(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)October 23, 2019

MAHWAH, N.J. – Lee T. Bycel, humanitarian activist, rabbi, teacher and author, will speak about his new book, Refugees in America Stories of Courage, Resilience, and Hope in Their Own Words on Tuesday, November 12 at 1:45 p.m. in the Alumni Lounges of the Robert A. Scott Student Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The program will be presented under the auspices of the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is free and open to the public.

Eleven men and women chronicled in Bycel’s book share their extraordinary experiences of fleeing oppression, violence and war in their home countries in search of a better life in the United States.

Each chapter of Refugees in America focuses on an individual from a different country, from a 93-year-old Polish grandmother who came to the United States after surviving the horrors of Auschwitz to a young undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who became an American college graduate, despite being born impoverished and blind. Some have found it easy to reinvent themselves in the United States, while others have struggled to adjust to a new culture, language, prejudices and norms.

Each of them spoke candidly about their experiences to the author, who provides illuminating background information on the refugee crises in their native countries. Their stories help reveal the real people at the center of political debates about U.S. immigration.

Giving a voice to refugees from such far-flung locations as South Sudan, Guatemala, Syria and Vietnam, this book weaves together a rich tapestry of human resilience, suffering, and determination.

Bycel serves as the Sinton Visiting Professor of Holocaust, Ethics and Refugee Studies at the University of San Francisco. He has visited refugee camps in Darfur, Chad, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Haiti. He has written extensively about the plight of refugees, and has secured much needed funding for medical clinics in refugee camps.

For information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact holgen@ramapo.edu or call 201-684-7409.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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