Dorchester People for Peace partnered with First Parish Church last Sunday night in hosting a gathering of Dorchester families, advocates, and Syrian refugee survivors for an evening of Middle Eastern food and discussion.
Jeff Klein, one of the coordinators from Dorchester People for Peace, said that seeing 80 guests in the room was more than he had anticipated. He characterized the turnout as an example of the growing support for peace in Syria: “People of good feeling are fighting back against all this horrible bigotry that’s coming through,” he said. “It took a while, because hate is sometimes stronger than love, or at least it’s quicker.”

Klein said he is hopeful that the event will bring more awareness to his organization’s mission of aiding refugees affected by the war in Syria that has spawned a larger humanitarian crisis.

“We think people will go home and sort of spread the idea that the stereotypes they have about Syrians and Arabs are not really valid,” he said. “We have a responsibility to do what we can to ease the plight of Syrians there and here and fight against this crazy anti-Muslim stuff that’s in our politics. But more than that, we have to pressure our government to stop feeding the war in Syria.” His assertion elicited a number of nods from the audience.

Youla Hana, 56, was one of several Syrian survivors on hand to share her story. Hana fled from Damascus, Syria, in 1988 and currently lives in Belmont with her husband and three daughters, all of whom were influenced by their mother’s plight and are current advocates for Syrian refugees. “They need our help,” Hana said. “So the least we can do is help them get to a safe place and help all these children to go to school because schools are very important for children.”

Children were also a focus for Angela Kelly, a member of Dorchester People for Peace who shared her experiences of creating artwork with young refugees during a recent trip to Greece. Similarly incorporating art, Kelly used the event to mentor children in Dorchester who, she said, were eager to lend a hand by creating cards with messages of solidarity for the refugees.

“It was really powerful to see how much the young people in our own community were really connected with the idea of wanting to wish children all around the world a sense of peace, welcome, and encouragement on their long difficult journey,” Kelly said, adding that she believes unity and positivity among the refugees are crucial methods of dealing with the crisis, calling it “something we can all learn from. I also think we need to understand how [refugees] are finding ways to be empowered even amidst such difficult circumstances,” she said.

Mary Regan, 54, of Somerville, has been a community organizer and peace advocate her whole life. She said Sunday’s event gave her the chance to share her compassion for humanity with others of the same mentality. “It recommits me to my work with peace and it recommits me to working as an American to make sure that our policies are better and more humane,” she said.