Having started with a focus of providing help to refugees, Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Washtenaw County has been performing good deeds and providing vital services to the people of its community for decades. To help celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, we had a far-reaching Q&A with Mira Sussman, the nonprofit organization’s Resource Development Manager and Impact Coordinator. Along with finding out what a person with a title like that actually does, we talked about the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam, meaning "repair of the world," and the role that concept plays in Judaism. We also talked about the important work JFS continues to do, and the harmful impact cuts in federal funding are having. On a brighter note, we also learn why listening to NSYNC is always a guiltless pleasure.
Let’s start with you telling us a little bit about Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County. What is its history?
Our roots stretch all the way back to the late 1970s, when we were formed as a small, all-volunteer organization to help resettle Jewish refugees from what was then Soviet Union coming to Ann Arbor. For many years, it was all very grassroots, a community effort with volunteers storing furniture in their garages and things like that. I should add that once we became official and connected with HIAS (a national refugee resettlement organization) the scope of work was expanded to include all refugees regardless of their background, their nationality, their religion, ethnicity, age.
Then, in 1993, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County was officially established. It was still a very small operation at that point. I think we literally had two desks. But we just kept growing and growing, with the goal of being able to provide a full array of wrap-around services. A sort of one-stop shop. And we’ve done that.
We have a food pantry that is open to all Washtenaw County residents and includes not only conventional groceries and produce, but also culturally specific (e.g., halal, kosher) and medically customized options. We have a commercial kitchen where we prepare food for Meals on Wheels deliveries. We offer English classes and job placement services, and programs for the elderly. We also work to help people find housing. Basically, whatever is needed to help people get established here, we provide, all in one spot. Last year, in various ways, we served about 22,000 people.
What is your job?
My title is Resource Development Manager and Impact Coordinator. It is a job that involves connecting with elected officials to do advocacy work, paying attention to policy shifts, and being an advocate for JFS out in the community. Another part of my job, and the reason I came back here in 2021 (after leaving for a time) was to find housing for the tsunami of Afghan refugees coming to Michigan after the Taliban takeover. I’m very proud of the work my colleagues did in that regard. We were able to have a lot of success in a very chaotic environment.
I still do a little bit of housing work and housing advocacy and am also working to help develop some more affordable housing.
Originally, you focused primarily on resettlement work, correct? What was that like?
Yes. I came to JFS in 2005 and worked in employment services and refugee resettlement until 2013. Working in refugee resettlement is exhausting work, physically and emotionally, but I also found it to be very gratifying. And very humbling.
In what regard?
Seeing what the people we work with have gone through in their lives, and continue to go through, really provides perspective. When I compare what’s going on in my life to the difficulties others are facing, the spectrum of what is good and what is bad on any given day widens quite a bit when you realize it's not just me and my little problems here in Michigan. Knowing that makes any difficulty I’m facing feel much, much smaller.
What attracted you to this kind of work?
I grew up in an environment that was very grounded in social service and social justice. I was very much influenced by my mother, who was a school social worker, and my father, who was a high school teacher. But it wasn’t just my parents. I was also influenced by my experiences as a member of Jewish youth group, and by my community as a whole. After getting an undergraduate degree in Jewish studies, I went on to get master’s degrees in social work and in faith-based non-profit service.
What role does Judaism play in all that?
Well, to start with, I'm going to use the phrase, tikkun olam. It is a Hebrew phrase meaning "repair of the world," and it is an important concept in Judaism that emphasizes people’s responsibility to improve the world and make it a more just and harmonious place. It’s not just about physical repair, but also about promoting social justice, and striving for a better world. The idea is that the world is broken in some fundamental ways, and that fixing those problems is up to humans. Doing that work isn’t just the right thing to do; it is holy. Along with that concept, we have a lot of texts that tell people what our jobs are, including things like clothing the needy, feeding the hungry, releasing captives, and raising the fallen.
The Torah repeats over and over to care for “the widow and the orphan and the stranger in our midst.” It’s the Torah’s way of commanding us to take care of the most needy and vulnerable. Being able to help do that as my job is really fantastic.
The current president’s administration has been touting a chainsaw approach to cutting funding to organizations providing all kinds of vital services. Is JFS among those getting hit hard?
Unfortunately, yes. We receive 83% of our funding from federal sources, so the cuts that are occurring are devastating. We have already had to lay off 17 people, from a staff of about 150 as a result.
What’s so disturbing, on top of seeing colleagues lose their jobs, is that these cuts are taking place at a time when, because of other cuts to federal programs, the needs of the people we serve are rapidly increasing. So, while there is a growing need for our services, there are fewer people on staff to address those needs. Our refugee settlement, for example, was completely terminated, but there are people who arrived in the past year, and up to three years ago, who still need support. Adding to the stress is the great degree of uncertainty looking forward. It's very, very, very hard to run any organization, be it a business or a nonprofit, with the level of uncertainty we are facing.
It is easy to imagine a situation like that creates a lot of angst.
Absolutely. Angst over seeing colleagues lose their jobs. Angst over the hardships being created for the people we serve, and angst over how we’re going to be able to fulfill our moral obligation to help them going forward. It's not hard to imagine that such a situation creates an incredible amount of angst. We’re dealing with people in desperate situations, and then, all of a sudden, you are not able to help them, and you don’t know where else to send them, because other organizations that we partner with are also experiencing severe cuts. It is brutal, because it is a very stressful time for so many people, and the stress caused by so much instability and uncertainty can be contagious.
How do you and your colleagues cope?
Anyone who does this kind of work better have a strong support structure in place: really good supervisors, friends, family to help. For me specifically, I have found in the past few months that it has been helpful to narrow my scope. It is helpful to acknowledge that, instead of responding emotionally to everything that is happening or feeling a responsibility to address every injustice that arises, I can’t fix everything myself. I can’t personally help everyone who needs it.
What I can do is focus on these very small areas where I, as an individual, can be of use and effective. But the other part of that is trusting that people who are way more qualified than I am in certain areas will also do their part to take care of others. So, along with focusing on what I can control, I am also trusting attorneys and judges and activists to do their part to help the most vulnerable among us.
What do you do for fun?
I’m a big believer in the fact that there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. If there is something that helps you let off steam, that provides joy, if you aren’t hurting anyone, there’s nothing to feel guilty about. Whatever it is, even if it seems to lack weight or importance, if it helps you sleep at night, you should go for it.
What is your guiltless pleasure?
A steady diet of NSYNC! (laughing) That’s what my playlist is – all NSYNC. Also, because my parents grew up in the Detroit area, I was raised listening to Motown and old-school R&B. That music still helps me find my happy place as well!
Is there anything we haven’t asked that you think is important to address?
Yes, I want to give a shoutout to all my wonderful colleagues. These are people who come from all over the world, all different backgrounds, all different religions, ethnicities, languages. And they're all so hard working and creative and dedicated. It is really wonderful to be surrounded by people who inspire you to do better and achieve more!
Finally, what gives you hope?
Outside of work, I tutor and do volunteer work with youth groups. So, I get to hang out with, and hear from, some of the most passionate, intelligent kids you can imagine. They're so much smarter and more aware than we were at that age. Seeing them, and their passion, really gives me hope.