On Dec. 12, Agudas Yisroel of America announced an agreement
with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to pay the $2,100 fee
that Iranian Jews seeking refugee status in the United States
must pay to cover their living expenses while their cases are
processed in Vienna.
Austria is the only European country that offers haven to
Iranian religious minorities. More than 170 Iranian Jews, and
many more Iranian Christians, are being held in Vienna while
their applications for refugee status in the United States
are pending.
More may come forward if they learn that financial assistance
is available, said Eric Newman, associate director of
international operations at HIAS.
The Austrian government insists that all refugees must have
sponsorship from friends or family members abroad, and
refuses to offer them government assistance.
Because of these requirements, HIAS, the only international
agency authorized by the U.S. government to process refugees
in Vienna, requires a $2,100 deposit from each applicant.
Agudath Israel is prepared to help up to 1,000 refugees pay
the fee, said Rabbi Shmuel Bloom, the organization's
executive vice president. However, he said, Aguda expects
that most of the Iranian Jews seeking refugee status have
enough assets and family support to pay the amount
themselves.
HIAS has requested 306 visas for Jews still in Iran. Another
300 or so are still in the processing stages, Newman said.
HIAS reports that 177 Jews are currently in Vienna waiting to
make their way to the United States.
But publicizing aid to Iranian Jewish refugees is not always
well-advised: It's illegal and dangerous for religious
minorities to leave Iran, home to somewhere between 22,000
and 25,000 Jews.
Indeed, advocates in the Iranian Jewish community in the
United States -- the largest contingent is in Los Angeles --
praise Agudath Israel's offer, but fear the publicity could
endanger Jews trying to leave the country.
With the prospect of an American-led war on Iraq raising
tensions in the region, some fear that the Iranian government
will use any excuse to clamp down on religious minorities.
The fee is only one in a series of difficulties that Iranian
Jews must overcome to receive asylum in the United States.
The process begins when someone in the United States contacts
HIAS, requesting a travel visa for an Iranian Jew. To
discourage smuggling, HIAS demands that Iranians have
legitimate visas before leaving the country.
After family members or friends contact HIAS, the agency
submits the names to the U.S. government, which must complete
extensive background checks. This process has been prolonged
significantly since Sept. 11 because of security concerns.
If the U.S. government approves, HIAS requests that a travel
visa to Vienna be made available at the Austrian Embassy in
Iran, where there is no U.S. Embassy. Since it is illegal to
emigrate from Iran, the agencies involved try to keep a low
profile.
The Iranian government can be obstructionist, sometimes
refusing to issue passports to all family members in the
hopes that those leaving feel compelled to return. If the
refugees do get the visas to Austria, they must arrange for
their own travel. Once in Europe, they apply for the U.S.
refugee program. All Iranian religious minorities are
eligible for the program because of religious persecution in
Iran.
In July 2001, the State Department chose HIAS to be the sole
agency working with Iranian refugees in Vienna. The group
historically has focused on Jewish immigration, but as a
federal contractor it is required to treat all individuals
equally. So HIAS also deals with other Iranian religious
minorities in Vienna, such as Christians, Bahais and
Zoroastrians.
The largest group applying for refugee status are Christians.
Jews are the second largest group; the 177 in Vienna make up
about 15 percent of the total refugee population there,
according to Newman.
The financial support from Agudath Israel is available only
to Jews. However, both Agudath Israel and HIAS have
encouraged other religious groups to offer aid to
refugees.
"We have no problem with the fact that they are a religious
organization. In fact, there are many religious Jews in Iran
who might be induced into leaving by the fact that a
religious organization will fund their flight," said Pooya
Dayanim, president of the Iranian Jewish Public Affairs
Committee and the acting spokesman for the Council of Iranian
American Jewish Organizations.
Agudath Israel has "been helpful to any Jew who wants to come
from Iran," Bloom said. "Our mission is a mission of
community service." However, whenever possible the
organization attempts to make arrangements for the refugees
to go to a religious community, Bloom said.
"Another hat that we wear is to try to set up Orthodox
communities" in the United States, he said.
While the Shah was in power, Agudath Israel helped Jewish
religious students to leave Iran when they were not allowed
to practice their religion freely. Many of them are now
spiritual leaders of Iranian Jewish communities in the United
States, Bloom said.
One is Rabbi Reuben Khaver in Baltimore. He maintains that
Agudath Israel "is committed to helping the Iranian Jews" out
of concern for their safety, not to proselytize.
Most Iranians seeking visas probably don't need Aguda's
financial aid, Khaver said, suggesting that it "should be
used only for those really in need, in small communities."
Bloom described the money not as a grant but as "a loan or a
layout."
While it may take families some time to pull together the
$2,100, Agudath Israel assumes most have enough resources to
pay the loan back eventually.
"We're just using our credit to allow Iranians to come out
faster," he said. "Until they come up with cash, they can't
get out.
"We don't expect to have to come up with millions of dollars
to make that happen," he continued.
If the organization ends up donating more money than
expected, "our board members, many of whom are Holocaust
survivors or children of Holocaust survivors, unanimously and
emotionally support the measure" and are willing to put up
the money, Bloom said.
