【TV Movie Archives】

It's been six devastating years since the start of the Syrian war in March 2011. Coincidentally,TV Movie Archives it's been six years since the first season of Homeland, where Mandy Patinkin plays the role of CIA chief Saul Berenson.

SEE ALSO: A war-torn family builds a new home together, online

As the show progressed into its fifth and six season, the war and the subsequent refugee crisis in Europe were weaved into the plot. But for Patinkin, 64, playing the part of a fictional character wasn't enough.

"I needed to get back to the real world – not the fictional world that I work in," Mandy Patinkin said after returning from a trip along the refugee route across Europe with the International Rescue Committee.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

For Patinkin this real world is one where rich, Western countries are battling waves of populist rhetoric, based on ethnic nationalism and fear. A fear growing among people, who have never even met a so-called "refugee."

So, he embarked upon a journey across Europe to try and change that perception by sharing some of the incredible stories of people he had met. He jokes there was a steep learning curve in mastering how to Instagram and Facebook Live and WhatsApp along the way.

"It was my two children that said I should use my celebrity and do whatever I can for these people," Patinkin said.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

He tells the story of a Syrian family he helped off a dinghy and onto the shore in Lesbos, Greece. They had lost everything they had during the journey, and after he gave them some travel money, they were able to make their way into Germany.

Patinkin and the father stayed in touch over WhatsApp for about a year, during which the family had managed to start a new life for themselves. After concluding the filming of Homeland's fifth seasonin Berlin, Patinkin was invited to visit the Syrian family's new home right outside the city.

"And I just lost it – I was overwhelmed with emotion," he says as he describes the cozy apartment. The father had been a decorator in Syria and had put all his artistry into his new home. "I just couldn't stop thinking of all the families we just met, who weren't having this opportunity for a new life."

"I was overwhelmed with emotion."

For Patinkin, himself coming from a family of Lithuanian Polish immigrants, the humanity of these people that have lost so much needs to upheld instead of buried by fear.

He says that while he tried to stay up to date with the refugee crisis by reading the news and listening to podcasts, actually seeing families coming off the boats, walking and talking with them, changed him profoundly.

He angrily addresses what he calls President Donald Trump's policy of fearmongering and quickly navigates to facts that show that refugees are among the safest people to enter the United States. (According to a Cato Institute report, only three refugees, of Cuban origin, carried out attacks in the 1970s out of over 3,000 deadly incidents).

For Patinkin, the Syrian family he helped nudge onto a new life is just a small example of what can be done to help. And, following his work with the IRC, he is hoping that his message will reach more people that have become somewhat desensitized to the world around them.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Mandy Patinkin on working with refugees to reconnect with reality

---

Topics WhatsApp

• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Life
• Games
• Shopping
• Science

• Google's data center raises the stakes in this state's 'water wars'
• Ben and Jerry's bourbon ice cream seems like a dream, but it's real
• Google Chrome will now reload web pages faster
• No, Fox News didn't get Trump to flash the White House lights on and off
• 9 Tech Products That Were Too Early to Market
• 'Counter
• Bumble BFF just raised $40,000 for Planned Parenthood
• Ben and Jerry's bourbon ice cream seems like a dream, but it's real
• Internet for All
• Elon Musk's private escape tunnel is a step closer to becoming a reality

• IGN Live tickets are now available
• China requires short web dramas to file first, then stream · TechNode
• Unistellar's eVscope boosts citizen astronomy during COVID
• Space tourism sounds fun. But it could be terrible for the planet.
• 'Flipside' review: Judd Apatow, Starlee Kine, and David Milch talk art and failure
• The first big U.S. offshore wind farm is a big deal
• I went to a sensual masturbation workshop and the experience blew my mind
• iOS 18 AI features: 7 new rumored updates coming to your iPhone
• Best Amazon deal: Save 48% on the Amazon Echo Pop Kids
• Get the Apple iPad Air (5th gen) at Amazon for $549.99

• Touring Logitech's Audio HQ
• A 'pussyhat' lands a spot on the cover of 'TIME' and 'The New Yorker'
• 69 times James Blunt was laugh
• After backlash, Mark Zuckerberg drops lawsuits against Hawaiians over their land
• Cyrix: Gone But Not Forgotten
• How to use iMessage special effects on your iPhone
• Adorable police pug will handcuff you with his cuteness
• Google Chrome will now reload web pages faster
• Even Trump's Earth Day message was anti
• Trump might regret this tweet when he goes to meet the Queen

• Best Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra deal: Save $200 at Best Buy
• Headshots and comebacks in crazy 'Counter
• The British media just roasted Donald Trump, and he hated it
• Apple files a patent for a vaporizer, yep, a vaporizer
• Getting Started with Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
• Liberal ladies: You're killing it on OKCupid
• This is why you should never, ever drink 'tea' you find lying around
• Actor Kal Penn raises thousands for Syrian refugees after vile social media comment
• GPU Availability and Pricing Update: April 2022
• Actor Kal Penn raises thousands for Syrian refugees after vile social media comment