Wrestling With the Refugee Crisis
This weekend (Oct. 19-20, 2018) is National Refugee Shabbat, the brainchild of HIAS. Formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, HIAS was founded in 1881 to help Jews escaping Russian pogroms. Since then, it’s worked on behalf of immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and displaced persons; starting in the early 2000s, it expanded its vision beyond Jews, assisting vulnerable people in the aftermath of conflicts around the world. Today, the number of displaced persons is the highest it’s been in history. Someone is displaced from their home every two seconds. Children are ripped away from their parents at borders.
This year, HIAS is starting what it hopes will be a new tradition: a weekend during which Americans will ponder refugee issues. So far, more than 250 Jewish congregations, organizations, and individuals have signed up to participate. Why this weekend? Merrill Zack, senior director of community engagement at HIAS, told me: “We chose it because of this Shabbat’s parsha, Lech Lecha, and its connection to our own people’s wandering in an enduring quest for freedom. But we also chose a time we knew would be critical.”