Welcome Circle

In early 2025, the Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees (OCJCR) contacted Alan Fenning to seek his help in forming a Welcome Team for the Afshars, who had arrived here in January under the official U.S. State Department admissions program for Afghani refugees. 

Jewish Family and Children Service, Long Beach/Orange County (JFCS, into which OCJCR had been folded in 2023) and which is affiliated with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), was assigned by the State Department to oversee their resettlement, but the funding for that program was cut off a week after they arrived.

• Because of their urgent needs, a Welcome Team was quickly formed.  The team is led by Lisa Fenning and includes several other TBESOC members – Alan Fenning, Carol Singer, and Maurie Edelman, all of whom are also members of the Jewish Values in Action Committee.  This Welcome Team has been helping the family since February.  
• We have already raised about $10,000 from team members, a few other TBESOC members, and the general community.  We have been using those funds to fill the gap left by the abrupt termination of federal funds and the reduction of California’s aid in recent months.
• Our goal is to raise an additional $10,000.  The funds will be used to:
  • Buy a used car urgently needed for commuting to work
    • The mother had been commuting to work (about a 30-minute drive) with a co-worker because public transportation is wholly lacking for the route she must take. However, starting this month, that ride is no longer available. 
    • If you happen to have a car in good working order that you are willing to donate or sell at a modest price, that would of course be most welcome
  • Assistance with rent and other expenses for 4-6 more months with potential health care costs increases depending on the uncertain federal and state MediCal funding situation.   

How to donate:

• By GoFundMe Online Contribution:  Contribute to the GoFundMe account for the family (which is managed by Lisa Fenning).  After GoFundMe takes its fees, the funds are deposited automatically into a separate checking account that Lisa and Alan set up for this Welcome Team effort. Click Here to donate at GoFundMe.
• By check:  Send a check made out to Lisa Fenning or Alan Fenning, which they will deposit into the special bank account.  This avoids the fees charged by GoFundMe.  Please include a cover note or add on the memo line “for refugee support” or for ‘Afshar Family'. Please contact TBESOC for the mailing address.  Alternatively, you may drop off a check at the Temple for Alan or Lisa to pick up.
• Please note that, because these funds are earmarked for this specific family, donations are not granted charitable deduction status.
• Lisa disperses funds from the bank account on an as-needed basis to the family.    

The Family’s Background and Current Situation

Originally from Kabul, the Afshar family spent three years in Germany awaiting admission to the U.S. 

Dr. Asil Afshar was an anesthesiologist in Kabul, where he served for 15 years as the head of the Anesthesia and Recovery Department at a major hospital. He is taking ESL courses to improve his English with the goal of finding work in the near future in an anesthesiology support/technician role that does not require a license.  To obtain a medical license to be able to fully resume his professional work would take years of effort, which he may decide to pursue later.  For now, he is working as a part-time security guard, working mostly evenings and nights.
Shabana Afshar is fluent in English (and several other languages) and earned a B.A. in business administration from a private university in Kabul.  She worked in human resource management for several NGOs and governmental entities in Afghanistan, and as a volunteer with NGOs in Germany.  Shortly after they settled in Orange County, she obtained a full-time entry-level assembly job with a medical device manufacturer.  Recently, she transferred to a data entry position at the company and is hopeful that it will lead to more opportunities for advancement and increased income. 
They have two sons, Aslaan (14) and Erfaan (11).  They are both fluent in English (and several other languages) and are doing very well in school.  The family has settled into a two-bedroom apartment in central Orange County.  Both Asil and Shabana have obtained California Driver's Licenses. 

TBESOC Tradition of Supporting Refugees

TBESOC has a proud history of adhering to the commandment to care for the stranger, a mitzvah mentioned more (36 times!) than any other mitzvah in the Torah.  Here are a few examples:

• Raising more money, through our 1990 Yom Kippur Appeal, than any other congregation in Orange County to help fly Jews out of the Soviet Union as part of Operation Exodus.
• Members regularly donate food and supplies to help those in need, including during our High Holy Days food drive
• Joining OCJCR shortly after its founding in 2018
• Forming a TBESOC HIAS Welcome Circle in 2022 to assist refugees, primarily a Ukrainian family.
• In August 2024, HIAS awarded its Pathways Leadership Award to TBESOC for its extraordinary work helping refugees.

Please help keep our tradition alive and strong - any assistance you can provide would be most appreciated.  We thank you for your support.

Julie Fingersh, VP Tikkun Olam
Carol Singer and Maurie Edelman, Co-Chairs, Jewish Values in Action
Alan and Lisa Fenning