Joel Paul—Welcoming the Stranger: Leaving an Enduring Legacy for Refugees
 |
Joel Richard Paul is an author and a professor of law at the University of California Law School in San Francisco, where he taught constitutional and international economic law. He is also the former dean of global programs there. He has worked on federal trade policy, brought first amendment cases to the U.S. Supreme Court, testified before Congress, managed political campaigns, and worked on affordable housing policies.
Joel has also written three nonfiction history books: Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism, Without Precedent: Chief Justice Marshall and His Times, and Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright and a Spy Saved the American Revolution. He recently turned the latter into a play.
When you ask why Joel chooses to support the HIAS Foundation, his answer is twofold:
First, he says, “As a Jew and a historian, I feel the ripples of history in the present. The journey of the Jewish people has been one of continual displacement from war, persecution, and suffering. We know what it means to be a stranger. The work that HIAS does is deeply rooted in my faith, and my faith commands me to welcome the stranger.”
Second, he continues, “As an American, I recognize the value that refugees and immigrants add to our social and economic life. I want to help refugees start a new life here because I know that they will add to our cultural life, our economic prosperity, and our intellectual capital.”
Joel is inspired by HIAS’ work to settle refugees not just in America but all around the world. He has chosen to create an economic advancement endowment fund that will provide micro loans to help refugees settle and start new businesses in the United States.
“It will help refugees integrate into our society and at the same time it will enrich our society,” he explains. “It’s a sound investment in America’s economic development and will facilitate the integration of refugees into our country by helping them to become productive citizens.”
Joel points out that it doesn’t take a lot of money to start up an endowment gift like he has done. “I’m not a venture capitalist,” he jokes. “It doesn’t take a lot to support the important work that HIAS does, and an endowment will leave a lasting legacy. Every person feels the need to leave behind something that will endure.”
Joel hopes his legacy will be something that transforms people's lives and creates new opportunities not just for refugees. “I hope that my endowment will enrich our country and make it a better, more humane, place to live.”
© Pentera, Inc. Planned giving content. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer