"R." is a Syrian-Palestinian widow currently living with her two teenage daughters as refugees. They are in a "third country" where they are very vulnerable due to their uncertain legal status and at daily risk of arrest or deportation back to Syria. The girls' father was killed by unknown forces while trying to protect family members during the Syrian Civil War, when the girls were young, which led to R's decision to leave Syria. Given that history, she doesn't feel it would be safe for them to return to Syria, despite the recent change in regime there.
As a widow alone with her young children, who was receiving frequent death threats, R. had to move her family frequently. She and her daughters went through several very difficult years before they were able to leave Syria and feel very vulnerable in their current situation due to being without residency status.
Once our sponsorship is ratified by the Canadian immigration authorities—hopefully in the next few months—this will make their situation both less dangerous and far more hopeful. It will assure the local authorities they have been accepted to come to Canada and this will help clarify their future status. The girls both dream of studying to become physicians, which will become a realistic possibility once they are settled here in BC.
The family have been accepted by ICA for sponsorship with the organizational support of both Congregation Emanu-El and Christ Church Cathedral. Our sponsorship committee includes Muslims, Jews, Christians and the unaffiliated, and we welcome participants from any background to join us in this effort. This approach is based on a vision Rabbi Harry had for this type of "big tent" interfaith refugee initiative.
Due to changes in the federal immigration situation, we will have until the end of March 2025 to raise the initial $30,000 required for the sponsorship. We will need to raise double that amount in all. We are confident we can manage this task as many of us on the committee have already helped multiple families become permanent residents of Canada on arrival here in Victoria. We have done this through the same "Private Sponsorship" federal program we are using for R. and her daughters.
We see this type of humanitarian and interfaith collaboration as a powerful way to counter both Islamophobia and antisemitism, and to show our solidarity with refugees who are in need of a safe haven. It is also a way to be reminded that the circumstances of our birth are just chance, and that many Canadians have been refugees themselves in their family history.
Photo by Noor Aldin Alwan
<aside> 💡
Every contribution helps provide safety, stability, and a hopeful future for R. and her daughters.
</aside>
To donate towards R. and her family's costs, please follow the instructions below. All donations will go towards refugee settlement costs. For tax deductible donations through Congregation Emanu-El, the link below will take you directly to the synagogue's donations page and to the account for R's family.
Alternatively, send a cheque to the synagogue, payable to "Congregation Emanu-El" with "Refugee Sponsorship CE25" in the notes section. Or call the Synagogue office at 250-382-0651 to pay by credit card.
<aside> 💡
Email us at [email protected] for any questions about the sponsorship, or to contact us about joining the sponsorship team as a volunteer.
</aside>
The "E" family have been in Victoria since late September 2024 and are settling in well. The family really appreciates all the help they have received through the synagogue and the Lutheran Church of the Cross over the course of their sponsorship to date.
The older children already speak fairly fluent English and are attending a local elementary school near their "permanent" home. The youngest family member is now going to childcare at ICA, where his Mom Reem is taking English classes. He now has friends his own age, and is beginning to speak a little English. Mohammad and Reem are also making good progress with their English studies. Reem is planning to start a home baking business and is getting food prep certification at ICA. Mohammad is looking forward to getting a job as a mechanic once his English studies at Camosun are over. If you have useful connections for him in this regard, please let us know. Also if anyone has some spare tools, he is eager to collect some.