OCTOBER 15, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RODRIGO TORREJON
STAFF WRITER |
FRANKLIN LAKES – OAKLAND SUBURBAN NEWS
Oakland — When leaving home and traveling to an unknown land, there often are myriad reasons why. Freedom. Opportunity. Even survival.
For Sandy Khabbazeh, it was all of the above. Leaving her home in Aleppo, Syria, and her parents and older brother was by no means an easy decision, but it had to be made.
“I would consider myself a strong person because I had a lot of difficulty when I got here,” said Khabbazeh at a panel discussion on the Syrian refugee crisis, held at Ponds Reformed Church on Oct. 6.
The panel discussion was organized so area residents could hear firsthand the dangers and difficulties of being a refugee. Its goals were to elicit their feelings about the crisis and ascertain what they and the government could do to help the refugees.
Khabbazeh is one of the estimated 9.5 million Syrians who have been displaced by the civil war that broke out in 2011. As many as 6.5 million remain internally displaced. Arriving in 2014 on a student visa, Khabbazeh is being hosted by Rev. Nathan S. Busker of Pond’s Church, who moderated the discussion.
“It was about a year ago this month that Sandy knocked on the side door here, where our offices are located, and asked just to come in and pray,” recounted Busker. “From that moment, we began to befriend Sandy and get to know her. In January, she moved in with my family and she’s been there since.”
Upon hearing Khabbazeh and Busker’s story, religious leaders such as Minister Nolan Psalma of Upper Ridgewood Community Church, Imam Mahmoud Hamza of the Muslim Society of Ridgewood and Imam Mohammad Moutaz Charaf of the Elzahara Education Foundation in Midland Park expressed solidarity across religious lines and hoped to help housing refugees through their respective clergies just as Busker has.
The church leaders looked to panelist Robert Pettet, district director for Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th District), for answers on ways they and their clergies could help, citing the government roadblocks often faced in the sponsorship process.
“If there are folks that come here and are brought here in more than one sponsorship where there’s a group of individuals, it’s not the government’s responsibility, is it?” said Pettet. “It’s ours. Because we are the people.”
While most agreed with personal accountability, no direct answers on the individual sponsorship procedure were offered. Pettet acknowledged his own lack of preparation and emphasized community accountability for the issue. Residents and church leaders pressed the issue, reiterating that their churches are already willing to help.
“I agree with that 100 percent, but if the government doesn’t allow refugees to come, we cannot help,” said Psalma.