High school students from the congregation have already started going to Elizabeth to tutor the immigrant children Watch video
Muslim and Jewish children play games together during the Christmas dinner at Bnai Keshet Synagogue in Montclair. (Courtesy of Bnai Keshet) MONTCLAIR -- A Christmas dinner involving Syrian Muslim refugees and their Jewish hosts went "really well," organizers said, and more events are in the works.
Bnai Keshet Synagogue in Montclair hosted 10 refugee families living in Elizabeth for a "traditional" Jewish Christmas dinner of Chinese food.
"It went really, really well," reported Rabbi Elliott Tepperman, the leader of Bnai Keshet. "It was lovely. Everybody was so warm and excited to be together."
"People were really absorbed. Everybody was interacting," added congregation member Kate McCaffrey. About 130 people attended, organizers said.
The two groups have already formed an ongoing relationship, with high school students from the Reconstructionist congregation going to the Elizabeth Public Library to tutor the refugees, McCaffrey said.
More Muslim-Jewish get-togethers are in the planning stages, McCaffrey said, including a bowling outing and a party celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim in March.
Tepperman and McCaffrey both reported that it was an emotional night for both the Jews and the Muslims, as they bonded over their common experiences as refugees.
When Tepperman spoke about the experiences of his refugee grandfather, "he made it clear that this (event) was a representation of Jewish values," McCaffrey said.
He reminded the Muslims that in past decades, " 'we were you,' " she said. "People said horrible things about Jewish immigrants."
"They were crying and we were crying," McCaffrey said, adding that the interpreter, one of three Arabic-speaking translators on hand for the event, was also in tears as she spoke.
About 130 people attended the event in Montclair, including 10 Muslim Syrian refugee families living in Elizabeth. (Courtesy of Bnai Keshet) One of the interpreters, a native of Syria, spoke "eloquently" about how she came to the United States in 1969 and said the dinner represents an example of "American freedom," McCaffrey said.
Among those in attendance at the event were two Columbia Journalism School students, Sneha Antony and Maria Chiu, who created the video seen here.
The women, who are interested in documenting the experiences of Syrian refugees, are specializing in documentary filmmaking at Columbia and working as freelance journalists in the New York area, Antony said.
Tepperman and McCaffrey both reported there was no discussion of the political tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors in the Middle East.
At one point, McCaffrey reported, a Syrian man said, "America, good" and "Syria, Assad, bad," referring to the leader of the Syrian government as he made a weapons-like sound.
"I don't know if they perceived us as Jews or as Americans," she added. "They were just happy to be welcome."
Many of the conversations between the American and Syrian adults concerned their jobs, Tepperman reported.
The Syrians "spoke about their eagerness to find work," Tepperman said, noting that one man who is a tailor is looking for a place to use his skills.
Meanwhile, "The kids were all playing together," Tepperman added.
The children brought board games and the children enjoyed their time together, McCaffrey said.
The catered meal consisted of Kosher vegetarian Asian food.
Although the Syrians initially studied the unfamiliar food carefully, "The egg rolls were a big hit," McCaffrey said, adding that ice cream for dessert, with toppings, also proved particularly popular.
After the Bnai Keshet congregants drove the immigrants back to Elizabeth, one family "invited us for coffee at their apartment," McCaffrey said. "It was nice."
Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
