We are pleased to announce that, after more than four years of anxious waiting, Jwan, the nephew of Maha, our previously sponsored refugee, has finally arrived in Vancouver.
Jwan,who is soon turning twenty-five, was in his last year of high school when he was ordered to join the army by the Syrian Armed Forces, as well as by the Kurdish Protection Forces. His request to postpone the army service, to complete his high school studies and graduate, was firmly rejected. He therefore saw no other way out than to flee to Iraq, particularlyas serving in any of these armies was highly risky for Kurdish Syrians. In December 2018, with the help of smugglers, Jwan made his way to Erbil in Kurdish Iraq.
Maha,who has remained in close contact with Temple Sholom members, asked if it would be possible for Temple to also sponsor Jwan. In the true spirit of Temple Sholom, Rabbi Dan and the board were quick to say yes. It suggested that we should try to raise the needed funds from outside the Temple, as they had just taken on another refugee family. Turning to friends, we secured the $17,500,the required amount for sponsoring a single person. An interesting twist is that almost half of the money came from someone who had just received a considerable sum from the Dutch Railways, which had just decided to compensate survivors or their children for money the Railways had received from the Germans during the war for transporting Jews to concentration camps. Like in previous Temple Sholom Syrian refugee cases, the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster submitted the application under their Sponsorship Agreement with the Federal Government, something we will always remain highly grateful for. Once approved by Citizenship Canada, we established regular contact with Jwan. Temple member, Mike Levitt, volunteered to tutor English and quickly became the key contact person, providing constant support until Jwan could leave for Vancouver.
Life in Erbil was hard as young Kurdish men were not particularly welcome. To begin with, Jwan supported himself by delivering food by a motorbike. Very soon, his motorbike was stolen, but Mike, through a GoFundMe initiative, managed to raise enough money for Jwan to get another second-hand bike. Delivering was a dangerous job, and after three serious accidents with two broken legs, he got a job in a restaurant, but during COVID he lost the job and his income. We therefore decided to allocate some of the money that had been raised and was intended to be used after his arrival to support him during this time. What made his stay especially difficult was that the process to be admitted to Canada dragged on. At times, he seriously considered leaving and attempting to get into Europe via some smuggling route, despite the obvious dangers this would involve.
With help from Jenny Kwan MP, whose office repeatedly contacted Immigration Canada on our behalf to try to expedite the process, Jwan finally had his interview. Shockingly, Jwan received a letter stating his application had been denied. He was given the option to appeal the decision. However, accordingto the advice we initially received, the likelihood of success was very low, and the costs involved in challenging would be considerable. At this point, like Jwan’s family, we felt that everything was lost and started to explore if we could use what remained of the funds to help him secure a steady income in Erbil. We then were contacted by Shakuntala, our contact person at the Diocese, who, despite low odds, urged us to appeal and recommended a lawyer in Toronto. After coordinating with Rabbi Dan, it was decided that we should use some of the remaining funds for an appeal. As a result of the lawyer’s intervention, Jwan was contacted by Immigration Canada, who requested additional information, which was quickly submitted. We expected another long wait, but to everyone’s great surprise, with in two days of submitting his response, Jwan received a message stating that his application had been approved, and that he could expect to leave for Canada shortly. A month later, he arrived at YVR.
Jwan is very lucky that not only does he have Maha here, but also her sister Ahin and her family, who came as government-sponsored refugees at about the same time Maha and her family. The plan is for Jwan to stay with Ahin as she has space. While Ahin and Maha will provide room and board, it is our intention to try to contribute some financial support, $1000 a month, during the first year to cover general expenses. As a consequence of having used money when Jwan was unemployed and to cover the legal costs, we need to raise an additional $ 6,000 for the Temple’s Refugee Resettlement Fund.
Jwan has already had his language skills tested and is waiting to be enrolled in an ESL program with the goal of ultimately reaching level 12 English. After that, his intent is to attend BCIT, to train as a car mechanic, with the hope of being able to work on a BMW, now and then.
Kjell Rubenson,
on behalf of The JwanResettlement Committee
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