Maya Paley is glad to see Jews expressing support for Syrian refugees. But isn’t that hypocritical, she asks, if we forget to advocate for the humane treatment of Israel’s African asylum seekers?
When Maya Paley and Tamar Shertok met Guy, a Darfuri genocide survivor who dreamed of going to college, they knew they had to help — whatever the cost.
Israel’s high court struck down the policy of detaining African asylum-seekers. Why can’t the government seek justice instead of punishment for immigrants?
Last weekend, I was detained for 10 hours and then deported back to the U.S. after flying to Panama for a weeklong vacation. I’m starting to get over the sheer frustration about the experience, which was caused by a Panamanian rule that visitors must have at least three months on their passports to gain entry to the country. In truth, it was my fault for not knowing the rules of the country I hoped to visit.
A new Israeli law allows undocumented immigrants, mostly African asylum seekers, to be detained indefinitely. Diaspora Jews must not turn a blind eye to this injustice.
In an attempt to pressure African asylum seekers to leave Israel, Interior Minister Eli Yishai has announced that 15,000 immigrants from Sudan will be rounded up and detained if they do not “voluntarily” leave the country by October 15.