Refugees and Jewish Legacy

My Spidey Sense (actually a Google alert) notified me that a photo I took was used and credited with my name. It’s an article talking about African migrants collectively declared criminals by Eli Yishai.

I just had to reply. Sadly the reply was over twice the length limit allowed. Instead of posting it split three ways, I’ll just post it here.

Thanks for the photo credit, but I wish the report was a bit more complete.

1. Some of the Africans are Sudanese and some are not, it’s true. some are was refugees and others are climate refugees.

2. Israel refuses to review their cases, and so none of them is declared a refugee and treated according to international refugee treaties, instead they are vilified and attacked. see the Molotov bottles thrown into houses where they live reported in the last few weeks, right after our local holocaust memorial day.

3. up until this last bust, the police and human rights organizations where actually in agreement - the refugee population is actually a very decent bunch and does not break any laws…

4. …other than crossing the border illegally of course, but do you know what’s waiting for them in Sinai? Rapes and murders by Bedouins are abundant. The stories collected by our local social workers are truly horrible.

In sum, the migrants’ problem is a global one. whether they are escaping the climate changes or turf wars for mineral mining, I blame the developed world for abusing the locals, and Israel should ask for help from the UN or at least the EU. either way, the Passover Haggadah tells us that in every generation Jews must see themselves as if they were the refugee, running from Egypt and looking for sanctuary. Eli Yishai should be ashamed for this racist, unethical and un-Jewish decision to declare them all criminals and make all Israelis accomplices to the injustice, rather than use help from the world to take care of this problem the humane way.