Crossing Borders

In many refugee crises, there is a clear divide between victims of the crisis and the humanitarian staff who help them. But in Ukraine, that line is blurred and many of the aid workers who work with the country’s enormous displaced population have themselves been uprooted by the conflict.

In this episode of Crossing Borders, HIAS’ podcast about what it’s like to be a refugee, we hear from some of these humanitarian agency workers and how they have been helping despite contending with aerial bombardment, infrastructure destruction, and freezing weather.

When Mohammed and his family arrived in the United States last year after being evacuated from Afghanistan, they were assigned to a Welcome Circle: nine volunteers from a Baltimore-area synagogue tasked with helping them settle into a new life. The experience proved to be transformational for everyone involved. In this episode of Crossing Borders, we learn more about how this remarkable bond was formed -- and why further action is needed for Mohammed and his family to continue their journey in America.

Monim Haroon escaped Sudan and thought going to Israel in 2012 would be the best way to start anew. But his life as an asylum seeker in Israel has been anything but easy. Monim was detained, imprisoned and then lived for years without any rights. There are more than 30,000 Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel and most live in legal limbo with little hope for a normal future. In the latest episode of Crossing Borders, the HIAS podcast, we hear Monim’s story and learn about the complicated issue of asylum in Israel.

For the past few weeks, Yalda Afif, an Afghan program officer for HIAS in New York, and Bahar*, an Afghan refugee resettled by HIAS who now volunteers for the organization, have fielded scores of phone calls from family, friends and others in Afghanistan, desperate for help as the country quickly fell to the Taliban.

For this special episode of Crossing Borders, journalist Rhoda Metcalf spoke with the two HIAS staffers, who have listened to the anguished pleas of their countrymen, fearful of getting trapped along with thousands of others at the end of a 20-year war.

In recent years, tens of thousands of people have made their way to the U.S.-Mexico border fleeing violence, persecution, and threats on their lives. They hoped to apply for asylum and restart their lives in safety in the United States. Instead, they found the border almost entirely closed. In this episode of Crossing Borders, we delve into the lives of these asylum seekers, their arduous journeys, the dangers they face while waiting in Mexico for hearings, and their struggles with an immigration system that all too often denies them basic legal rights.

The bucolic Greek island of Lesvos, located just a few miles off the coast of Turkey, has in recent years become one of the epicenters of the global refugee crisis. Since 2014, more than 1 million refugees have sought safety in Greece; today, tens of thousands remain stranded in refugee camps amid the olive groves of Lesvos. In this episode of Crossing Borders, we’ll hear from a few of those refugees as well as the dedicated lawyers who are trying to help them navigate Europe’s complex legal system.

In recent years, South America has experienced the largest refugee movement in that continent’s history. More than five million Venezuelans have fled economic, social and political instability, straining the resources and patience of neighboring countries. In this episode we’ll hear stories of people from Venezuela who are trying to restart their lives in Ecuador.

The COVID pandemic has upended the lives of people all around the world, but it poses particular dangers to refugees, many of whom live in overcrowded conditions, without the legal status of regular citizens. When travel and economic restrictions lead to job loss, many of these already vulnerable people are unable to afford food, rent or other necessities.

Crossing Borders is a new podcast series that takes you inside the experience of being a refugee, and into the work of HIAS, an organization which is helping refugees around the world find safety and rebuild their lives.

Come with us -- to South America, to the Mediteranean, to Africa -- and get to know refugees and some of the people who are trying to help them. Crossing Borders, listen now.