Bendat-Appell brought his son to the airport after his weekly swimming lesson to help show the boy how to stand up for what they believe in. The boy’s maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors who spent time in refugee camps, Bendat-Appell said. And as a rabbi at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in New York, Bendat-Appell said he believes strongly in using history to guide actions.
Yildirim, a store manager from Schaumburg, had come to the airport with his wife and four children to bring cookies to the lawyers offering pro bono services to immigrants that had been detained.
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When the children jumped off their father’s shoulders, Adin happily approached the little girl and asked her name. Meryem, a bit shy, managed a “hello” before the fathers exchanged phone numbers.
When they started hearing from hundreds of friends and acquaintances, they texted each other, in awe of the way the small moment became momentous.
As the response grew, they spoke on the phone and finalized plans for a Shabbat dinner at the Bendat-Appells’ home next week.
The story behind the viral photo of Muslim and Jewish children protesting at O’Hare
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