(Jewish Group) At Manny's, a heartfelt fundraiser for Afghan resettlement
Afghan refugee resettlement is a cause that is close to home for Manny Yekutiel. The owner of Manny’s Cafe in the Mission District lightheartedly refers to himself as “half-ghan,” since his mother is Ashkenazi and his father is Afghan, but he takes very seriously the plight of those who fled their home country when the Taliban returned to power in August.
On Nov. 11, Manny’s Café hosted about 200 people to raise funds in support of Afghan refugee resettlement efforts. The event raised $53,850 for two leading organizations providing refugee assistance in the Bay Area: the Afghan Coalition and Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay.
Yekutiel shared that he felt a sense of duty not only to help the new wave of refugees, but also to proudly showcase his unique culture.
“Obviously the evacuation of Afghanistan and the war has taken a terrible toll on that country,” said Yekutiel at the event. “There are now no Jews left in Afghanistan. My culture there is over. So it’s left to people like myself, and the Jews who are scattered around the world, to continue to keep our culture alive. So I feel a very heavy weight of responsibility.”
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I wonder if the little scumbucket protested this (look up the history of this restaurant).