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Jewish community to mentor Ottawa Somalis


Monday, May 03, 2010




Ottawa's Jewish community is volunteering to help young Somali-Canadians develop contacts in the city and break into professional fields.

The Canadian Somali Congress and the Canadian International Peace Project are holding an information and registration session this Saturday at Carleton University for Somali-Canadian university and college students and young professionals who might like to have a mentor.

The Canadian Somali-Jewish Mentorship Project in Ottawa is modelled on a successful program established in Toronto by Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress.

Hussen came up with the idea after running into a young Somali-Canadian with a degree in accounting who was working at Tim Hortons. The young man couldn't get the practical experience he needed to get chartered because he didn't know any accountants.

"We sent an open letter to all Canadian communities in Canada, and we said, 'We are the Somali community in Canada. We have a deficit of professionals. And we have a surplus of people who want to be mentored,'" he said. "And the first and fastest community to respond was the Jewish community."

Upon reflection, it's not surprising that the Jewish community stepped forward, Hussen said, as Jews went through similar growing pains in decades past.

"They know what it's like not to be able to get access to certain professions."

Mark Zarecki, head of Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, said he has no doubt mentors will sign up.

He said there is a "streak" in the Jewish community of tikkun olam — a Hebrew term that means "healing the world."

"And I think this fits that concept of helping other communities." Zarecki said.

Hussen said he hopes one day Somali-Canadian professionals in turn will be able to take their turn mentoring a new generation of immigrants from somewhere else.

Canadian Somali Congress

They're Hawiye.

nothing wrong with jews, would u rather these youth joining gangs and killing each other?

this is ignorant mentality that keeps us from progress.

i will take any vantage point availed to me....yahuud or no yahuud, an opportunity is an opportunity.

zulaika wrote:this is ignorant mentality that keeps us from progress.

i will take any vantage point availed to me....yahuud or no yahuud, an opportunity is an opportunity.

Your too good for us

Mr,you are very sick person. Read the title and the story. Where does it say hutus.

Why beg a yahudi who supports israel when pakistanis or iranians are also smart?
Atleast these people share same faith.

A lot of Jews are good people. Speaking from experience. To be honest the only family friends that have been very helpful to us are Jewish. Probably the reason why they're the only gaalo people invited by my parents to eat Afur with us.

And Masha Allah to the proactiveness of their community leader. Most Somali community leaders are garbage.

what is wrong excepting help from jews?
at least they are thinking about their future.
my boss is jewish. he was born and raised in Jerusalem. he is a wonderful human being

My bestfriend is a jew and I love her to death

I would rather die.

HutuKing01 wrote:Mr,you are very sick person. Read the title and the story. Where does it say hutus.

Why beg a yahudi who supports israel when pakistanis or iranians are also smart?
Atleast these people share same faith.

The Jewish community responded the fastest and was the most eager to help. Also, why the fuck would a Shia Iranian or a Pakistani give a fuck about Somalis. If they wanted to help, they would have responded.

What a misleading title. No one begged "the Jews", They seemed to have volunteered to help themselves. Great initiative, too, as Lack of networking has always been the mother of all failure to make it to the top.

OMG. All of them will grow pony tails. OMG! They will start wailing and rocking their heads at the starbucks yale. OMG. They will greet other SOmalis with schalom!

HutuKing01 wrote:Mr,you are very sick person. Read the title and the story. Where does it say hutus.

Why beg a yahudi who supports israel when pakistanis or iranians are also smart?
Atleast these people share same faith.

I know for a fact that the head of the Canadian Somali Congress might be Hawiye.

What offends you more though, the fact that they're getting assistance from the Yahuud...or the audacity of progress and development?

Nice job Somalis, you cant open a door unless you have keys, and jews have all the codes and keys to the world, i mean the professional world. That we realize this now is a great progress itself and i can only image the good things that would come out of that collaboration. I have always heard about this program but never read it. i was mad just like Hutuking before i actually read what the whole thing was about and asked myself; what do jews and muslims have in common after all the historical, political, and social differences and hate. i thought it was along those lines and was realigning some of those decks already stacked well by Allah and others, but that this is purely professional, purely job related, and purely world related i couldnt be any happier. its even in the quran 'fasaluu ahla dikri inkuntum laa taclamuun'. Hutuking's current boss for all we know could be a jew, his counselor, or if he is really doing worse his social worker