►
From YouTube: Welcome, Neighbor: Leslie Aizenman
Description
On the fourth episode of Welcome, Neighbor, learn about Jewish Family & Community Services and their former Refugee & Immigrant Services Director Leslie Aizenman.
A
For
so
many
reasons
that
we're
going
to
get
into
today,
but
first
let
me
introduce
myself.
My
name
is
facial
acanthula
and
I
am
the
welcoming
pittsburgh
manager
for
the
city
of
pittsburgh
right.
I
work
for
mayor,
william
peduto
and
welcome
in
pittsburgh.
Of
course,
is
our
immigration
international's
integration
strategy,
along
with
my
colleague,
allah
who's
who's?
Not
here,
but
works
behind
the
scenes.
A
So
leslie
is
not
necessarily
an
immigrant
like
you've,
probably
seen
in
other
recordings,
but
she's
incredible
because
of
the
work
that
she's
doing
and
has
done,
and
the
lives
that
she's
touched
right
and-
and
you
guys
are
going
to
get
a
chance
to
hear
a
little
bit
about
that.
So
I'm
going
to
turn
over
to
you
leslie
to
introduce
yourself
it's
it's
funny
when
we're
talking
offline
a
little
bit,
but
I
was
going
to
ask
you:
where
are
you
from
by
your
native
pittsburgher
right,
introduce
yourself
to
us.
A
B
So
I
worked
before
this.
I
worked
for
a
literary
journal
for
eight
years
in
its
startup
phase
and
wrote
learned
how
to
write,
grants
and
interacted
a
lot.
I
I
did
everything
I
did
around
the
printing,
the
publishing
the
advertising
sales,
everything
which
I
loved
and
got
to
to
learn
every
day
was
different
and
I
loved
it
and
then,
when
I
came
to
jfcs
I
was
their
first
grant
writer.
It
was
part
time
I
was
raising
three
kids
and
I
worked
in
every
department
at
jfcs.
B
I
really
learned
a
lot
about
the
agency
worked
closely
with
management.
I
helped
write
grants
for
what
was
then
a
refugee
department,
and
then
there
was
a
legal
services
department.
I
work
for
all
the
different
departments
here,
so
you
really
get
to
know
the
agency
and
when
the
long-standing
director
of
the
refugee-
and
she
was
also
the
immigrant
services
retired,
I
was
asked
if
I
would
like
to
take
that
position
and
without
hesitation.
I
said
yes,
I
wasn't
really
sure
what
I
was
getting
into,
but
I
am
I've
always
loved
and
travel
international.
B
I'm
married
to
someone
from
mexico,
a
refugee
family
that
fled
eastern
europe
that
that
lives
in
mexico.
So
I
know
it's
the
jewish
experience
of
being
a
refugee,
so
I
was
connected.
I
love
languages
and
I
believe
in
the
commitment
to
help
people
whose
lives
you
know
have
have
suffered
and
need
a
home,
so
it
was
a
passion
and
that's
how
I
ended
up
with
a
very,
very
small
department.
B
A
Tell
me
what
was
it
like
13
years
ago,
like
you
said,
I
mean
you,
you
work
to
advocate
for
welcoming
policies
with
city
and
county
white.
Can
you
paint
a
picture
for
us
like
what
were
some
of
the
challenges
you
were
going
through
then
a
little
bit
more?
What
was
that
I
mean?
I,
I
moved
to
pittsburgh
2014
right
two
years
later
right,
maybe
a
recipient
of
the
work
that
you
and
others
have
been
doing
in
the
region
prior
to
me
getting
here,
but
I
am
curious.
What
what
was
it
like.
B
B
It
wasn't
it
wasn't.
It
was
a
lot
of
different
from
the
education
system.
We
got
it
from
the
medical
system
from
public
benefits,
people
neighbors,
you
know
who
were
these
people
just
that
was
shocked
me.
I
would
say
people
who
I
expected
to
be
more
caring
and
just
really
angry,
and
that
was
very
hard
because
I
thought
I
was
entering
a
field.
You
know
social
work,
field,
humanitarian
assistance,
and
this
was
very
difficult
and
I
got
a
lot
of
support
from
linda
aaronrich,
who
was
my
immediate
supervisor?
