【I Am a Plaything】

For many around the globe,I Am a Plaything the last week has been filled with a great deal of fear and confusion.

U.S. President Trump ordered an immigration ban that resulted in the detention of legal U.S. residents and valid visa holders at airports nationwide on Friday, sparking immediate controversy and massive protests. Resistance spread over the weekend throughout the country's airports as concerned loved ones, empathetic sign bearers and lawyers flooded the terminals in support of immigrants from the seven majority Muslim countries named in the order.

Despite the chaos, one photograph snapped at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport may just have the power to keep your hope from wavering. Nuccio DiNuzzo, a photographer for The Chicago Tribune who attended a protest at O'Hare on Jan. 30, captured a moment that's sure to lift your spirits amid the political mess.

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The photograph shows two families: two fathers and their two children -- interacting, smiling and holding up signs in the midst of the protest. It's a beautiful shot, but especially remarkable in its depiction of two different cultures coming together as one.

On the left, a Muslim family -- Fatim Yildirim of Schaumburg, Illinois, carrying his 7-year-old daughter, Meryem, on his shoulders. They hold homemade signs that read "empathy" and "love." Meryem is wearing a hijab.

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On the right, a Jewish father and son -- Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell and 9-year-old Adin Bendat-Appell of Deerfield stand in the same pose. They too have homemade signs in hand reading, "Hate has no home here," and "We've seen this before. Never again. Jews against the ban." A smiling Adin can be seen wearing a kippah, smiling at Meryem.

Members of the Yildirim and Bendat-Appell family protesting. Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images

Bendat-Appell said via email that the two men had only met about 20 minutes before the photograph was taken. "He seemed like a lovely person and we looked like we could be cousins," Bendat-Appell said of Yildirim, who, like him, had a beard, glasses and a child on his shoulders.

According to Bendat-Appell, the protestors surrounding him that night were kind and peaceful, and many Muslim people shook his hand and thanked him for being there as a Jew. He said, however, a handful of people in the airport showed their disapproval toward the peaceful resistance -- some even yelling, "Trump! Go back to where you came from!"

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"As Jews and human beings," [we feel] an obligation to stand up for the oppressed.

Bendat-Appell explained that the main reason he and his son decided to protest was because "as Jews and human beings," his family feels an obligation to stand up for the oppressed. He described Adin's great-grandparents as survivors of the Holocaust who lived as refugees, and with that in mind, said the family's "history of persecution" has taught them never to be silent in the face of injustice. (We contacted the Yildirim family but had not heard back by time of publish.)

Though his son is only nine-years-old, Bendat-Appell hopes these actions will help his children realize that in the face of darkness, they have a responsibility to be a source of light. "We went to do something that would bring more light, love and hope into the world. We hope children realize that they have this choice to make," he said.

As for the chemistry you see in that photograph, it has extended far beyond the airport terminal. "We exchanged information and have been in touch since the protest," Bendat-Appell said about his new friend Yildirim. The two are getting their families together next week to further connect and share a Shabbat meal.

With the desire to spread love and unity in this fearful time, Bendat-Appell hope others find inspiration from the photo, and realize that they too can help mend the world by making a conscious effort to connect with those who are different.

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Topics Activism Politics