February 25, 2016

Last weekend, Nick watched the film “50 Feet from Syria”, which was featured at the Portland Film Festival.

The powerful documentary chronicles Dr. Hisham Bismar, an Orthopedic Surgeon from Portland, who regularly travels to the Turkish-Syrian border to treat victims of the Syria civil war.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award, and is the latest project of Skye Fitzgerald, a family friend who lives in Portland.

Dr. Bismar was born in Syria and immigrated to this country when he was 18. He now works at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center. 

Some of the most extreme voices in the immigration debate have called for a shameful blanket ban on Syrian refugees coming to this country.

Dr. Bismar is a shining example of why immigrants and refugees are an important part of our community.