Last weekend, as I drove into the parking lot at Temple Brith K’odesh to drop off items for an event sponsored by the Refugee Committee of the Jewish Federation, I couldn’t help but think about my own paternal grandparents who came from Russia in the early 1920s. 

My grandfather had been a doctor there, but he, my grandmother and my aunt left their home behind to come to America.  They ended up moving to Staten Island, where my grandfather was eventually able to begin his practice, becoming the first doctor in the area to own a car for house calls.

Their journey was made easier by the Jewish community that welcomed them to this country. They went on to be one of the founding families of a small Jewish congregation that exists to this day on Staten Island.

Here in Rochester, the Jewish Federation’s event, Supporting Our Refugee Neighbors, was inspired by recent proposed changes in immigration rules. It’s part of a long legacy of the Jewish community supporting refugees.

Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of the national organization HIAS, the Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees and formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, famously said, “We used to help refugees because they were Jewish; now we help them because we are Jewish.”

Led by co-chairs Roberta Borg and Barbara Orenstein-Present, the event saw an army of more than 75 volunteers collect donated items that are desperately needed by refugees in our community.

The committee worked with eight local refugee agencies for months to plan the event, including — among others — Mary’s Place, Refugees Helping Refugees, Saint’s Place, and the Muslim Volunteer Network.  Rochester’s refugee community includes people from Somalia, Myanmar, Congo, Iraq, and other countries.

Each refugee agency serves a different need in the community, but together they worked to figure out the most imminent needs. They collected boots, coats, toiletries and household items for men, women, and children who left behind their homes and countries to find a safe place for their families to live, grow and prosper. The agencies also were present at the event to share information about their work and meet the people they’d be helping.

The Federation reports that at last count over 1,000 bags of goods were collected. In fact, so much was collected that the Federation was able to rent a U-Haul truck to bring goods to Ibero for over 500 families from Puerto Rico who have moved to Rochester as a result of Hurricane Maria.  Julie Nusbaum, Chair of the Community Relations Committee was heartened by the overwhelming success of the event, “People want to do something and feel like they are making an impact.”

The holidays are a time not only for giving to those we love but for creating a loving community for those who we don’t even know.  You can gather like the Jewish community to make a big difference; find your own spiritual community to work with to respond to those in need, or just find a group of your own neighbors to get started.

I believe when each of us decides to just do something — anything — to make a difference for others we can change the world — or at least our little corner of the world called Rochester. #supportourrefugees #dosomething

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/JewishRochester.

As first published in the Democrat + Chronicle and on the USA Today Network