Thanaa Sarif:

In 2015, during a wave of unimaginable terror and chaos in Syria, seven members of Thanaa Sarif's extended family were beheaded by ISIS extremists in their own home. Within days, her three sisters and their children fled to Turkey, escaping with nothing but the shirts on their backs.

Years earlier, Thanaa had moved to Toronto. That stroke of luck would become her sisters' only hope. Her sisters were now living in an overcrowded apartment in Turkey, and their families were facing new forms of danger and abuse.

Thanaa quickly learned that private sponsorship of refugees is expensive and highly complex. Information was fragmented, and finding someone to explain the process was challenging. Thanaa was desperate for a solution.

She made it her full-time mission to bring her sisters and their children to safety. From April 2015 through early 2016, she devoted herself entirely to advocacy, research, and outreach — speaking in churches, emailing officials, contacting community groups — anyone who might know someone who could help. The urgency was constant.

Her sisters were traumatized by the massacre in Syria and continued to face religious persecution as Ismaili minorities in Turkey. Thanaa carried the weight of responsibility alone.

The turning point came when a close friend — a woman Thanaa calls her "Jewish angel" — connected her to Beth Tzedec Congregation. The synagogue formed a constituent group that sought to sponsor a Syrian family, specifically a family with relatives already in Canada who could assist with the transition. Thanaa's sister, husband and three girls were a perfect fit.

Through Beth Tzedec, Thanaa found Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS), a Sponsorship Agreement Holder with the authority and expertise to coordinate private sponsorships of refugees. During a meeting at the JIAS office, Thanaa explained that two more sisters remained in the Turkish refugee camp. Lia Kisel, Director of Language and Settlement at JIAS, responded, "What are their names? We will sponsor them, too." To this day, Thanaa cries every time she tells the story of JIAS's kindness.

JIAS submitted the sponsorship applications in March 2016. All three families safely arrived in Canada from September to November that year.

But Thanaa's work isn't over. A fourth sister fled Syria two years later. By then, neighbouring borders had closed to Syrian refugees. She and her family have been living in Malaysia for over five years without legal status. The children, once top students, have been out of school for years. The parents, formerly successful professionals, are barred from employment. In Malaysia, they hide in constant fear of being discovered and deported back to Syria and rely entirely on the support of relatives in Canada.

Thanaa's fight continues, carried by the same unwavering resolve that brought the others to safety. Her mission is not complete until every sister is free.