B
The
agency
were
a
member
of
hyas,
which
is
our
national
agency
and,
as
I
became
more
aware
of
rights-
and
you
know
what
what
do
you
need
to
get
in
the
school?
It's
there's
it's
the
same
for
these
kids
and
civil
rights
title
six.
As
I
became
more
aware,
you
know
we,
we
had
the
law
on
our
side
and
it
just
sometimes
providers
didn't
know
and
we
ended
up.
You
know
over
time
getting
a
lot
of
having
champions
and
getting
those
big
systems
to
use
interpretation,
and
initially
it
was
our
interpreter.
B
B
A
B
I
remember
a
case
where
I
was
attending
one
of
these
cultural
orientation
and
my
mom's
baby
wasn't
feeling
well,
so
the
decision
was
made
to
bring
the
baby
to
the
er,
and
I
went
at
that
time.
You
know
I'm
shadowing,
I
wasn't
the
caseworker
and
the
doctors
were
asking.
Did
you
give
the
baby
tylenol
and
the
parents
said
no?
Well,
they
had
given
them
other
drugs.
B
So
just
hearing
how,
if
you
say,
tylenol,
no,
I
didn't
give
tylenol,
but
you
know
to
maybe
my
ears,
tylenol
yeah,
I
would
have
said
no.
I
gave
them
whatever
it
is.
It
wasn't
aspirin,
but
that's
right
differences
in
communication,
and
so,
even
though
you
have
an
interpreter
at
that
point
over
the
phone
interpreter,
these
little
things
could
affect
the
health.
B
I
mean
the
child
was
ultimately
fine,
but
it
all
these
things
were
happening
at
once
and
then
you
know
a
big
change
happened
when
the
county
department
of
human
services
started
an
initiative,
the
immigrants
and
internationals
advisory
committee
and
then
getting
more
people
involved,
starting
a
language
access
committee,
starting
a
cultural
competency
committee,
because
we
needed
support
it.
Couldn't
just
be
us
out
there.
I
mean
resettlement
agencies.
A
B
Immigrants
coming
on
their
own
they're
having
the
same
problems
but
nobody's
there
to
report
it.
So
a
lot
of
the
work
we
did
is
helping
anyone
with
a
barrier
to
language
and
culture
and
and
then
it
became
more
requirements
in
the
medical
world
to
have
interpretation
services,
and
we
did
ultimately,
we
started
to
get
buy-in
at
the
higher
levels
and
then
it
took
a
while
and
it
still
takes
time
for
it
to
trickle
down
to
the
front
line.
B
So
I
do
think
we
have
a
lot
of
buy-in
now
from
the
higher
management.
Maybe
the
middle
management
but
then
you're
dealing
with
the
people,
clients
or
patients
interact
with,
and
they
don't
always
know
so.
We're
still
reporting
issues
now.
There's
diversity,
initiatives
at
the
hospitals
and
we
know
who
to
contact
and
try
to.
A
B
A
You
said
something
leslie
earlier
I
mean
you
said
a
lot
of
things
that
we
could
unpack,
but
one
that
comes
to
mind
is
you
know
when
people
get
here
our
refugee
neighbors
get
here.
People
are
angry
right,
they're,
angry
because
of
maybe
misconceptions.
They
might
have
about
these
families
here
right
and
I'm
curious.
If
you
could
think
of
one
misconception,
what
would
it
be
and
what
would
be
your
answer
right
to
someone
or
neighbor
who
says?
B
B
B
Someone
in
the
family
needs
to
go
to
work
by
about
four
months
in
the
united
states.
They
need
to
make
their
rent,
they
need.
The
kids
are
going
to
school
and
they're
going
to
get
english
language
assistance
if
they
need
it,
they
do
qualify
in
terms
of
refugees
for
medical
care
and
they
have
insurance,
but
they
have
to
work
it
around
their
schedules
like
any
other
working
parent.
B
So
it's
not
necessarily
what
we
would
see
in
a
western
culture,
but
and
sometimes
people
in
different
cultures,
don't
like
to
talk
about
what
they've
done.
