Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Va., hosted Hassoun along with six Syrian refugee families at a dinner to welcome them to America. The refugees — more than 30 people in all, more than half of them children — have been resettled in Maryland in the past year and a half. One family arrived just three days before they found themselves at dinner in a Jewish house of worship.
The United States has resettled 1,285 Syrians, according to a report in April by Human Rights Watch. That number is far short of President Obama’s pledge to resettle 10,000 Syrians by the end of the year, and it shows the difficulty many have had entering the country. The vetting process is lengthy, and several governors have voiced opposition to allowing Syrians into their states.
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