I received word from ICA that our proposal to sponsor Reem and her two daughters has been approved. That means we will be moving forward with a designated IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) sponsorship slot through ICA (iCA immigratin consultancy services) vs just being on the waitlist as before. Based on this very significant development (a real miracle given the current difficult circumstances of the family) we can start fundraising in earnest and accepting donations through the Synagogue refugee fund. I will re-allocate the donations already received from St Philip congregants for this purpose.
We are receiving very positive feedback from our team members about fundraising possibilities. However ICA are hoping to submit the full application to the IRCC by the end of March, so time is short. We will need to raise $35,000 by then in order to avoid any issues with a new government suspending the program later in the year.
The current Syrian family the synagogue is sponsoring are settling down well and all family members, including four kids ages 3 to 10, are currently in school. They are making good progress with their English, learning about life here etc. We want to thank St Philip members and the board for your support for our refugee work over the years.
To contribute, see link below to make a tax deductible donation through the Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue, or write a cheque to Congregation Emanu-El. 1461 Blanshard Street, Victoria, V8W 2J3. With a comment in the note section saying: "For New Refugee Family".
https://congregationemanuel.shulcloud.com/payment.php?donation_type_id=6709560
To learn more about this initiative, please contact us at CEE.Refugee@gmail.com
Shalom/Salaam
Robert Oppenheimer
Chair, Congregation Emanu-El Refugee Project