Comments (0)Congress Extends Visa Program for Religious Workers
October 28, 2009Washington
JTA Wire Service
The U.S. Congress extended a visa program for religious workers for three years.
The Religious Worker Visa Program, which is particularly important to small Jewish communities in remote areas, makes available up to 5,000 permanent immigrant visas each year for religious workers in various denominations.
The small Jewish communities often find it difficult to fill positions and rely on the visas to bring in rabbis, cantors, kosher butchers, Hebrew school teachers and other religious workers.
The legislation also includes a provision to end the “widow penalty,” so that recently married immigrants whose citizen spouses die before their green-card paperwork is processed will no longer be subject to automatic deportation. It was enacted as part of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Committee Report, which in the last two weeks has been passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives. President Obama is expected to sign the measure into law.
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society hailed the bill’s passage.
“This is an important step in ensuring that the Jewish community can keep the dedicated and experienced teachers and other foreign religious workers that we rely on,” said Gideon Aronoff, president and CEO of HIAS, noting the leadership of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (R-Calif.).
The bill extends the program, which began in 1990, through September 2012.
Obama Marks Israel-Jordan Peace Pact
President Obama commemorated the 15th anniversary of a peace agreement between Jordan and Israel.
“As we honor this historic event, we remember that peace is always possible despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles,” Obama said in a statement released Monday. “The courage of King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin demonstrated that a commitment to communication, cooperation, and genuine reconciliation can help change the course of history. Today we honor the foresight of these leaders who stared down the past’s doubters and stood together in the interest of common progress.”
The U.S. leader noted that “we must remember this spirit of cooperation as the United States works with Arabs and Israelis to help secure peace in the Middle East.”
Jordan and Israel signed the pact near the Israeli-Jordanian border on Oct. 26, 1994.
Jordanian protesters on Monday called for the treaty to be annulled, while newspapers across Jordan described the peace as “frigid,” according to reports.
J Street Absorbing Brit Tzedek Chapters
The left-wing lobby J Street is absorbing Brit Tzedek v’Shalom’s chapters and rabbinic wing.
J Street, a pro-Israel group founded 18 months ago, has been in merger negotiations with the older group for months.
Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, or the Alliance for Peace and Justice, was founded seven years ago to lend grass-roots support to dovish pro-Israel groups in Washington. It claims close to 50,000 members in 41 chapters in more than 30 states. It also has a rabbinical cabinet made up of more than 1,000 rabbis.
J Street is taking on an additional staffer, Laurie Moskowitz, to help coordinate its new grass-roots operation. Moskowitz, who will be a senior adviser, has helped lead grass-roots operations for the 2000 Al Gore presidential candidacy, the Reform movement and Democratic congressional races.
“We believe that by working with J Street, we can best amplify the power and voice of the grass roots,” said Aliza Becker, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom’s acting executive director in a statement.
The new grass-roots operation will launch early next year.
This story reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.