For Tamar and Philip Koosed, there is no such thing as a night off.

After tucking their two children into bed, the young San Fernando Valley couple works tirelessly into the evening, coordinating with a network of doctors, suppliers, and shipping companies to deliver lifesaving aid to war-torn Syria.

The Syrian Civil War has been one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21^st century. Since 2011, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 570,000 people and forced nearly half of the country’s population to flee their homes. But the numbers only touch the surface of human suffering: entire communities leveled by daily bombings, systematic torture and killing, the use of chemical weapons, the deaths of thousands of Syrian children—all captured on cell phones by everyday Syrians.

Horrified by what they saw, the Kooseds contemplated what they could do. They considered donating to a few organizations, but the response felt lackluster in the face of the devastation sweeping Syria.

“We say all the time, ‘Never again,’ ” explains Tamar. “But here it is, happening again. What’s happening in Syria is another genocide, and it’s our generation’s time to act.”

Three years ago, the Kooseds founded Save the Syrian Children, a nonprofit dedicated to shipping vital supplies to the parts of Syria where bigger aid groups often can’t or won’t go. Utilizing their shared skillset—Tamar runs a corporate responsibility and international development consultancy firm, Philip is the president of a multimillion-dollar supply-chain management firm—the Kooseds have helped deliver 56 shipping containers with more than $127 million worth of aid.

But when asked about the impact of their efforts, the Kooseds are quick to pass the credit to others—the doctors and volunteers on the ground in Syria, and the clergy and community members of Stephen Wise Temple.

“We’ve seen the worst of humanity, but the work of Save the Syrian Children shows me the best of humanity,” says Tamar. “The reality is that people care. They want to do something. It’s been incredible to have that message every day.”

That includes events such as the Big Fill, an annual donation drive held during Sukkot at Stephen Wise Temple that collects desperately-needed medical supplies, clothing, food, and toys to be shipped to Syria. In its third year, the Wise community donated almost 2,500 pounds of goods. Through Wise connections, entire shipping containers of clothing donations from Jerry Leigh of California and Jody California were sent in 2018. This fall, the Kooseds were connected to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center through Rabbi Ron Stern—80 hospital beds were sent to doctors performing lifesaving work in the region.

“It’s a huge amount of aid,” says Tamar. “We’re fueled by the positivity of this community.”

And none of it would have been possible, Philip says, if it weren’t for a serendipitous conversation with Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback.

As the Kooseds were developing the idea behind Save the Syrian Children, they realized if they wanted to help immediately, they needed a fiscal sponsor—someone who could accept donations on their behalf while they went through the time-consuming process of applying for 501(c)(3) status. One day, Philip and his father, Terry, were attending a Father’s Day event at Stephen Wise Temple when they went to wait in line for bagels.

“We’ve seen the worst of humanity, but the work of Save the Syrian Children shows me the best of humanity,” says Tamar. “The reality is that people care. They want to do something. It’s been incredible to have that message every day.”

Next in line to them was none other than Rabbi Zweiback himself.

In the course of chatting with the rabbi, Philip and Terry brought up Save the Syrian Children. Little did they know that Rabbi Zweiback had founded a nonprofit called Kavod, a tzedakah collective that could operate as a fiscal sponsor for the Kooseds.

“Within a couple of weeks, we were up and running,” says Rabbi Zweiback. “It’s a wonderful partnership. They’re humble, gracious. They work diligently without any expectation of recognition.”

“Before we talked to Rabbi Yoshi, we approached at least 12 different organizations,” says Tamar. “Rabbi Yoshi was the first to say yes.”

That “yes” caused a domino effect of support. Thanks to Wise’s involvement, the larger Jewish community began to pay attention to the Kooseds’ fledgling nonprofit. More than 20 Los Angeles synagogues united to create Big Fill events, inspired by Wise, and a slew of Jewish organizations awarded grants to Save the Syrian Children.

Among the nonprofit’s most ardent supporters, few played a bigger role than Rabbi Stern.

“Ron was our best advocate in the community. He was fully behind us,” says Philip. “We got thousands of donations. That doesn’t happen if it’s just Phil and Tamar.”

For his part, Rabbi Stern praises the couple for doing the hard work of putting the Stephen Wise Temple’s values into action.

“Our mission is to make meaning and change the world. They put substance behind the words,” says Rabbi Stern, who helps lead the Big Fill. “In the Talmud, it says if you save a life, you save the world. They’re saving lives.”

For their invaluable efforts and generosity with Save the Syrian Children, the Kooseds are the first-ever recipients of Stephen Wise Temple’s Emerging Leadership Award.

Once again, the couple demurs.

“We’re undeserving,” says Philip. “We’re truly honored to accept this award on behalf of all the brave doctors and volunteers on the team. This is for them.”

“Personally, it’s motivated us to step up and do a lot more,” adds Tamar.

As for the work, the Kooseds plan on spending many more sleepless nights, doing whatever they can to help those suffering in Syria.

“Our ultimate goal is to shut down Save the Syrian Children,” says Philip. “We have one mission: to help as many people as we can, and we’ll keep going until the bombs stop dropping.”