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WENDY ELLIOTT: New mosque breaks ground in Wolfville

Last week marked both the Lunar New Year and the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

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Both notable occasions, but even more important was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ummah Masjid and Community Centre in Wolfville.

Joe Rafih, as he usually does, sent out an invitation to attend. Another venerable entrepreneur Sam Kadray loaned some large machinery in order to have earth exposed on a cold and snowy February day. And a good-sized crowd turned up.

I was pleased to visit with Mayar Tahina, his wife, Genevieve, and their adorable daughter, Maeve. It’s been exactly 10 years since the Tahinas became the first Syrian refugee family to arrive in Wolfville. But they were not the last.

Former local resident and Anglican bishop Sandra Fyfe noted recently she is “forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a small part of this effort.”

Looking at decade-old photos of the family being greeted at the airport in Halifax, she said, “I needed this reminder that when the world looks bleak, caring........

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