Portland and other Maine communities to continue providing them.
Asylum seekers are not illegal immigrants; they are refugees from war-torn countries who are exercising lawful rights provided to them by the United States to protect them from torture and, in some cases, death if they return to their home countries.
Federal law entitles asylum seekers to obtain work permits 180 days after filing their federal applications for asylum. Denial of General Assistance benefits during those 180 days leaves them with no financial support.
As Jews, we remember the Holocaust and the survivors who sought asylum in the United States and other nations. Judaism teaches us to welcome strangers and treat them as we wish to be treated.
Lisa Munderback
president, Congregation Bet Ha’Am
South Portland
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