fine jewelry • watches • gifts
( void (
chaos during the peak of Europe's
Syrian refugee crisis. The aim of
Migration Aid is to connect
REFUGEE NATION
volunteers with the refugees
Another way Facebook is
to provide relief.
being used to help in the
Sandor Ujhelyi, who
Syrian refugee crisis is
owns a restaurant, created
through a project of entrepre-
the Migration Aid group on
neur and real estate mogul
Facebook in late June 2015.
Jason Buzi. When he heard
It has more than 9,000 mem-
about the crisis, Buzi decided
bers and has grown rapidly.
to do something productive.
Ujhelyi used Facebook as a
Jason B uzi
Using his connections on
way to announce that anyone
Facebook and other social
who would like to help in
media, he launched Refugee Nation
the Syrian refugee crisis should visit
(www.refugeenation.org ) and sought
his restaurant for a meeting. Twenty
to create a new country in which these people showed at the first meeting
refugees can live.
with 60 at the next meeting, and then
Forming a brand-new nation
eventually refugees started to arrive
purely for refugees sounds farfetched,
by the thousands and the number of
but Buzi has already found some
volunteers grew with it, by as many as
measure of success in reaching out to
a hundred a day.
influential billionaires, politicians and
Facebook essentially hosts what
U.N. ambassadors. His experience as
has become a virtual planning board
a disrupter in Silicon Valley positions
for Migration Aid as it coordinates
him in the right sphere of influence to
volunteers to deal with legal matters,
actually find traction for his idea.
storage, safety and logistics through
James Hathaway, director of the
millions of posts, comments and chat
refugee and asylum program at the
messages on the social networking
University of Michigan Law School,
platform.
is a supporter of Refugee Nation and
While Facebook has proven to be
loves that Buzi has a strong sense of
a forum for those with pent-up emo-
moral outrage about a problem that
tions to argue their opinions about the
could be fixed but that no one is doing humanitarian crisis and how the U.S.
much about.
should respond to the dire need of
Buzi plans to buy or lease a large
the refugees seeking safety, it has also
amount of land to create a state for
demonstrated its usefulness in pro-
the refugees, and he's using Facebook
viding assistance to the refugees and
to draw support. He's already invested
reducing the impact of the crisis.
more than tens of thousands of his
Middle- and upper-class Americans,
own dollars into this idea and has
the fortunate descendants of immi-
raised several thousand more on
grants themselves, will continue to
crowdfunding sites.
squabble with each other on Facebook
Through the Refugee Nation
over the correct policy actions the U.S.
Facebook page's almost 20,000 follow-
should take with regard to the Syrian
ers, Buzi is quickly growing the buzz
refugees, making the social network a
for his idea and getting Hollywood
hotbed for bickering and cantanker-
megastars, world leaders and the
ous debate. The positive side of the
United Nations to pay attention. There
coin is that the same social network
might also be some collaboration
is also bringing people together to
between Refugee Nation and Naguib
try to deal with the crisis in the most
Sawiris, the Egyptian billionaire, who
humane way possible.
Whether it's helping the migrants
is interested in buying an island for
refugees.
navigate the treacherous journey
to safety, raising funds for a secure
FACEBOOK MAKES
nation to harbor the refugees or link-
CONNECTIONS
ing up volunteers with those in need,
Another way Facebook is playing a
Facebook is being exploited for good,
positive role in the Syrian refugee cri-
too. *
sis is through Migration Aid, a closed
Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator, entrepre-
Hungarian Facebook group. According
neur and blogger. Read his blog at http://blog.
to Forbes.com , the group has already
rabbijason.com and follow him on Twitter at
helped thousands of Middle Eastern
@RabbiJason.
refugees navigate their way through
tradition
to provide comfort, connections and
direction to the Syrian refugees.
Licolleare
7.
kyle.
_ . L, •
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