Cork café gives Mother's Day gift to mums separated from their loved ones 

Izzedeen Akarajeh and his wife Eman at Izz Cafe: 'I haven’t seen my mother in a really long time – since 2016. I really miss her. I wanted to do something for people like me, who haven’t seen their families in a long time. Picture:Larry Cummins

A Cork café owner and former asylum seeker will deliver free food to mothers who cannot be with their loved ones this Mother's Day.

Izzedeen Alkarajeh, originally from Palestine, has not seen his own mother since 2016.

Missing her made him think of all the other families who have been separated by the pandemic and motivated him to reach out to help others.

Mr Alkarajeh said: “I haven’t seen my mother in a really long time – since 2016. I really miss her. I wanted to do something for people like me, who haven’t seen their families in a long time.

It was just something I felt I needed to do because I know how it feels to live away from your mother and to miss her."

This Sunday, Izz Café will deliver 10 meals to mothers whose children cannot be with them to help families, separated by borders and a pandemic, to connect.

Mr Alkarajeh met his wife Eman, whose family are Palestinian but who was born in Jordan, in Saudi Arabia, where Mr Alkarajeh worked as a software developer. They married in 2002 and had a family. 

But when Mr Alkarajeh's contract in Saudi Arabia ran out and they tried to return to Palestine, Israel would not sanction Mrs Alkarajeh's entry, and she, as a woman, could not sponsor her husband and family to move to Jordan with her. 

The family would have been separated unless a third country accepted them so they applied for asylum in Ireland.

Mr Alkarajeh said his mother and all elderly people in Palestine are being told to stay at home as Covid-19 cases and deaths from the disease have been soaring there. Two of his aunts recently died with the virus.

“They’re in strict lockdown now. But at least here when there’s a lockdown, there’s help and support for people, there’s social welfare. They don’t have any help there. A lot of old people have been dying in recent weeks so old people are just told to sit at home and not go out.” 

Mothers’ Day is not a popular tradition in his home country, he said, but the family has embraced it here.

In our tradition, they say 'it’s a shame to only celebrate your mother once a year', they say your mother should be celebrated every day of the year.” 

Family bonds and respect for older generations are important in Palestinian culture, he said.

“We don’t have many nursing homes there. Families try to live close to their parents so they can look after them. A mother should be living with her children when she’s old unless she has no children, then she goes to a nursing home but there are very few, only one in each province.” 

He said being separated from his own family is difficult in this regard too, but he tries to contribute financially and by calling his mother frequently.

The Alkarajeh family must wait for their Irish citizenship before they can return to Palestine to see their family. Mrs Alkarajeh has not met most of her husband’s family yet as she was not permitted to return with him, even to visit.

Once they have their passports, returning to Palestine for a visit is “a top priority”. 

Eman and Izzedeen Alkarajeh: Mr Alkarajeh decided to open a food business instead while he was in direct provision in Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

Mr Alkarajeh decided to open a food business instead while he was in direct provision here.

“Staying in direct provision gave me the opportunity to reassess my life," he said.

“I used to be a software developer in Saudi Arabia and I devised business plans and marketing plans for other companies. I wanted to put those skills together with my wife’s cooking experience."

He said he noticed straightaway that there is a demand for Middle Eastern food here. Many people in Ireland had travelled abroad and had tried the food there but had no local access to it.

“We couldn’t cook in direct provision at the start and my kids would not accept the food provided for us. It wasn’t bad food, it just wasn’t what they were used to.

“When we moved [from Dublin] to direct provision in Cork the first kitchen for asylum seekers in the country was opened up here. It was good timing for us.

“My wife cooked and we shared our food with the staff and other residents. We got good feedback on it.

“I came up with a business plan, did surveys, contacted different businesses and I was lucky to connect with Darina Allen [of Ballymaloe]. She got us into farmers' markets and it just worked, luckily."

Although business at Izz Café, on George’s Quay has dropped by 45% over lockdown, it is still keeping the family going, operating a takeaway and delivery service.

On Wednesday, Mr Alkarajeh was shortlisted for Cork’s Best Café award with two other nominations.

And last year, Mr Alkarajeh and his wife were named joint Cork Person of the Month for their contribution to the city.

Mr Alkarajeh said their nomination was a huge, but very welcome, surprise.

“It really means a lot to us. It’s a prestigious award and it means we’re really welcomed in the community, and not just as guests," he said.