We are devastated by the senseless hate-filled terror attack targeting two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. Our Jewish community mourns the tragic loss of 49 innocent lives. We know all too well the price of terrorism, racism, and hatred. No person should ever have to fear attending a sacred place of worship. The xenophobia that led to this unspeakable bloodshed must be condemned in no uncertain terms by leaders worldwide and the public-at-large. Hatred and vitriol must have no place to manifest. We cannot allow it to continue to violate the moral and ethical core of our society.
In Harrisburg, the Muslim community was a source of strength to us after the senseless killings of 11 innocent worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community now.
The Community Relations Council (CRC) generally faces a challenging decision of what stand or action to take, particularly when it involves Israel. The Federation's mission is to unite our community and there often are varying perspectives on what position we should take and there are also numerous facts and considerations which may not be known to the public. We seek guidance from our national associations such as the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Jewish Federations of North America, but often they face similar challenges on how to best handle complex matters.
Just before Passover, as we start our celebration of our own freedom, fought hard for and won after many tribulations, I want to share with you a true story about a young man and what we have been doing to try to help him. Since December, single male Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers residing in Israel have been at risk. Israeli authorities began issuing deportation notices which begin in March 2018. One such single male Eritrean seeking asylum, Amanuel Germasion, has a connection to our community. The CRC determined that assisting him personally was the most effective action we could take. A statement about our position on this matter would have minimal impact, but supporting Amanuel may change the course of his life and his family's in a positive way.
Amanuel is the brother of Sam Germasion, a dedicated CNA at the Campus of the Jewish Home, who received the outstanding nursing award for his service to the residents in 2017. Sam also was a refugee from Eritrea, but was able to legally come to the US in 2014 after his wife obtained a visa. Both Sam and Amanuel fled Eritrea in order to escape forced and prolonged army service without pay. The service in the Eritrean army is effectively a form of forced servitude and can last for decades. It often includes acts of torture and detention, as was the case for Amanuel. Additionally, Amanuel was prevented, under penalty of torture from practicing his religion, a form of Orthodox Christianity.
Amanuel's situation is much more precarious as he is single and among those at risk of deportation. Israel's solution is to provide the asylum seekers with $3,500 when they leave the country and will reportedly pay the receiving government $5,000. Unfortunately, the primary countries accepting the asylum seekers are Uganda and Rwanda. Neither country is secure or safe for them due to extensive violence (which has been documented) and limited potential for a sustainable income. Sam personally attested to these conditions. Asylum seekers are also often robbed once they arrive since it is known that they have been given funds from Israel.
Overall, this is a dire situation, and our CRC is working with experts locally, nationally, and in Israel to help. We are grateful for connections we have made through Marielle Macher (Community Justice Project), Professor Jill Family (Widener Law), and Rachel Rutter (HIAS Pennsylvania), all three were panelists at our fall Cardozo program on immigration, DACA, and refugees. They and their connections have provided expertise, which has helped shape our support and open doors for Amanuel to receive the guidance through a challenging process.
Professor Jill Family connected us with Dr. Tally Kritzman-Amir, Senior Lecturer of Immigration Law from the College of Law and Business, Israel, and a Fellow at Harvard Law School as well as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Hadassah Brandeis Institute. She manages the Migrants' Rights clinic which is an academic program that seeks to educate the future human rights lawyers of Israel through providing free legal aid to migrants. Dr. Kritzman-Amir then introduced us to Larry Tobin from The Shapiro Foundation, a Boston based foundation focused on improving the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable populations: children, refugees and immigrants. It operates throughout the US, as well as Israel, Greece, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Liberia. We are grateful for everyone's support and guidance.
Our initial goal is to prevent Amanuel's deportation from Israel. As of March 7, HIAS has helped Amanuel file for asylum in Israel, prepare letters of argument against his deportation, and work to coordinate a hearing on his behalf. This is significant because Amanuel would not have been able to hire private legal counsel to assist him with this matter and would not have been able to navigate the system on his own. Of course Amanuel has come to our attention because Sam is a resident of our community and works at the Jewish Home. But there are so many others in Israel who do not receive the help they need. We are too small and too far to try to do more for all of them, but with your help, we can support those who are equipped to help these asylum seekers in Israel.
