Ali had our weekly meeting in our “office,” a table at Stewart’s, a convenience store in the hamlet of Schagitcoke, N.Y., halfway between my farm and his home in Albany, N.Y.
We meet there weekly to plan our program to support the Albany Warriors, the soccer team he coaches and cares for, and the older refugees and immigrants who need help.
The sight of the tall Muslim and the Jew gathering for coffee turned a few heads for a while, but we are regulars now, and are welcomed. The regulars joke with us.
Stewart’s is a tolerant and safe place.
Ali is tired, I could see it in his face. He is fasting during the days during Muslim Ramadan holiday, he has invited me to attend the final mosque service for Ramadan in three weeks, and I have accepted. I look forward to it.
Ali tired is more fun that most people awake, we had a good time.
He says he does easily tire during the day, but Ali is devout, he takes his faith seriously
This week, we agreed on the following:
– To help Hawah, the refugee mother and wife (her husband is dying of spinal cancer) move into her new three-bedroom apartment.
-To help Omranaso, the Syrian refugee who was tortured by the Syrian Army for months, find a one-bedroom or studio apartment of her own, her first home in six or seven years. We paid the desposit for Hawah, Omranaso will need a little more help than that.
-I wrote a check for $90 to help a young member of the soccer team get the Iphone has been saving up for for nearly three years. Ali found a special deal that offers the phone he wants for only $90 plus a trade-in. If you are a student in Albany High School, as he is, this is important.
-I wrote a check for $289 so the soccer team can go and see Spiderman 2 on Monday, and get some popcorn and soda. More than a year ago, I had the privilege of sponsoring their first trip to an American movie, it is important they connect to the culture around them.
And, of course, they love the movies. So does Ali, who is the biggest child of the bunch.
-One of the refugees we are helping has requested $300 to pay off some debts she has incurred, including insurance for the very old and used car she bought so she can find and get to a good job and be self-sufficient.
Ali and I are debating this request, we would like to help her and have helped her, but giving out a loan for debts is something we have not generally done, outside of helping someone get into housing, and we are wary of starting to do.
We didn’t reach clarity about it, and will keep talking through the week. Ali and I work seamlessly together, it makes all the difference.
During the week, we are also meeting with a woman from Afghanistan who fled the country rather than be forced to marry her father-in-law after his husband was killed by terrorists. She needs some help.
If you wish to support our work, you can send a contribution to The Gus Fund, c/o Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].