ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In the days following the devastating earthquake that struck regions of Turkey and Syria, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church is taking action to raise money for the victims.
Hundreds attended a prayer service and fundraiser Wednesday night inside the worship center at 1011 Catasauqua Ave.
In total, the church collected an estimated $4,500 in donations.
- The death toll in Syria and Turkey has surpassed 12,000
- Hundreds attended a prayer service in Allentown
- St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church is a predominantly-Syrian congregation
The money will provide aid to the two countries where the death toll has passed 12,000 after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Monday and a series of aftershocks.
"We are calling members of the church tomorrow and Friday and planning on collecting more donations on Sunday during the service," said Naim Dergham, a member of the church's board. "Once we get all the money together, we will send it overseas to the patriarch of the church and the dioceses."
Homeland ties
Aziza Haddad, who moved to the U.S. from Syria in the 1980s, is a member of the Christian Evangelical Arabic Church Lehigh Valley but attended the 90-minute service to make a donation.
Her extended family, who reside in Christian Valley, a region in Syria, and in Lebanon, reached out to her via What's App immediately after the earthquake hit her homeland.
"I heard the news right away. I was asleep and something woke me up early, so I watched it live on Arabic TV through Dish Network. I saw apartments shaking, their appliances shaking. It was scary," she said. "It brought back memories. I was 8 when we went through the 1986 earthquake in Lebanon, but this one is so much worse."
A war-torn country in distress
Rev. Meletios Zafaran, who grew up in a suburb of Damascus, Syria, called Sahnaya, raised concerns over sanctions by the U.S. and European nations over policies of the Syrian government and problems created by the Syrian civil war.
All can slow down aid, which is one of the reasons the church opted to send money to the country, Zafaran said.
"It's heartbreaking because the people have nothing to do with political issues, but they are the ones that suffer."Rev. Meletios Zafaran, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
"We have to ask our government and the governments all around to help the Syrian people. Our aim is to pray for peace. Our people suffered a lot and enough during the last 13 years. It's heartbreaking because the people have nothing to do with political issues, but they are the ones that suffer," Zafaran said.
"Unfortunately the sanctions on Syria affect the people the most. I hear a lot of stories about people that don't even have a small piece of bread to feed their children. They don't have gasoline to heat their homes, especially now during this cold winter. The worst thing I heard is that there are now more sanctions so that no medications are allowed in from other countries."
Ways to help