Update: Amanuel had his hearing and will learn on April 8 if his visa will be renewed or denied.
Major Update: On April 2, we were briefly relieved and related when it was announced that Israel reached a deal with the UN to send nearly half of African asylum seekers to Western countries as described in this JTA article. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Netanyahu canceled this agreement as updated in this JTA article. You can learn more about this in this i24 News Report featuring Mike Wagenheim who will be speaking in our community on May 29.
Please consider supporting HIAS with a donation. We are collecting funds on behalf of our community to demonstrate our appreciation for their support of Amanuel and others in dire need through pro-bono legal counsel. Amanuel, Sam, and others have faced a long and painful journey. Through the work of our CRC, the intensive labor of HIAS, and other agencies supporting them, we have the ability to repair the world one life at a time. Can you help?
On Thursday, March 14, just hours after rockets from Gaza landed in Tel Aviv, the first such escalation since the 2014 War, Dr. Eran Lerman spoke to a crowd of Harrisburg Jewish Community members on the already-complicated topic of the upcoming Israeli elections.
Dr. Lerman is the former deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and has held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for more than twenty years.
"It is a dramatic escalation," said Dr. Lerman, who described the effects of the attack on the election and the repercussions of a response (or no response). "I don't envy the cabinet members in session now, deep in the night in Tel Aviv, trying to make up their minds. At least there will be no difference in opinion between the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense," he continued, referencing Benjamin Netanyahu's dual positions.
Dr. Lerman described a fascinating election season, which has seen unexpected challengers and unorthodox alliances, but has mostly centered around Israeli citizens' feelings on one man: Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu.
"This has not been an election about the issues," Dr. Lerman stated. "It has been about Bibi Netanyahu as a person and his legal problems." Charges of corruption and the possibility of an indictment of the current prime minister have lingered for months, with an indictment now imminent pending a hearing (at press time for this article).
As a result, Netanyahu faces a strong challenge to his Prime Ministership. "There are very serious contenders from the top of Israeli policy," Dr. Lerman continued. He noted the diversity of representation among the contenders, stating that members of forty-seven parties were vying for seats in the parliamentary government at the outset of the election season.
Dr. Lerman also spoke about evolving attitudes toward Israel from around the world, and took questions from the crowd.
The program was sponsored by the Community Relations Council Israel Speaker Series Educational Endowment. Dr. Lerman was introduced by Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg President and CEO Jenn Ross, as well as past CRC chair Dr. Edward S. Beck.
Thank you to our sponsors of the fall 2018 event!
This program was generously supported by an AEN Micro Grant and by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Foundation. We thank to following sponsors for their donations.
To support future programming like this, you can make a donation to this fund.
The Community Relations Council (CRC) Israeli Speakers Educational Endowment of the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania was established in 2015 by Dr. Edward and Esther Beck and Dr. Gustav (z'l) and Rita Beck, to bring to Harrisburg and Central PA notable expert Israeli speakers representing the many different and diverse views and voices of a vital Israeli society to brief the Greater Harrisburg community on the many challenges facing Israel in this complex world. Speakers will be chosen by the CRC with the consent of the Board of Directors of The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg.
It is hoped that enough funds could be raised to have at least two speakers per year in perpetuity and those interested in growing this important fund should contact Paulette Keifer.
June 21, 2018: Many members of our community have expressed concern and outrage regarding the family separation issue at our borders. A letter expressing opposition to this policy with broad participation from the Jewish community nationally was sent on June 20 to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg was one of 292 state and local organizations from 35 states and the District of Columbia, co-signing with 55 national Jewish organizations, including all four streams of religious Judaism. Locally, we were joined by Temple Beth Shalom and Progressive Jewish Voice. The full letter and list of signatories can be found here.