Our family loved welcoming the Hayanis and Aljelous, the Syrian refugee families TBE has been supporting, to their first Thanksgiving celebration in America. The two families joined me, my husband, Tom, our children, Raquel, Alana, and Michael, my parents, Fay and Julian Bussgang; a Wellesley College student from Kenya; and some of our local friends for a festive dinner with 22 people—ranging from ages 9 months to 92 years old.

Fortunately, my daughter, Raquel, who studied Arabic for three years in college and spent the past year living and working in Morocco, could translate for the group, even though the dialect she learned is different than the one the families speak. It was Raquel’s idea to invite the Syrian families with whom she volunteered after returning from Morocco before she started a job in Washington, D.C.

My dad, Julian was a Polish refugee himself for 10 years before coming to America after World War II so it was very meaningful for the Rosenblooms and Bussgangs to welcome the Syrians into their home.