January 8, 2018 - Right Now joins Jewish leaders in responding to PM Netanyahu: They are refugees; now let us help
On November 29, 2017, Right Now joined leaders of 25 North American Jewish organizations in urging Prime Minister Netanyahu: Don't deport refugees, let us help.
The Prime Minister's Office replied by claiming that "the overwhelming majority of the illegal migrants who have arrived in Israel over the past decade are neither refugees nor asylum seekers."
On January 8, 2018, we sent a second letter to PM Netanyahu - refuting those claims and restating our initial request: Please don't deport refugees, let us help.
See below:
Click here for a Press Release (8 Jan 2018)
The Prime Minister's Office replied by claiming that "the overwhelming majority of the illegal migrants who have arrived in Israel over the past decade are neither refugees nor asylum seekers."
On January 8, 2018, we sent a second letter to PM Netanyahu - refuting those claims and restating our initial request: Please don't deport refugees, let us help.
See below:
- Our original public letter to Netanyahu (29 Nov 2017)
- Official reply from the PMO (19 Dec 2017)
- Our Response Letter to PMO (8 Jan 2018)
Click here for a Press Release (8 Jan 2018)
1) Public Letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Announcement of Plans to Deport Eritrean and Sudanese Asylum Seekers (29 Nov 2017)
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,
As North American Jews and as friends of Israel, we are deeply concerned about your recent announcement of plans to deport tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers from Israel.
We are concerned that while in most of the western world, refugee acceptance rates for Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers average as high as 56-84%, in Israel acceptance rates remain below 1%.
We are disturbed by reports from numerous sources that have shown that asylum seekers who have thus far “self-deported” from Israel have not found safety and protection in the countries to which they self-deported, be they their countries of origin - Eritrea or Sudan - or the third-party countries of Uganda and Rwanda. We know that many such individuals are no longer among the living.
We are concerned that if you move forward with these plans, the lives of thousands of individuals will be put in jeopardy, and the name of the Jewish State and the Jewish People will be irreparably stained.
As a people who were once refugees, and were once strangers in a strange land, we believe we have a special obligation toward refugees, whatever their religion or race. As a leading signatory to the International Convention on the Status of Refugees (1951), and moreover as a Jewish State founded by Jewish refugees, we believe Israel should be a model for the positive treatment of refugees.
We therefore call upon you to reconsider your plans to deport tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers. We urge you to respect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees as enshrined in the International Refugee Convention and in Jewish law and values, and to allow those asylum seekers already residing in Israel to live in dignity until it is truly safe for them to return. We further commit ourselves and offer our hand in support in any way that we can help in coping with the challenges of the refugee crisis.
Please do not deport these individuals who have sought refuge among the Jewish People, but rather let us work together in addressing the burdens and challenges of our moral obligations.
“You shall not hand over to their master a slave who has sought refuge with you from their master. They shall live with you in your midst, in the place which they shall choose in one of your towns where it is good for them; you shall not mistreat them.” (Deuteronomy 23:16-17)
Sincerely,
(In alphabetical order; affiliations listed for identification purposes only)
Jeremy Ben-Ami President J Street
Kenneth Bob President Ameinu
Lauren Fortgang Co-Founder and Policy Director Never Again Coalition
Susan Freudenheim Executive Director Jewish World Watch
Eitan Goldstein Mazkir Klali Habonim Dror North America
Rabbi Seth Goldstein President Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Paul Golin Executive Director Society for Humanistic Judaism
Rabbi Art Green Rector Rabbinical School of Hebrew College
Rabbi Jill Jacobs Executive Director T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Mark Hetfield President and CEO HIAS
Alexis Karpf General Secretary Hashomer Hatzair North America
Nancy K. Kaufman CEO National Council of Jewish Women
Yehuda Kurtzer President Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
Rabbi Asher Lopatin President Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Karen Mock President JSpaceCanada
Ben Murane Executive Director New Israel Fund of Canada
Rabbi Jonah Pesner Director, Religious Action Center and Senior Vice President Union for Reform Judaism
Jonathan Rosenblum Executive Director Jewish Labor Committee
Reuben Rotman President & Chief Executive Officer Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. President Reconstructionist Rabbinical College/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities
Paul Scham President Partners for Progressive Israel
Rabbi Philip Scheim President Rabbinical Assembly
Danny Schild Co-Chair CHAI: Canadians Supporting Asylum Seekers in Israel
Stephen Slater Co-Founder and Co-Chair Right Now: Advocates for Asylum Seekers in Israel
Daniel Sokatch CEO New Israel Fund
Rabbi Josh Weinberg President ARZA
Rav Shmuly Yanklowitz
2) PMO’s Reply (19 Dec 2017) (Click here to view original letter on PMO letterhead)
Dear Friends,
We acknowledge receipt of your recent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the contents of which have been duly noted.
