Among the Lucky Few: Syrian Family Rebuilds in America’s Heartland

Toledo, Ohio, is among the communities doing its best to welcome refugees. “Fewer than 2,000 Syrians have come to the U.S., though the war has displaced more than 12 million since it began in 2011,” reports Ari Shapiro for NPR. He describes the experiences of one of eight families settling in Toledo with the help of diverse faith groups: A Christian group provides language lessons and day care, retirees gather and distribute used furniture, and the group coordinating services and housing is funded by a Jewish group originally organized to help resettle Jewish families during the previous century. “That's real humanity.... we're human before religion was formed," notes coordinator Corine Dehabey. “So that's what makes the United States unique because everybody comes together to help this person.” Some families sided with the al-Assad regime and others with the rebels; no questions are asked. The Toledo mayor counters critics who worry about infiltration by terrorists by suggesting that helping one family helps the community. – YaleGlobal