Sharing the joy in Syria’s liberation

Saturday night, Dec. 6 … just as I crawled under the covers, I heard the buzz announcing a message. Reaching for the phone, I read what I never expected to receive: “The Syrian Emergency Task Force is proud to announce that the Syrian people have liberated Syria and defeated the Assad regime, Russia and Iran.”

Through tears and trembling fingers, I quickly copied the text,sending it to Michael Kane and Debbie Shriver, the other two thirds of The Valley Syrian Relief Committee( VSRC), a western Massachusetts group formed in 2014 to educate, advocate, and raise funds for the civilian population of Syria, who, for more than 13 years, had endured a heinous war against humanity engineered by Bashaar Al Assad.

Thirteen years produced a lifetime of trauma for the people of Syria, but today there is so much joy!

I’ve spent the week remembering the incredible humanitarians in our local communities who worked tirelessly for a people a world away. A framed poster on my upstairs wall announces, Songs for Syria, our first big event, in which 24 local faithbased organizations and businesses helped fill First Churches’ sanctuary to raise funds for the Syrian American Medical Society, which provides medical services to Syrian civilians and refugees in neighboring countries. Northampton civil rights attorney and radio host Bill Newman emceed the concert, featuring the music of local Michel Moushabeck and the Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble. We were inspired by the heartfelt audience who donated, in Michael Kane’s words, “until it makes you feel good,” exceeding our fundraising expectations.

Michel Moushabeck’s Northampton- based Interlink Publishing connected us with their Soup for Syria cookbook, a gorgeous compilation of soup recipes by notable chefs, as well as Syrian people, which also contains portraits of Syrians, all compiled by Lebanese-American author and photographer, Barbara Massad. Barbara spoke at one of the many Soup for Syria programs that took place in Valley homes and churches, where we broke bread together, sampled delicious soups, discussed the complex geopolitical situation in Syria, and raised money from cookbook sales.

The Valley Syrian Relief Committee’s collaboration with Washington, D.C.-based Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) took the VSRC’s organizing to a new level. Led by Mouaz Moustafa, who founded the organization in 2011, with a mission to “bring an end to the killing in Syria through advocacy, humanitarian initiatives, and the pursuit of justice and accountability for war crimes.” Operating on a shoestring budget, Mouaz and his “barebones” staff transformed SETF into an organization with a direct line to Congress and major media. Google his name and you’ll find his recent interview on NPR, where I heard Mouaz explain that he was heading to Damascus with the hope of finding his missing uncle, whom he referred to as “my best friend.” His tears were audible and so were mine.

SETF’s most effective weapon is building hope in Syria. Eight years ago, they opened Wisdom House, which provides education and fosters resilience for children ages three to six, most of whom have lost at least one parent. Bombings have forced the school to relocate several times, but on Sunday SETF hosted a webinar during which they announced that the children and staff of Wisdom House would be returning to the school they had fled. Debris-filled photos of the school revealed the effects of bombing, but hanging on its still intact walls are letters of hope that thousands of people of all ages have created for Syrians, including those created at Letters of Hope events at Lander Grinspoon Academy in Northampton and The Islamic Society of Western Mass. in West Springfield.

SETF has been an integral force in efforts to bring to justice Syria’s war criminals. Mouaz Moustafa, along with Ambassador Stephen Rapp, and Omar Alshogre, who survived three years of torture and starvation in a Syrian prison, brought home the horrific injustices wrought upon the Syrian people at a program hosted by Edwards Church.

So many memories … the group in Greenfield who filled a shipping container with food, medicine, and supplies bound for Syria; the steadfast dedication of Congressman Jim McGovern, who helped us in so many ways; the yearly vigils where community gathered to mark yet another year of death and destruction in a country we had developed such a strong connection to; our incredible advisory board of local folks who met with us regularly at Edwards Church; the Christian-Judeo-Muslim faith-based communities who supported our work with open hearts; those who wrote letters and made phone calls to their representatives in Congress … The list goes on and on and on. Our community shares in this victory that has enabled so many to come home, their bags filled with hope.

Yet, there are also tears of loss for those who didn’t survive. Students at Amherst High School and those who attended an event at Edwards Church, were introduced to the tall, lanky, man with dark shadows under his eyes, and a toothy grin that went straight to your heart. Mazen Alhummada bore the psychological wounds of unimaginable torture, yet he was driven to speak anywhere to anyone who would listen, exposing the atrocities of the Assad regime, with the hope that his words would move the world to act.

Ultimately, the world failed Mazen. In 2020, he returned to Syria, despite family and friends who tried to stop him. Yesterday, I received the announcement from SETF: “Mazen was brutally and forcefully tortured and executed at Harasta hospital hours before the rebels liberated Damascus on December 7th.” Mazen didn’t live long enough to walk freely into Assad’s slaughterhouses to search for missing family and friends. I wish he could have read the email I received from one of the Amherst students, who carries the memory of the time he spent with Mazen, who he is not likely to forget.

If you were lucky enough to meet Mazen Alhamada or are moved by my column, consider making a donation in his memory to enable SETF to continue its life-saving work at https://donorbox.org/setfgeneral.

The Soup for Syria cookbook makes a great holiday gift. With heartfelt gratitude to our Valley community.

Sara Weinberger lives in Easthampton.

Syrians celebrate at Omayyad Square in Aleppo, Syria, Monday.

AP PHOTO/OMAR SANADIKI

SARA WEINBERGER