Syrians Banned From USA

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

                             One Syrian Seeking Entrance, Being Refused                                                 Omran Alhalabi (b: 1980)

We have recent arrivals of Syrians in Portland, Oregon, one of which I already have met.  Approximately 261,000 individuals of Syrian descent live in the United States, with about 122,000 being foreign-born.  

In Portland, Oregon, the local Syrian population is quite small, with current estimates placing around 200 to 400 individuals or families living directly in the city as part of the broader 10,000-person Arab American community in Multnomah County.

However, Syrian nationals are largely restricted from entering the United States today due to an expanded travel ban under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which suspends the issuance of most immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. 

Libya is the only other country that completely bans entry and prohibits visas for Syrian citizens. Additionally, many countries worldwide maintain de facto entry bans by completely denying tourist visas to Syrian passport holders or heavily restricting overland and airport transit. 

The U.S. government maintains these restrictions for the following specific reasons:

Travel Ban and Security: The Proclamation fully suspends the entry of Syrian nationals, citing national security concerns, persistent deficiencies in identity verification, and an inability of the Syrian government to meet U.S. security screening standards. 
Immigrant Visa Pause: The Department of State has also paused new immigrant visa issuances for citizens of designated countries, including Syria, that are deemed to have high rates of public assistance usage at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. 
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Rulings: In a major 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the U.S. government's termination of TPS, clearing the way for the removal of legal protections and potential deportation for thousands of Syrian immigrants who previously resided in the U.S. under humanitarian protection.

While there are limited exceptions for lawful permanent residents, dual nationals traveling on non-restricted passports, and certain diplomatic or official visas, general tourist and business travel remains largely barred. Omran would be in this category.                                 

My friend, Jewish, Syrian and multi-lingual speaking Arabic, English, some Italian, College Grad from Lebanon college, worked at Khayyat Contracting and Trading from 2000 to 2012. He was the manager in this major Italian investment and Development Company  in the Syrian industrial project referred to as the "Steel Melt Project." He dealt with people from all over the world.  He also worked with some small contracting companies and all this broadened his experience and made him more valuable to the company.  He even wrote a safety code for his government as an OSHA system evaluator.  

The Syrian Civil War came in 2012, and he took his mother and siblings to Egypt with him.  Presidents have gone from Assad to Jolani, a terrorist reformed, he says.  Omran saw otherwise and  left Syria, then worked on his computer which he has sold to another country.              

He's the subject of a book I wrote about him. Messages From A Syrian Jew Trapped In Egypt. 

He recently overheard a conversation that talked of sabotage/ plans about doing harm and told me.  I checked it out and found more info that made it clear. We sent it to the proper source for such information.  The next thing I knew, it came true and both of us were amazed to say the least. Without this information, I think a very important person could have been killed.  As it was, providence saved this person by not being in a hotel at the time.  I don't know if it ever got to the authorities that could have tried to work on it.    

Resource:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Syrian_citizens

Looking Back: Anti-Semitism in the 30's in Portland, Oregon With Jewish Immigration, Nazis

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                            Stock market Crash of 1929

In the 1930s, Portland’s Jewish community—largely centered in the South Portland neighborhood—navigated a complex environment of civic success and rising institutional antisemitism. While Jews achieved notable political milestones, they faced pervasive social exclusion, rising white nationalism, and the arrival of refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe.                                      

Civic Prominence vs. Social Exclusion

Political Gains: Despite the national rise of bigotry, Julius Meier—a Jewish businessman from the prominent Meier & Frank department store family—was overwhelmingly elected Governor of Oregon in 1930. 

        Jitterbug dancing in Portland, Oregon:  The jitterbug exploded in Portland during the 1930s, fueled by touring big bands and local ballrooms. Couples flocked to local dance halls to showcase freewheeling acrobatic swings.
The Palais Royale Ballroom: A premier venue for youth to jitterbug and perfect the famous "Portland Walk".
Jantzen Beach Amusement Park: The spacious dance floors here regularly hosted regional and national bands, drawing thousands of dancers.  Sammy Arnstein and I danced here many times.  
Institutional Barriers: Socially, Jewish residents faced significant discrimination. Many of Portland’s elite country clubs, such as the Waverley and Tualatin country clubs, maintained strict policies excluding Jewish members. So Jews had their own country clubs.  The Tualatin Country Club (established in 1912) is the Portland area's historically Jewish country club. It was founded by prominent Jewish business leaders, such as former Oregon Governor Julius Meier, because Jewish residents were barred from the region's elite, established country clubs at the time.  How was it taken over by the anti-Semites?  AI said this but it wasn't the name I new when a teen  in the late 40's.  

