WELCOME TO THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD HEBREW CENTERCelebrating over 100 Years of Jewish Life on the Island
  • Home
    • COVID Protocols
    • Rabbi's HHD Sermons
  • Upcoming Events
    • Poetry with Prosterman
    • Passover Seder 2023
    • Meditative Morning Prayer
    • Racial Justice Reading Group
    • Family Shabbat Shake-Up
    • Recent Past Events >
      • State of Democracy in Israel 2023
      • PURIM 2023
      • Tu B'Shevat 2023
      • Faces of Hunger
      • MLK Service 2023
      • Hannukah at the Tabernacle
      • Gun Violence Prevention
      • NYC Trip 2022
      • Crossing Delancey
      • Sukkot Simchat Tora
      • My Quarrel
      • Rosh Chodesh Elul
      • Musical Kabbalat Shabbat
      • Tisha b'Av 2022
      • Cantor Hirschhorn Shabbat
      • MV Museum Jewish History
      • Climate Action Speaker
      • Yom HaShoah Speaker
      • Jewish Humor
      • Jewish Museum Exhibit
      • Rabbi's Bible Class
      • Tu B'Shevat
      • MLK Service
      • Apeirogon BookTalk
      • Hannukah at the Tabernacle
      • High Holidays 2021
      • Yoel Sykes Shabbat
      • Challah Braiding
      • Talmud Class
      • Bar Mitzvahs
      • Torah Chants
      • Shavuot 2021
      • Shoah VISAS Remembrance
      • Yom HaShoah Film
      • Community Seder 2021
      • Learn Seder Songs
      • Talmud Class
      • A Hero of Our Own
      • Purim 2021
      • Jordan B. Powers Shabbat
      • BHM Community Conversation
      • Yoel Sykes Friday
      • Amy Schwartz
      • Tallit Session
      • Climate: Jeremy Benstein
      • MLK Service
      • Yiddish Songs & Havdalah
      • Hanukkah at MVHC
      • City of Joel
      • Yoel Sykes Shabbat
      • HHD Prep Class
      • Yiddish Story Reading Group
      • Jewish Book Festival >
        • Jewish Book Festival FLYER
      • Tot Shabbat
      • Rosh Chodesh/Summer Solstice
      • Shavuot 2020
      • Musical Shabbat with Yoel Sykes
      • Purim Celebration
      • Passover 2020
      • Film: 93 Queen
  • About Us
    • Recent Events & Photos >
      • Jan 24 Musical Shabbat Dinner >
        • Concert: Judith Merion
      • Jan 11 Havdalah on Ice
      • Jan 17 MLK Service
      • Dec. 8 - "Radical Judaism"
    • Our Rabbi
    • From the Rabbi's Desk
    • Our Leadership >
      • Officers, Trustees and Committee Chairs
    • MVHC Summer Institute
    • Board Documents
    • Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Committees
    • Past MVHC Events
    • Leadership Planning Calendar
    • M.V. Hebrew Cemetery
    • Our History >
      • Historical Summary of MVHC
      • Purim Mock Wedding 1952
    • Remote Meeting - ZOOM Info
  • Learning
    • Religious School >
      • School Photos
      • Religious School Calendar
      • Tot Shabbat
      • Bar & Bat Mitzvah
    • 2019 HS Scholarship Winning Essay - Leah Littlefield
    • 2018 HS Scholarship Winning Essay - Lila Jasny
    • Words of Torah
    • Text Study
    • Diversity Dvar - JMN
    • Library
    • Videos / Photos
    • Video-Conference Instructions
  • Worship
    • Shabbat Services >
      • Shabbat--by-the-Sea 2022
      • National Refugee Shabbat
      • Tot Shabbat
    • Music >
      • Dec 22 Hanukkah
    • Holidays >
      • Simchat Torah 2017
      • Purim Mock Wedding 1952
      • Purim Musical Reviews >
        • Zoom Purim Spiel 2020
        • Lower East Side Story 2008
        • A Beatles Purim 2009
        • The Sound of Shmoozic
  • Community
    • Hunger Campaign >
      • Helping the Hungry
    • Houses of Grace
    • Social Action Corner >
      • COVID-19 Information
      • Current Notices and Announcements
      • Gun Violence Prevention
      • Humanitarian Aid
      • All Are Welcome Here Poster
      • Refugee Crisis: How to Help
      • MVHC Racial Justice Project
      • MV Housing Bank
    • Tikkun Olam
    • Tzedakah
    • Mitzvah Projects
    • Community Dinners
  • Donate
    • Make a Donation
    • Synagogue Funds
    • Donations Policy
  • Membership
    • 2022 Annual Meeting >
      • Minutes of 2021
      • 2022-23 Proposed Budget
      • Annual Reports >
        • 2022 Finance Cmt Report
  • Contact Us
    • Find Us
  • Phishing
  • Rabbi's Followup Letter on Roe
Information from HIAS

A few definitions: 

Refugee: A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee their home country due to persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group (e.g. members of the LGBTQ+ community). 

Asylum Seeker: An asylum seeker is a person who has fled persecution in their home country and is seeking save haven in a different country, but has not yet received any legal recognition or status.  

Internally Displaced Person: An internally displaced person, or IDP, is a person who fled their home but have not crossed an international border to find sanctuary. Even if they fled for reasons similar to those driving refugees, IDPs legally remain under the protection of their own government- even though that government might be the cause of their flight. 

Migrant: A migrant is a person who chooses to move from their home for any variety of reasons, but not necessarily because of a direct threat of persecution or death. Migrant is an umbrella category that can include refugees but can also include people moving to improve their lives by finding work or education, those seeking family reunion and others. 
 


Some of the numbers: 

There are currently 68.5 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced due to persecution and violence. 25.4 million of those are refugees. The majority of the remainder are IDPs. 

85% of refugees are being hosted in developing countries. Turkey is currently hosting the most refugees at 3.5 million. 
57% of the world’s refugees come from South Sudan (2.4 million), Afghanistan (2.6 million), and Syria (6.3 million). 

Someone is displaced from their home approximately every two seconds. In 2017 44,000 individuals per day had to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Violet Cabot at  her Mitzvah Corps Pacific Northwest trip experience working with refugees.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center
Mailing address: P.O. Box 692
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
(tel) 508-693-0745