My Zen group, the Village Zendo, is leading a Buddhist project to resettle refugees in New York City. We’re partnering with HIAS, the Jewish nonprofit that’s been aiding immigrants of all kinds for more than 140 years. (They almost certainly helped my Jewish great great grandparents come from Lithuania and Ukraine to the US.)

We’re calling the project “Sanghas Supporting Refugees.” We have a few dozen volunteers who will help a refugee individual or family to settle here. We’ll help them find an apartment and pay the first few months rent, enroll their kids in public school, find a job, find healthcare, and connect with their local community. They might be from Ukraine or Afghanistan or some other place in crisis.

We need to raise a lot of money! HIAS estimates we need $40,000 to receive a refugee family. More would be better. We’ve raised $18,000 so far. If you donate now, your money will be matched one-to-one by a generous donor. It’s tax deductible, the Village Zendo is a 501(c)3.

Thanks.

Photo: Immigrants at Ellis Island awaiting a ferry to the city.