Called to Act - March 16, 2016 - Syrian Refugee Crisis
Welcome to the “Called to Act” blog of the Blauvelt Dominican Sisters. I will be posting occasional information and actions for justice, which I hope will be of assistance to you in your desire to make the world a better place.
In this first post I am happy to let you know that the organizers of the Refugees: a Call to Action by the Westchester, Rockland and Hudson Valley Community will be hosting a forum on the Syrian Refugee crisis on Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 pm. I hope you will be able to join us at the Memorial United Methodist Church, 250 Bryant Avenue in White Plains. The five Dominican Sisters Congregations in Westchester and Rockland Counties (Amityville, Blauvelt, Hope, Maryknoll and Sparkill) are among the many signers of this Call to Action.
At the forum we will hear the personal story of Syrian refugee,Sana Mustafa, and learn from two resettlement agencies IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services) and HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) about what’s happening with Syrian refugees in the U.S. and what we can do. And then, we can ask our questions!
Nothing is getting better for Syrian refugees at the moment. Increasingly, they are being shut out of Europe, the countries neighboring Syria are groaning under the burden of the millions of displaced, and the U.S. resettlement efforts remain slow and relatively small. The Dominican Congregations who signed the Call to Action and our friends need to be informed in order to know how we can help. The creators of the Call to Action hope this forum will be a step in that process.
Sister Ceil Lavan, OP