Before they were raising funds from donors and corporate foundations in support of refugees, they were colleagues in the financial world. Greg Sharenow and Hussein Allidina founded the Interfaith Refugee Project as a way for their peers in the financial industry to join a united, interfaith response to the global refugee crisis.
Marina Berger, a personal chef, got involved with HIAS after hearing her rabbi speak about the Syrian refugee crisis during Yom Kippur services last fall. She recognized a familiar name among the organizations that were mentioned as helping refugees in the United States. “HIAS resettled my parents, brother and extended family when they emigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1970s,” Berger said.
In a powerful show of support for Syrian refugees, close to 1,000 volunteers gathered in the historic 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan, assembling personal hygiene kits for those who have fled the Syrian civil war. “It made me feel part of a larger community. One that is saying to the recipients of these packages, there are people who care about you. You are not forgotten,” said Laurel Garron, a HIAS volunteer.
