The restaurant front of Jersey Kebab, located in Haddon Township, New Jersey, covered with supportive notes, March 30. PHOTO: GRACE O’MEARA ’27/THE HAWK
Hundreds of people lined up outside Jersey Kebab, a restaurant in Haddon Township, New Jersey, to celebrate the release of owner Emine Emanet after she and her husband, Celal Emanet, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February.
The couple moved to the United States from Turkey in 2008. Celal was granted a temporary R-1 visa for religious workers and was waiting for the outcome of his permanent residency application when the couple was arrested by ICE Feb. 25.
Members of the community in South Jersey donated over $327,000 to an online fundraiser to pay for legal fees and support the family after the restaurant closed when the Emanets were arrested. Celal Emanet was released shortly after being processed, but Emine Emanet was held in the detention center for two more weeks before she, too, was released.
To show their appreciation, the family hosted a celebration March 30 to thank their customers, said Muhammed Emanet, the couple’s son, who was 10 years old when the Emanets moved to the U.S. in 2008. Attendees were treated to a free meal of lamb, chicken, rice, tzatziki and baklava as a thank-you gesture from the Emanet family.
Muhammed Emanet said while the food initially brought people to the restaurant, the support during difficult times is what he believes truly matters.
“To see the fact that all the love we put out there through our food, which brought this entire community together, and our energy and everything that we’ve shared with these people over the last five years, it’s just been an experience of a lifetime,” Muhammed Emanet said.
Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague, one of the many people at the event, said the community’s response to the couple’s detention is a testament to the Emanet family.
“They are an integral part of our community, whether it be the business itself or just their outreach to our community and those in need or could use some help,” Teague said. “They would offer them food, and they were always out there to offer their help and assistance to our community.”
The family’s story reached beyond Haddon Township. Boris Robulco, from New Brunswick, said he traveled to show his support after hearing about it from a local friend.
“This is actually the second time that I’ve been here,” Robulco said. “I’ve been here a couple of years back, but honestly, to come here and to see just the outpour of community support for these guys, it’s really inspiring.”
Isis Williams, president of the Haddon Township Equity Initiative, a nonprofit that supported the Emanet family after their arrest and release, said she hopes the Emanet’s experience shows the community how important it is to show up for one another.
“We’re like one big family. It doesn’t take much for people to realize that at any moment, it could be them; it could be any of us in this scenario,” Williams said. “We just hope that if it was one of us, someone would show up for us in the same way.”
Lori Weinberg Leonard created the GoFundMe fundraiser after hearing the family’s story. Leonard said she had experience running successful fundraisers in the past and wanted to give her assistance, having dined at the restaurant before and experienced the Emanet’s generosity.
“My favorite quote is, ‘I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that; then I realized that I am somebody,’” Leonard said. “I try to live my life that way and always be open to being that someone, especially in terms of an injustice.”
The HTEI focuses on creating and supporting “a sense of belonging” in the community, especially so that “historically marginalized members feel seen, heard, respected, and celebrated,” according to its website.
Pip Haxby-Thompson, HTEI board member, said he hopes the support shown by the community serves as an example for others.
“I hope that whatever has been put out there about this community here, it’s reflected in other communities around the U.S. as well,” Haxby-Thompson said. “They can see it and mirror what we’ve done to show support where they are.”
The HTEI hosted a letter-writing event March 2 to advocate for Emine Emanet’s release. These letters were printed, notarized and presented to the judge to call for her release.
Through both the restaurant’s success and his family’s hardships, Muhammed Emanet said he has gained a deeper understanding of resilience. He said the challenges of being an immigrant shaped his perspective.
“Being an immigrant does have a lot of challenges to where you can either let those challenges drown you out, or you can use it as motivation to persevere through,” Muhammed Emanet said. “It will build your character up. You always just continue doing the right thing.”