A Message From the Director

duda • June 4, 2025

Welcome

Dear JCA Community and Supporters,

To say the last few months have been the most difficult of my career would be an understatement. For those of you who don’t know me and my background, I have worked with newcomer communities for the last 13 years in Maine and the state of Washington.

By the time the Trump administration was inaugurated in January of 2025, I had met countless brave men, women, and children who have survived, persisted, and went on to thrive despite torture, war, violence, and atrocities that are frankly unimaginable to most of us. I had supported teens with their applications to financial aid, to be the first in their families to attend college. I had organized with community leaders to advocate for healthy and affordable housing. After traveling for many days and halfway around the world, I was the first face families saw when they exited the airport. I have seen three presidential administrations, two that welcomed unprecedented numbers of newcomers, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. I had already persevered through four years with an administration that demonstrated with each new policy and passing year that they would welcome fewer and fewer of those men, women, and children. In 2017 53,691 refugees were admitted to the US, that number fell to just 11,454 refugees in 2021– which at the time, was the lowest number of refugees admitted since the inception of the US Refugee Admissions Program in 1980.

Despite all of my experiences, nothing could have prepared me for the devastation I have seen in the Refugee Resettlement Program since January 2025. In the articles below, I hope to share the current challenges for our clients, their families, and friends. We will highlight how our staff have shown up every day, in the face of uncertainty, job insecurity, and in some cases, amidst their own immigration challenges.

We will share how our agency and the Refugee Resettlement and Newcomer Services Program at the JCA are shifting, evolving, and adapting to continue to serve the most vulnerable and deserving of humanitarian support. We will discuss the impact of our programming and how the JCA volunteers, community, and supporters have shaped people’s lives and exemplified the Jewish values of “Welcome the Stranger” and “tikkun olam” (repairing the world).

While I am uncertain of many things, I am steadfast and resolute in one - our newcomer brothers and sisters bring untold resilience, talent, and creativity to communities across Maine and we are committed to doing everything in our power to continue to show up and support them for as long as we can.

In solidarity, and with love and gratitude,

Siobhan Whalen

Refugee Resettlement and Newcomer Program Director

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Remembering, Rebuilding, and Resilience: JCRC Hosts Eugene Damlich

July 15, 2026

Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can. In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.

2026 Shlichim Spotlight

June 29, 2026

Camp is officially in session, and we’re so excited to welcome this year’s Israeli Shlichim to Center Day Camp. Each summer, our Shlichim (Hebrew for “emissaries”) travel from Israel to spend the season at camp—sharing their culture, traditions, language, stories, and everyday life with our campers and community. Through games, conversations, music, special programs, and lots of fun, they help create meaningful connections that bring Israel to life in authentic and personal ways. Wishing all of our campers, staff, and Shlichim an unforgettable summer ahead!

Second Annual Jewish Asian Friendship Dinner

June 5, 2026

The JCA had a wonderful time hosting the Second Annual Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner! This dinner brought together the Jewish community and nearly all major Asian organizations in Southern Maine. This year, we served Cambodian delicacies, Filipino comfort food, and Israeli falafel, with a special dish made for the event: a red onion curry challah created by Exile Bakery. Highlights of the night included honoring Manli Ho—the daughter of famous Chinese diplomat Dr. Feng-Shan Ho, who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust—and a Hamotzi blessing & invocation from Rabbi Rachel Isaacs. We also heard a moving story on growing up Asian from former Portland City Councillor Tae Chong, a speech from community leader Marpheen Chann, an introduction from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and concluding remarks from Tam Huynh, Executive Director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine. Our Jewish Community Relations Council also presented an original artwork to the Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple in honor of our past year of friendship. Thank you to more than 150 community members who packed the JCA to celebrate Jewish-Asian unity. These include our friends at Khmer Maine, the Maine Jewish Museum, Azerbaijan Society of Maine, Chinese Gospel Church of Portland, Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple, Filipino-American Samahan of Maine, Chinese-American Friendship Association of Maine, Maine Asian-American Community Center, and The LUNAR Collective.