CSI Nyack Holds Refugee Shabbat With Afghan Guests

NYACK, NY — Congregation Sons of Israel held its annual Refugee Shabbat on Saturday, joined by their friend and neighbor from the Islamic Center of Rockland, Faiz Khan, who shared his experience as a co-sponsoring partner in the "Welcome the Stranger" initiative that re-settled an Afghan family of three to Nyack this past year

A special service was followed by a visit by guests who shared their story of escape from Afghanistan and resettlement in New York first with 35 middle-school-aged children and their parents, and then with more than 100 people over a special lunch featuring traditional Afghan foods, prepared in the CSI kitchen with assistance from more new neighbors.

"We dedicate one Shabbat every year to reaffirm our support of and commitment to refugees worldwide, both as a matter of our Jewish obligation to "Welcome the Stranger" and in honor of the fact that most members of our synagogue community are beneficiaries of the US having welcomed our ancestors just a few generations ago," Tamara Freuman, the Social Action Chair, CSI Nyack, told Patch. "Meeting someone face to face and bearing witness to their story is essential to preventing us from becoming desensitized to the plight of refugees and others who are experiencing forced migration; we must remember that behind every number is a human life worthy of being lived and deserving of basic freedom, safety and respect."

Refugee Shabbat, Feb. 3-4 in 2023, a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals in the United States and around the world to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers, is the brainchild of HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).

This year, for the first time ever, the total number of displaced persons globally is over 100 million, she said. "This is a critical moment for all of us to reaffirm and redouble our support for refugees and asylum seekers."