The Rise of Far-Right Extremism

Interwar Fascism: During the Great Depression (The severe global economic downturn known as the Great Depression occurred in the United States from 1929 to 1939. It began with the devastating Wall Street stock market crash in October 1929 and reached its bottom in 1933, before gradual recovery and full economic restoration in the 1940s), various fascist and white supremacist organizations gained traction in Oregon.

     New Yorkers selling apples during the Great Depression
Exploiting economic anxieties, these groups frequently blamed the Jewish community for the economic crash and for Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies. In 1929, staple grocery prices were significantly lower in absolute terms than they are today, though they represented a much larger chunk of the average worker's weekly paycheck. On average across the United States, a dozen eggs cost about 40 to 45 cents, a quart of milk cost about 12 cents, and a loaf of bread cost about 9 cents. 

Summer Camp Siegfried of Nazi teens, August 29, 1937
Organized Nativism: Local pro-Nazi and antisemitic groups, though smaller in number, laid ideological groundwork that fueled radical right-wing groups in the postwar era.  Between 1929 and 1939, the most prominent Nazi group in the United States was the German American Bund (Amerikadeutscher Volksbund). Led by Fritz Kuhn, the Bund operated dozens of summer camps and local chapters across the country. Their activities, propaganda, and rallies peaked with a notorious gathering at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The Refugee Influx and Community Activism

European Refugees: The 1930s marked a pivotal demographic shift as Portland welcomed its first major wave of refugees escaping Nazi-occupied Europe. Approximately 100 German-Jewish refugees settled in and around Portland during the late 1930s. 

        "The German cruiser “Emden” chugged down the Willamette River with the Nazi naval flag, or ensign, at the stern. The ship moored in Portland at the foot of West Couch Street, just north of the Burnside Bridge. The photograph shows the flag at half-mast, likely honoring King George V of England, who died on January 20, 1936, the day the ship arrived in Portland."  This was the first time Nazis marched in Portland. 
While strict federal immigration quotas and the isolationist climate of the Great Depression severely limited the total number of arrivals, the local Jewish community and local media actively campaigned to welcome and support these initial refugees.                    

                   SS Washington
My father's sister, Ann Goldfoot, married one of these refugees, Werner Siegbert Oster, who managed to arrive in New York at age 22 from ship SS Washington on that left Germany on May 4, 1939, one of the last that were allowed to leave. He had a 1st cousin who had come to the US before him and was living in New York.  Werner was born in Westerburg, Hildesheim, Niedersachsen, Germany.  Werner worked for my father, then became partners with him as his father and he had a meat business in Germany. 

                         Rabbi Henry Berkwitz 
Local Protests: Portland’s Jewish community actively mobilized against the atrocities occurring overseas. In November 1938, in response to Kristallnacht in Germany, local Jewish congregations led by Rabbi Henry J. Berkowitz held mass demonstrations and public persecution protests in Portland.  Mass Protest and Prayer: Portland Jewish groups publicly added their voices to national protests. The mass demonstration included local congregations gathering in prayer and solidarity to denounce the violence of the pogroms,
While Portlanders formally organized in 1938, city dynamics regarding the Nazi threat were complex. Just two years earlier, a German Nazi cruiser (Emden) had docked in Portland, resulting in both city-sponsored receptions and counter-protests. This tells me that the anti-Semitism went along with the Nazi groups in the city, and that the city government was also anti-semitic.  
While Jews were to live in one section only,

                            Dr. DeNorval Unthank
 Portland Black, community in the 1930's was small (under 2,000 residents), facing severe structural segregation. Black residents were primarily restricted by real estate redlining to the Lower Albina neighborhood. The railroad industry was the largest employer for Black Portlanders during this era.   The 1930s saw the Portland Realty Board actively enforcing discriminatory covenants, which barred non-white residents from purchasing homes in white neighborhoods. Even prominent professionals, such as Black physician Dr. DeNorval Unthank, faced petitions and vandalism when they attempted to move into affluent, white areas like Ladd's Addition. This systemic pressure restricted most Black families to the Lower Albina area

New York City Muslim Groups for Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                                         

Muslims have an anti BDS campaign in response to Mamdani.  On facebook, one can see their ad about it.  

