A Syrian Refugee Says Thank You to Israel
One of the first lessons that parents teach their children is to say thank you and to show appreciation to those who provide assistance to them. It is a lesson that, hopefully, is ingrained in a person’s mind and words that s/he have been saying since s/he has been able to talk. Children are taught to thank people in many situations, for example, the ice cream man who hands you your cone, your mom for making you dinner, your teacher for teaching you that day, the man who held the door open for you, and so forth. The words “thank you,” and the act of expressing gratitude are filled with tremendous importance.
We came across a special story that I wanted to share with you. Aboud Dandachi, a Sunni Muslim, who was originally from the city of Homs, Syria, and who now lives in Istanbul, Turkey perfectly exemplifies the importance and the greatness of the words “thank you.” Mr. Dandachi went beyond just saying thank you by creating a website whose purpose is to thank the people of Israel who have helped Syrian refugees during this tragic period for the people of Syria, and to help spread the word about how the people of Israel have helped people from Syria. The site contains news stories and op-eds discussing the help that Israelis has been giving to Syrian refugees. His message is very important for families to read: “As a Syrian, I am morally obligated to ensure that the goodwill that Israelis and Jews have displayed towards my people will not be overlooked nor forgotten. The day will come when the conflict in Syria will come to an end, as all things come to an end. On that day, it is imperative that Syrians reciprocate the enormous goodwill shown towards us by Israelis and the Jewish people. Whatever supposed reasons we may have had to be adversaries is dwarfed by the compassion shown to us during our darkest days, a time when we have nothing to give back except our gratitude.” Mr. Dandachi, used his skills as a high tech manager to spread his gratitude throughout the world.
We hope others learn from Mr. Dandachi’s great example.
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