Temple Beth Israel

Since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, millions of Syrians have been displaced either inside Syria or in neighboring countries.   Despite huge humanitarian efforts, the crisis remains - millions of Syrians are homeless, many live in refugee camps and lack the basic necessities for subsistence. 

Ahmed Ali Rahman and his wife, Fatima Houssin Al Rahman, are the parents of 3 young children.  The oldest, Nagham, who is 7 years old, was blinded in both eyes at 2 years of age by bullets during violent attacks between the Syrian regime army and other armed groups. Nagham has two younger siblings, Ali Ahmad who is 3 and Qatr Alnada Ahmad who is 1 1/2 years old. 



The family of 5 was forced to flee their hometown of Al Qalamoon, near Damascus, to Lebanon, where they are living in a refugee camp in a remote area near the Syrian-Lebanese border. Conditions in the camp are extremely cold and wet, and the children spend much of their time playing outside in the mud. Unfortunately, Ahmed Ali, who was a farmer before he was forced to flee to the refugee camp, has been unable to find any work.

While reflecting on the Holocaust, many people ask:  Where was God?
The great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel asked a different question.  He asked:  Where was mankind?
While the Syrian Civil War is not the Holocaust, it is a horrific and barbarous event that is destroying millions of peoples' lives.
Why won't God stop the Syrian Civil War?  That question is a mystery.
Why aren't good people around the world responding to help?  That is a question each individual needs to ask of him or herself.
We have started this GoFundMe page so that people of conscience do more than feel bad about the Civil War in Syria.  This project gives people the opportunity to act, to save lives, and to make a difference!

We are the Social Action Committee of Temple Beth Israel (TBI), Port Washington, NY.  As a synagogue, we are committed to Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). Unfortunately, there is no option at this time for Syrian refugees to be resettled in the United States.  But we do want to help these Syrian refugees find better lives elsewhere.

TBI has connected with a community organization in Canada, Levant Canada (previously NadjaNow Canada), that has been raising money to help resettle Syrian refugees in Canada. Levant operates as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with the Canadian government, which allows Levant to sponsor a small number of refugees each year into their local community. Sponsoring a refugee means applying for their resettlement, providing them with temporary and/or permanent housing, assuming all necessary resettlement costs for approximately one year, and most importantly, assisting the refugees with integrating into Canadian society by helping them resume studies, benefit from vocational training and find decent jobs.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to raise enough money to allow this Syrian family to resettle in Canada through  Levant Canada. The funds raised here, through GoFundMe, will be processed through TBI's PayPal account and then 100% of it will be sent to Levant Canada with the express purpose of resettling the family in Canada.  It is also hoped that once resettled in Canada, Nagham may be able to undergo surgery to restore at least some of her vision.

The TBI Social Action Committee is also fortunate to have received an incredibly generous offer from a local couple,  Adam and Renée Haber, who will match all contributions raised by this TBI fundraiser.  This is the fourth Syrian family the Habers have worked to sponsor.

Although we cannot help all of the deserving refugees, we can help this one family, in keeping with the tradition that whoever saves one life has saved all humanity.