In New York City, Muslim support for Israel is actively organized by several groups. Key groups and recent initiatives include: 

• Unbreakable Bond Coalition: A coalition that includes groups such as 
• 1. the American Muslim & Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), 
• 2. Muslim Women Speakers Bureau, Global Youth Unity Project (GYUP), and 
• 3. Muslims Israel Dialogue. The coalition launched an anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) investment drive to raise funds for Israeli treasury bonds and to support coexistence and peace-building nonprofits. 
  
     I'd be happier if they erased the last 2 words put on by somebody not agreeing with them; as there never has been a  Palestine but a big area named by the Romans that the Ottoman Empire finally took and lost by the end of WWI.  I repeat, there never was a country of Palestine and the Palaestinians were a mixture of Arabs AND Jews living there.  There was no need to free them as they were not imprisoned or held there against their will.  It's a ridiculous concept and too many people have blindly believed it.  
Public Parades and Rallies: Muslim interfaith activists have publicly participated in New York's annual Israel Day Parade and the March for Israel. 
Interfaith Dialogue: Organizations actively partner with Jewish civil rights and interfaith organizations—such as 
1. the Combat Antisemitism Movement and 
2. Sharaka—to host joint events and advocate for regional partnerships    
The group aims to collect at least $1 apiece from 500,000 supporters by October 9. The funds will be invested in Israel treasury bonds, and investment proceeds will be distributed to four nonprofits — 
1. the coexistence group Sharaka, saying:  The Abraham Accords opened a new window of opportunity in the region. That is why young leaders from Israel and the Arab Gulf came together in 2020, to forge warm and deep people-to-people engagement, and translate the governmental agreements into a long-lasting peace. Their mission is to : Sharaka (’Partnership’ in Arabic): is working to shape a new Middle East, built on dialogue, understanding, cooperation and friendship.

 
The Jewish-Muslim Reconciliation Project
From Rivalry to Fraternity: Embracing Our Shared Heritage: Unlocking the potential of interfaith diplomacy to build paths for stability and prosperity...bud paths for st
y.2. the Jerusalem Interfaith Center, motto is:  Making religion part of the solution
3. the Combat Antisemitism Movement, After the successful Voices for Truth Summit in Miami, CAM is proud to bring together 100+ content creators to fight antisemitism, in the ancient city of Jaffa ,  We Are the Combat Antisemitism Movement!  CAM is a global coalition engaging more than 700 partner organizations and three million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting the world’s oldest hatred. We act collaboratively to build a better future, free of bigotry, for Jews and all humanity.
4. Debate for Peace, an Arab-Jewish student group.   
It's a start.  The Abraham Accords must have started people thinking. However, the mayor of New York City is:

        
Zohran Kwame Mamdani: (born October 18, 1991) born in Kampala to Indo-Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. When he was seven years old, after having spent three years in Cape Town, he and his family moved to New York City. Mamdani graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before receiving a bachelor's degree in Africana studies from Bowdoin College in 2014, having worked as a housing counselor and rapper, 
 His knowledge of NYC was the surroundings of his family and their Indian life far more than knowing the social and culture of this large city.  It is doubtful that he was aware of:  Approximately 1 million Jewish people live in New York City proper, making up roughly 12% to 18% of the city's total population. Across the broader eight-county metropolitan area, the Jewish population is estimated at nearly 1.4 million, representing the largest concentration of Jewish people in any city in the world outside of Israel. At that, Jews make up only 2% of the USA population, so you can see how different NYC is for Jews. He's evidently a strong Muslim, not like many from India today or rather, Pakistan, where most live, having problems with Hindus earlier.                          
The relationship between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Jewish communities is highly polarized, primarily driven by his vocal anti-Zionism, pro-Palestinian activism, and revocation of Israel-related executive orders.
While mainstream Jewish leaders fiercely criticize his rhetoric and boycott his administration, he retains significant backing from progressive Jewish groups, probably like those listed above.  
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a Twelver Shia Muslim. He is known for his highly vocal, progressive critiques of Israeli policy.  This is why he is continually  against Israel.  This is the Islam of Iran.   He belongs to the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, which represents the mainstream tradition within Shiism.   His father is an Indian-origin Muslim born in Uganda, and his mother is a Hindu.  While openly embracing his faith, his democratic socialist platform often puts him at odds with conservative religious groups due to his support for LGBTQIA+ rights, abortion access, and the legalization of marijuana. I believe that's to have a connection with certain Democrats.   Mamdani has been a prominent and vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and characterizing Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide.  
Resource:
https://jic.org.il/
https://www.sharakango.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-muslim-groups-announce-anti-bds-campaign-in-response-to-mamdani/