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“When you are giving love to people, you are stronger than one who is giving hate.”

Those are the words of Yassin Terou, owner of the 2018 Nicest Place in America. Yassin Terou, a Syrian refugee, came to Knoxville, Tennessee 7 years ago because “things [were] getting worse in Syria.” He applied for asylum in the US and started making a living by selling falafel sandwiches following daily prayers at a local Mosque. Fast forward to today, Yassin is now operating two successful restaurants in Knoxville—Yassin’s Falafel House.

Each year, Reader’s Digest, in partnership with ABC’s Good Morning America and USA Today’s 10best.com, searches to find the “Nicest Places in America”. This year, Yassin’s Falafel House was nominated by three separate individuals, and ultimately landed a spot on the top 10 list. The voting public selected Yassin’s Falafel House as the clear winner to be named the Nicest Place in America for 2018. Bruce Kelley, Editor-in-Chief of Reader’s Digest, shared that the goal of this contest is to tell stories of humanity and hope during this time of great division.

It is no surprise that Yassin’s restaurant would win this title. After watching Yassin on Good Morning America when they surprised him with the news of his win, I could feel the spirit of love and humility through the TV screen. The employees and customers alike share that Yassin’s is different. It’s like a family—you feel loved and welcomed every time you come. And that is Yassin’s goal. He wants his restaurant to be a place you can come and feel safe and loved. A sign hangs on the wall with the words, “Welcome all sizes, all colors, all ages, all sexes, all cultures, all religions, all types, all beliefs, all people, safe here at Yassin’s Falafel House.”

The employees and customers alike share that Yassin’s is different. It’s like a family—you feel loved and welcomed every time you come. And that is Yassin’s goal. Click To Tweet

If we learn nothing else from Yassin’s story, let us learn to “love thy neighbor”. In a country and world where Muslims and immigrants are often met with hate and indifference, Yassin still finds hope in humanity and believes that we must “handle hate with love.” As he says, “We need to keep building bridges.” Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, is working on a documentary of Yassin’s story and said that, “[Yassin’s Falafel House] serves as a model for all businesses to help their community to create inclusive environments for all.”

Last week, I attended TEDxCharlotte, and one of the speakers, Rabbi Judy Schindler, gave a powerful talk on “Mastering the Art of Loving Thy Neighbor.” She said, “We can build walls with our neighbors – those across tables, neighborhoods, or borders — or we can melt them away by uncovering our common humanity. Mastering the art of loving our neighbor requires vulnerability and breaking through personal barriers. It requires understanding our neighbor’s pain and advocating to keep them physically and psychologically safe.”

Let’s take some cues from Yassin and Rabbi Judy. Let’s tear down the walls, and start building bridges…let’s love thy neighbor.

Let’s tear down the walls, and start building bridges…let’s love thy neighbor. Click To Tweet