It's
a
more
communal,
less
individualistic
culture,
so
we
have
to
pull
out
of
them
what
they
did,
and
maybe
they
were
helping
the
community
by
helping
the
women
helping
children
teaching
under
a
tree
even
building
farming.
B
B
Jfcs
has
many
programs
we're
able
to
work
with
families
for
as
long
as
they
want
us
to
work
with
them
in
different
ways?
It
becomes
more
incumbent
on
them
to
ask
for
the
help
and
we've
become
a
connector
through
some
of
our
programs
to
existing
resources,
because
the
existing
resources
need
to
step
up
and
help
them
when
it's
applicable.
You.
A
B
So
we
have
many
opportunities
and
we're
absolutely
growing
them,
especially
for
volunteers,
so
we
have
americorps
through
literacy,
pittsburgh's
compass,
americorps
program,
where
all
their
members
work
with
immigrants
or
refugees.
So
we
they
started
that,
maybe
I
don't
know.
12
years
ago,
10
years
ago,
we've
been
we've
had
compass
americorps.
B
We
have
a
program
for
the
for
intensive
case
work
for
those
who
need
extra
because
there's
maybe
a
chronic
illness
involved
or
extreme
challenges,
understanding
life
here
special
program.
We
have
our
immigrant
services
and
connections,
which
is
a
spin-off
from
the
work
we've
done.
That's
funded
locally
from
the
county,
dhs
to
help
any
immigrant
any
refugee
connect.
We
have
interns
helping
with
that.
B
So
we
also
have
volunteers.
They
can
help
with
our
after
school
programs
which
we've
developed.
We
can
match
them
with
a
new
family
and
we
are
going
to
build
out
something
called
community
sponsorship.
It's
a
kind
of
that,
a
trend
that
is
going
to
take
off
in
resettlement
where
groups
will
support
one
family,
both
financially
to
a
degree
and
hands-on
for
a
period
of
time.
B
It
takes
a
lot
of
education
to
understand
what
you're
getting
into
when
you
see
families
living
in
you
know,
low-income
circumstances
with
very
little
material
goods,
understanding
the
trajectory
and
what
our
goal
is
and
what
success
looks
like
and
once
they
understand.
I
think
that
could
be
a
really
beautifully
beneficial
experience
for
new
arrivals
and
volunteers
here,
so
building
more
welcoming
is
is
going
to
be
happening.
A
B
I
wow
the
hope,
the
potential
I
I
love
have
loved
that
and
even
families
that
started
just
oh.
Sometimes
we
have
women,
they
just
come
from
more
traditional
cultures
and
never
did
anything
on
them
by
themselves
and
then
they're
taking
their
kids
to
the
doctor
and
then
maybe
they're
creating
art,
and
then
they
start
selling
it
or
start
cooking
and
start
a
catering
business.
B
You
know
our
bar
for
success
is,
is
really
just
those
little
things
that
build
up
every
week
at
our
unit
meeting.
We
start
with
good
news,
and
it
can
be
so
and
so
you
know
got
enrolled
in
school
or
this
person
got
honors
at
school
or
the
mentor.
You
know
I
love
seeing
the
mentors
with
with
our
families
developing
the
close
relationships,
so
many
positives
and
that's
the
that's.
What
keeps
you
going
and
you
know
they've
been
through
so
much
that
they
will
get
through
this
and
our
society
is
built
on
immigrants
and
refugees.
B
A
B
Leslie,
so
I
wanted
to
make
sure
my
stewardship
would
continue.
I
gave
you
know
a
lot
of
notice
to
the
agency.
They
have
had
time
to
find
the
best
person.
I
have
time
to
train
that
person.
I
will
continue
to
be
available
to
because
I
think
we're
overlapping
by
one
month,
but
there's
so
much
so
many
details,
so
many
moving
parts
that
I'll
stay
available.
B
B
B
A
A
I
hope
everybody
listens
to
you
to
this
interview
because
again
you're
such
a
an
inspiration.
Thank
you
so
much
for
giving
us
part
of
your
time
today
and
then
for
those
of
you
watching.
I
hope
you
understand
what
a
gift
we've
had
in
the
region
and
we
still
have
so
again,
please
feel
free
to
reach
out.
If
you
want
to
volunteer
and
again
thank
you
leslie
so
much
and
we
wish.