A Shout Out To Our Team

duda • June 4, 2025

A Shout Out to Our Team

The gratitude of the RRNS staff from our clients, the community, and one another is boundless. When the news of a change in administration was first announced– marking a shift from a welcoming to a profoundly unwelcoming orientation toward refugees– our staff grieved. They grieved for themselves, their friends and loved ones, the community they had welcomed over the last two years, and for the clients they knew were stuck, waiting in uncertainty abroad.


But they didn’t wallow, they mobilized!


Our staff agreed unanimously to do everything in their power to welcome as many refugees as possible, in a very short time frame, to ensure as many people could be out of harm’s way and in safety and community with us. Our staff navigated this tremendous influx of arrivals with grace, compassion, and professionalism. Then, on inauguration day we heard the news of the unprecedented pause of the Refugee Resettlement Program and our staff grieved again.


However, they didn’t skip a beat: they continued to work with new clients with care and empathy. Shortly after our staff received news that the State Department was initiating an unprecedented “Stop Work Order,” and we grieved yet again. Staff feared for their job security and futures.


But strangely, that was not their first concern; their first concern on this day, like all the days before, was “What about my clients?” The RRNS team has worked almost around the clock welcoming new families at the airport and making sure they got to their destination safely. They have started their workdays well before 8 AM and ended them well past 5 PM to ensure clients got safely to and from medical appointments. They have worked weekends to ensure families had sufficient food, were familiar with using heaters over the long Maine winter, and knew whom to contact in an emergency.



To everyone on the team, we want to say that we are so proud of each of you! We are so grateful to have worked with you and admire your continued selflessness and commitment. You are the heroes of this story!

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.
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