Aaron Belenkie Rose Friberg and Maternal Grandparents

Soviet Union: As she read media reports and watched footage of the Syrians attempting to cross into Europe, Horne says she found herself thinking of her maternal grandparents Aaron Belenkie and Rose Friberg. "My grandparents came to Canada in the 1920s by what was then the Soviet Union and so I know firsthand the importance of providing a safe haven for people in desperate circumstances," she said, according to Hamilton Spectator. The couple met in Montreal and married, launched a business and raised a family. The Halifax cardiologist is among the thousands of Canadian donors who reached into their bank accounts this fall to ensure privately sponsored refugees can make the voyage from crowded camps in the Middle East to resettle here in the new year. But the anguish of separation from their families and their struggle to come here after persecution for their Jewish faith was seldom spoken of. When she heard of a refugee support group in Hubbards, N.S., the physician contacted organizers to promise a $2,000 cheque. "I appreciated the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of welcoming refugees to Canada. It was too painful, says Horne. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.