Afghan Family Resettlement Blog

Dear CDT colleagues –

 I write with conflicted emotions and sadness to let you know that this past week and weekend, I informed Tony, Janet, and the Leadership Team that, as of the end of November, I am resigned as co-chair of the Afghan Family Resettlement Team. Thankfully, Paul Hattis, a current Team member, has agreed to take my place, which is wonderful for the team, the effort, and a great relief to me.  He will do an excellent job, and I will do everything I can to assure a smooth, positive, seamless transition.

Family responsibilities beckon and I cannot do justice to both my family and the Afghan co-chair position at the same time. While it has been an honor, and a great joy to serve in the role of co-chair of the Afghan Leadership Team for this short period of time, and I am totally committed to CDT’s successful support of an Afghan family, I am also totally committed to my family, and they are the people I must choose.

Janet and I, and, now, Paul, are blessed to have an amazing team of colleagues. As the Chairperson of Tikkum Olam, Tony Broh has provided all of us with calm, wise, steadfast leadership, counsel, and direction.  Without Paul Hattis, we would have no apartment for the Afghan family.  Without Meryl Epstein and Paul Hattis and all of you, our fundraising efforts, to date, would not be as amazingly successful as they have been. Meryl and Paul are also offering their wisdom to all kinds of complex finance, budgeting, cash flow issues to make certain that the money flows easily, wisely, and without interruption when the family arrives.  Without Meryl’s wise counsel, we would not have had assurances that the lease is sound and was signed in a timely manner. Meryl also found us Welcome Home and has already picked up most of the household items needed to stock the apartment.  Without Jerry Friedman and all of your generous donations, we would have no furniture for the apartment.  Jerry has been busy keeping track of all your wonderful offers and is donating his time, his truck, his “sweat equity” for pick-up and delivery.  Without Corinne Lofchie and her communication, coordination, writing and website skills, we’d have no way of reaching out to all of you and letting you know what is happening.  Without Elaine Bresnick and Julie Korostoff (from Temple Hillel B’nai Torah), we’d have no way to recruit and mobilize all of those of you who have volunteered to help the family, once they arrive.

And, each of these Team members has also done a myriad of other tasks and provided a brain trust and great counsel in moving this project forward in an extremely short period of time.

It has been a humbling privilege to work with this team and I look forward to continuing to work in their company to assure that the Afghan family we receive will have a good beginning in this country.