The overwhelming majority of the illegal migrants who have arrived in Israel Over the past decade are neither refugees nor asylum seekers, but rather economic migrants who have come to Israel in search of work.
The Government of Israel has taken a number of steps to prevent illegal immigration and to deport migrants who are already here. These steps have been and continue to be taken in accordance with the law and are subject to the review of the High Court of Justice.
We assure you that the Government of Israel will continue to work to resolve this issue within the bounds of the law and with the utmost sensitivity to the welfare and well-being of the migrants.
Sincerely,
X
Department for Foreign Public Affairs
Prime Minister's Bureau
3) Response Letter to PMO (8 Jan 2018)
Dear Representative of the Prime Minister’s Office,
We thank you for your response (dated 19 Dec 2017) to our letter (dated 29 Nov 2017).
Again, we would like to reiterate our deep concern as Jews and as human beings for the welfare of those who have sought asylum in Israel as well as our readiness to help in addressing the issue.
In your reply, you write that “the overwhelming majority of the illegal migrants who have arrived in Israel over the past decade are neither refugees nor asylum seekers.” We recognize that it is possible that not all of the Eritrean and Sudanese migrants who have arrived in Israel are true refugees, but we know that many of them are indeed asylum seekers and refugees deserving of protection, and we are deeply concerned for their welfare.
We know, according to data presented by the Population Immigration and Border Authority to the Knesset last month, that over 12,000 Eritreans and Sudanese have submitted formal asylum requests while only 11 have been accepted as refugees. We also know that thousands more requested asylum orally upon entry to Israel or have been prevented or inhibited from presenting written asylum applications in Israel. We also know that outside of Israel approximately 56% of Sudanese and 84% of Eritrean asylum applicants have been accepted as refugees. The fact that fewer than 1% of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum applicants in Israel have received refugee status casts serious doubts on the validity of Israel’s asylum process as it currently stands.
We are especially concerned that although Israel was one of the first countries to recognize the genocide in Darfur, only one Darfuri has received refugee status in Israel, and even last month Israel’s High Court criticized the Refugee Status Determination Department for its lack of policy regarding Darfuri asylum seekers. We believe that Israel should rectify these faults in its asylum system before deporting those who have been rejected by it, lest innocent lives be harmed.
Your letter also assures us that you will continue to work “with the utmost sensitivity to the welfare and well-being of these migrants”. These assurances are unfortunately difficult to believe in the face of continued testimonies that those deported from Israel have faced exploitation, human trafficking, and even death.
We look forward to a direct reply from the Prime Minister - one that honestly addresses our sincere concerns and offer to help. Thank you.
Sincerely,
(In alphabetical order; affiliations listed for identification purposes only)
Jeremy Ben-Ami President J Street
Kenneth Bob President Ameinu
Rabbi David Ellenson Chancellor Emeritus HUC-JIR
Lauren Fortgang Co-Founder and Policy Director Never Again Coalition
Rabbi Seth Goldstein President Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Paul Golin Executive Director Society for Humanistic Judaism
Rabbi Art Green Rector Rabbinical School of Hebrew College
Mark Hetfield President and CEO HIAS
Rabbi Jill Jacobs Executive Director T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Nancy K. Kaufman CEO National Council of Jewish Women
Alexis Karpf General Secretary Hashomer Hatzair North America
Karen R. Mock President JSpaceCanada
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner Director, Religious Action Center and Senior Vice President Union for Reform Judaism
Rabbi Shalom Schachter Vice President OHALAH The Association of Rabbis and Cantors for Jewish Renewal
Paul Scham President Partners for Progressive Israel
Daniel Schild Co-Chair CHAI: Canadians Supporting Asylum Seekers in Israel
Stephen Slater Co-Founder and Co-Chair Right Now: Advocates for Asylum Seekers in Israel
Mike Slotznick Counsel, The America Team for Displaced Eritreans; Board Member, HIAS Pennsylvania
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. President Reconstructionist Rabbinical College/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities
Rabbi Joshua Weinberg President ARZA
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz Founder & President Uri L'Tzedek: The Orthodox Social Justice Movement
