Christians, Jews And Muslims United To Help This Syrian Refugee Family

A mosque, a synagogue and a church all united to support a Syrian refugee family. The Canadian interfaith group is called ACT.

"ACT, Abraham's Children Together, is a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews coming together specifically to help refugees from Syria come to Canada," said Rabbi Stephen Wise.

"So basically about 18 months ago, I called up my friend Morar, who happens to be a minister in the United Church, and my friend Stephen, who's a rabbi at the synagogue, and I said, 'Look, guys; let's have breakfast together and talk about the Syrian crisis,'" said Dr. Aliya Khan. 

"It came together, I think, based on the friendships and trust that had developed amongst the members of the different faiths," said Rabbi Wise.

ACT pooled its congregations' resources to support the Al-Balkhis — a family of seven.

"My name is Asyad, and these are my family. … We are from Syria. We came in December the 20th, 2015.

"This is the first I've heard about three different cultures, or religions, just to help the Syrians. … So then they found this house for us, and we moved here, and all of the furniture here is also provided from them."

Over the course of a year, the Al-Balkhis will transition toward independence.

ACT is just one of the many thousands of private sponsors that have taken in Syrian refugees alongside Canada's government.

Music provided courtesy of APM Music.