image description — The only community meeting held so far was well attended, so much that people were being turned away at the door because of crowding.

Community Meeting Set on Pittsfield Refugee Resettlement Program

Staff Reports01:48AM / Monday, February 06, 2017Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The organization heading the refugee resettlement program in Pittsfield will hold its second community meeting on the topic on Monday, Feb. 13.

Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts is looking to resettle 50 refugees from Iraq and Syria in Pittsfield. The group announced its intentions in September and held a community meeting later that month. That meeting was so well attended that people were being turned away at the door.

In January, the U.S. State Department approved Pittsfield as being a site for resettlement and the group announced it will have another round of community meetings. One was scheduled for Monday at Morningside School but that has since been canceled. The second is still scheduled for Feb. 13 at Herberg Middle School at 6 p.m.

"Jewish Family Service has been helping refugees to build new lives in Western Massachusetts for more than 40 years. We have been incredibly fortunate to have the strong support of the community in this work," said Maxine Stein, CEO of Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, said in a statement.

"Each year, we resettle more than 240 refugees through our Springfield office. Last year alone, we helped more than 80 families begin new lives in safety and freedom in the Springfield area. By expanding to Pittsfield, we will be able to help welcome an additional 50 refugees this year."

However, an executive order signed by President Trump put halt on resettlement programs. The impact of that order is expected to be discussed at the meeting on Feb. 13.

Jewish Family Services previously said Pittsfield is a particularly good place for a resettlement program because it had taken in hundreds from the former Soviet Union throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, has low housing costs to help refugees who feel heavy burdens of rent, an array of job opportunities, and leaders and people willing to help out.

"Newly arrived refugees need a safe, welcoming community in which they can rebuild their lives and contribute to the local economy. Pittsfield is an ideal location for resettlement because of its strong local industries, employment opportunities and low housing costs, all of which will make it easier for refugees to quickly attain self-sufficiency," Stein said in a statement.

And many city leaders are behind it, including Mayor Linda Tyer and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.

"Acts of violence perpetrated on the Syrian people are incomprehensible to those of us who live in a protected and secure nation," Tyer said in a statement. "I believe strongly, both personally and professionally, in our obligation to respond to this humanitarian crisis. And, I am committed to ensuring that the citizens of Pittsfield have ample opportunity to learn more about this endeavor and to providing a welcoming environment to those from Syria who we may someday call friend and neighbor."

Farley-Bouvier said, "I'm pleased to see that this process is moving forward. The people of Pittsfield have made it clear that they are eager to open their hearts and welcome new neighbors to our community. I'm particularly pleased that we are partnering with Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts who has many years of professional experience in refugee resettlement."

Tags: community meeting, refugees,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Greylock Youth SummerFest

Come join in on the wealth building fun! August 3-8. Click for event details. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

View Full Story