Temple volunteers bid
refugee family farewell
By Robin Warren
December 25, 2024
Last night we had a farewell party for Zamu and Asha Ware, two young Muslim women from Kenya who will be leaving St Pete at the end of the month to join their mom and younger siblings in Ohio.
This journey for us began 15 months ago when, after many months of planning, Temple Beth El entered into an agreement with Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services to co-sponsor a refugee family. The outpouring of generosity from TBE members for this family was overwhelming. Folks donated furniture and household items to furnish a house, gave gift cards and funds to help meet the family’s needs, and let them know they were welcome in our community. A group of us, who became known as the family’s 6 Jewish moms, helped get kids enrolled in school, helped the mom enroll in English classes, arranged medical appointments, introduced them to banking and ATMs, and generally helped the family navigate their way through the maze that is life in America.
The mom and youngest children moved to Ohio last spring to live close to others from their home country who share their faith, language and customs. Zamu stayed behind to finish high school and start college. After months of effort and much worrying, Asha finally made it from Kenya to the U.S. in April. With help from their Jewish moms, both girls found great jobs in health care where they’ve learned skills that will enable them to find good jobs when they move to Ohio.
We fell in love with our Muslim daughters. It has brought us great joy and satisfaction to see them thrive. We know they’re on a path to success. We’ve learned a lot, too, about navigating complexities in our education, health and governmental assistance systems. We got a crash course in Muslim customs and holidays, while the girls got to experience our Jewish traditions. (They can’t wait to have latkes with us again.)
Last night as we celebrated with Zamu and Asha and we all shed tears over how we will miss each other, I was struck by how we Jewish moms have bonded with one another over this shared experience. When we set out on this journey we never imagined the many ways we’d be enriched and rewarded by this experience. I’m filled with gratitude.
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