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Religious institutions form unlikely partnership to aid Syrian refugees

Posted on March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 by

Refugee committee Jewish and Muslim co chairs — *Refugee committee co-chairs Andrew Hazen, left, from Temple Har Zion, poses with Alireza Torabian, from the Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre.*
*(Kevin Van Paassen for The Globe and Mail)*

For years, the Temple Har Zion and the Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre (IMIC) have been neighbours, even sharing a parking lot, in Thornhill, Ont. Now, the unlikely partners are about to share a major responsibility – sponsoring a group of Syrian refugees.

The religious institutions have united to privately sponsor Syrian refugees to resettle in Canada. Together, they are pooling their resources to raise a target of $60,000 in the next couple of months.

Temple Har Zion Rabbi Cory Weiss says the co-operation is “groundbreaking” for both organizations.

“It brought us together in a way that nothing else has,” Mr. Weiss told The Globe. “The more we learn about each other’s religion, the more we realize we have in common.”

Continue to the full article at the Globe and Mail…