More than four years ago, Reshad and Zulfar Ahmadi came to White Plains from Afghanistan – fleeing Kabul after insurgents physically and verbally attacked them because of Reshad's work with the U.S. government.

The Jewish Community Center of Harrison Conservative Synagogue helped them find a home and start new lives in Westchester.

The family is telling their story during Refugee Shabbat 2022. Hundreds of congregations around the world are taking part, sharing readings about the refugee crisis and hearing from refugees in their own communities.

It's a project from the nonprofit HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees.
Refugee Shabbat is particularly pertinent as more than 1 million people have left Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

"Our hearts are breaking right now because when I started seeing the invasion, it was déjà vu,” says Reshad Ahmadi.

The JCCH is working with HIAS to try to resettle nine more of the family’s close relatives in White Plains.

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