On Sunday, March 5, First Congregational Church of Greenwich will present “Rabbi’s 50-Year Affair with Afghanistan: A Conversation with Bruce Freyer, retired rabbi and entrepreneur, Co-founder of the Global Partnership for Afghanistan.”
When Bruce Freyer, a retired rabbi and president of Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, learned that the First Congregational Church in Greenwich would be co-sponsoring a refugee family from Afghanistan, it didn’t take him long to get in touch.
Rabbi Freyer and his wife, Dana, had first traveled to Afghanistan in 1972, and they began a love affair with the country and its people that culminated with their founding of the Global Partnership for Afghanistan (“GPFA”) in 2004.
On March 5, Freyer will discuss the troubled history of Afghanistan in the last half-century, and GFPA’s efforts to help re-establish sustainable agriculture for rural returning refugees and advance the status of women in Afghan society.
While GPFA was forced to suspend operations last year due to security and financial concerns, it partnered with individuals, governments and institutions for 12 years to provide the technical inputs, capital, supplies, and infrastructural and community support needed to rebuild Afghanistan’s agrarian economy. GPFA was recognized in this vital role by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Clinton Foundation, and other international organizations.
But Freyer’s story is, above all, one of life-changing cross-cultural relationships. “In 2004, I met a 9-year-old Afghan boy in a remote village,” says Rabbi Freyer, “and since that day I have helped him in various ways to achieve his dream of a U.S. college education. Today he is a sophomore at Connecticut College.”
The presentation, at 11:20 a.m., is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. First Congregational Church is located at 108 Sound Beach Ave. For more information, visit fccog.org
