On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order pausing the US Refugee Admission Program with no designated end date. By January 24, 2025, JCA received word from (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society HIAS - our national partner and resettlement affiliate) that the US State Department had issued a “Stop Work Order.” This unprecedented move effectively ended services for clients settled by the JCA staff, throwing the entire Refugee Resettlement and Newcomer Services Program into jeopardy. Many other agencies, in Maine and nationally, were forced to lay off staff, shutter offices, and leave newly arrived refugees with no financial or case management safety net.

Within 48 hours the Jewish Community Alliance’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Leslie Kirby and Chief Development Officer (CDO) Ashley Inbar mobilized and worked alongside Refugee Resettlement Director (RRNS) Siobhan Whalen and Jewish Family Services (KJFS) Director Margaret Malainder to identify the resources needed to continue serving clients, and drafted a request for support. Within seven days, members of our Jewish community had pledged $190,000 of emergency financial assistance, allowing us to save people’s jobs, pay for temporary and permanent housing, and keep welcoming case management available to our newest neighbors.

The national affiliate HIAS and the state-level Office of Maine Refugee Services have recognized the JCA for garnering such rapid and broad support and commended us and our community for stepping up in a critical time of need.



Thank you to all of those who were able to donate to keep services available to people in desperate need! Your generosity enabled families to stay housed, children to register for school, and individuals to receive life-saving medical care.