Refugee Family in Need of Job

The Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice is putting out a plea to help a Palestinian refugee family find work and remain in the United States.

"Almost 16 months have passed since we welcomed Riad, Raja, and their teenage son, Raid, to our community as refugees from the invasion of Gaza," says Peter VanderMeulen, coordinator of the OSJ.

"Their presence has enriched those who know them. In many ways they also have thrived. Raid is doing well in Forest Hills High School, Riad has been volunteering at International Aid, speaking at churches, and Raja cooking meals for friends and shut-ins." 

But the lack of a job for Riad has taken its toll. The CRC Office of Social Justice, which took over the basic support costs of the family from Church of the Servant almost a year ago, must end its support soon.

"We have completely depleted our funds for refugee support," says VanderMeulen. "Unless Riad can find a job in the next month—preferably in the biomedical technology or some related technical field—the family will be forced to relocate, with no assurance that the relocation will offer any better opportunities."

Riad has had no shortage of interviews—all over the US—at many large medical equipment companies and hospitals. Although he has permission to work here, he has no permanent immigration status, which has always blocked his candidacy for the job in the end—or so he has been repeatedly told by recruiters, says VanderMeulen.

The family applied for asylum nearly 12 months ago. All that they have been told by immigration authorities is that the application is "in process." If asylum is granted, for which the OSJ is optimistic, Riad would be on track to be a permanent resident, says VanderMeulen.

Riad told his story when he first arrived in this country, recounting how he and his family lived in the middle of a war zone in Gaza.

Bombs were leveling apartment buildings and schools. Babies were dying in hospitals when generators failed and oxygen was cut off. Surgeries were occurring in hallways of hospitals, often in the dark.

Food was scarce, clean water even harder to come by, and families had to open the windows of their homes to prevent the glass in them breaking and sending dangerous shards in the home from the explosions that rippled across Gaza.

Riad and his family were allowed to leave Gaza—after an extensive interview with Israeli security forces—because a younger member of the family is a U.S. citizen.

Brought to this country with help from the OSJ, Riad spoke about the challenges that hospitals especially faced during the war. He is familiar with medical care in Gaza because he worked in the medical care system as an administrator.

Hospitals, he said, were hard-hit during the fighting of nearly two years ago, and medical machinery particularly malfunctioned as power was cut.

He described how hospital staff carefully picked seriously ill and injured children from beds covered with shattered glass when the windows were blown out by the concussion from a bomb blast across the street.

The father also told of donkey-carts being used for ambulances, Hamas militants hiding among the general population, bombs blowing up food markets, and how one medical clinic, apartment complex, and social center after another was destroyed or damaged.

He said that being in the U.S. was like walking from darkness into light. "I feel like some of the stress is gone," he said at the time. "I'm very happy being here."

At this point, Riad would be willing to work at any medical or research or medical products company, just to get his foot in the door and be in an institution where he could show his skills, says VanderMeulen.

Those able to help can contact VanderMeulen at [email protected] or by calling 616-224-0807, or can contact Riad directly by email at [email protected] or by phone at 616-437-4275.