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Ari Ballaban — In Conversation

February 7, 2018 | 4 Comments
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Cincinnati Jewish Leadership Letter on African Asylum Seekers in Israel

Israel is currently home to approximately 38,000 asylum seekers from Africa, all of whom entered the country through the Sinai desert between the years 2005-2012. Since then, the Israeli government and Supreme Court have taken legislative and judicial action that has resulted in the recent challenges surrounding African asylum seekers in Israel today. We recognize that those seeking asylum in Israel are in a precarious and complicated situation that continues to develop and receive international attention.

As your Cincinnati JCRC, we want to provide you with information about the latest developments and share this letter (below) by many rabbis and other leaders in our community expressing their concern about this situation. —Jackie


01.31.2018 Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis

To: The Honorable Ron Dermer, Ambassador of Israel to the United States

Mr. Yaron Gamburg, Minister of Public Diplomacy, Israel Embassy to the United States

Mr. Dani Dayan , Consul General of Israel in New York

 

Honorable Sirs:

We, the Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis together with rabbis, scholars, educators and future Jewish leaders from the Jewish community of Cincinnati OHIO, hereby express our deepest concern about the future of African asylum seekers in Israel.

In 1951 the American Jewish lawyer Louis Henkin, in collaboration with the Israeli lawyer Jacob Robinson, succeeded in causing the UN Refugee Convention to accept Israeli Rabbi Yitzhak Levin’s suggestion for article 33:

Prohibition of Expulsion or Return (“refoulement”)

  1. No Contracting State shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.”

This is a great example of the collaboration of American and Israeli Jewry on behalf of all humanity.

This is also the promise we see in the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel and the values we would like to celebrate with you on this 70th anniversary of the State of Israel.

We have worked in the past to help Israel in cases where Jews were at risk from the governments or regimes in their countries of origin.

We have created campaigns to raise international awareness of genocide in Darfur, Sudan and other places.

We are working regularly to help refugees of all national origins across the United States.

Please deliver the following message to the Israeli government:

  1. Please put on hold your decision to expel African asylum seekers (AAS) from Israel.
  2. Please make available to the AAS the opportunity to file a refugee request and assistant in responding to governmental inquiries before requiring them to leave the country.
  3. While the refugee request is pending, please give the AAS a temporary work permit such as you give to other foreign workers who seek to enter Israel.
  4. Please work with the UNHCR to ease, help and resolve the challenges facing the AAS and the Israeli government.
  5. Please use our strong commitment to the state of Israel together with the creativity and wisdom existing in Israel to reduce the violence among tribes in Africa so that the AAS will be able to return to their home countries in peace.

We the undersigned make these moral demands.

(Note: Institutional affiliations for identification purposes only)

  1. Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Pines School of Graduate Studies, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), Cincinnati OH
  2. Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, HUC-JIR, Cincinnati OH
  3. Rabbi Robert B. Barr, Congregation Beth Adam, Cincinnati OH
  4. Rabbi Sigma F. Coran, Rockdale Temple, Cincinnati OH
  5. Rabbi Meredith Kahan Flowers, Rockdale Temple, Cincinnati OH
  6. Rabbi Lewis H. Kamrass, Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati OH
  7. Rabbi Karen Thomashow, Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati OH
  8. Rabbi Elana Perry, Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati OH
  9. Rabbi Abie Ingber, Xavier University, Cincinnati OH
  10. Rabbi Shena Potter Jaffee, Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis, Cincinnati OH
  11. Rabbi Irvin M. Wise, Adath Israel Congregation, Cincinnati OH
  12. Rabbi Daniel Bogard, Cincinnati OH
  13. Rabbi Karen Kriger Bogard, Cincinnati OH
  14. Rabbi Elana Dellal, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati OH
  15. Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp, Temple Sholom, Cincinnati OH
  16. Rabbi Eric Slaton, Beth Israel Synagogue, West Chester, OH
  17. Rabbi Margaret Meyer, Cincinnati OH
  18. Rabbi Jennifer Lewis, Mason OH
  19. Rabbi Lindsey Danziger, Reform Ohio, Cincinnati OH
  20. Rabbi George (Gershom) Barnard, Cincinnati, OH
  21. Rabbi Dr. Matthew Kraus, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  22. Rabbi Dr. Gary P. Zola, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of The American Jewish Archives, And HUCJIR, Cincinnati OH
  23. Sarah L. Weiss, The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Cincinnati OH
  24. Rabbi Elena Stein, Cincinnati OH
  25. Dr. Ethan Katz, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  26. Cantor Alane S. Katzew, Cedar Village, Mason OH
  27. Dr. Ari Finkelstein, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  28. Dr. Adrian Parr, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  29. Dr. Craig Perry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  30. Rabbi Dr. Richard S. Sarason, HUC-JIR, Cincinnati OH
  31. Rabbi Julie S. Schwartz, Stein Professor of Human Relations, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  32. Rabbi Ari Ballaban, Temple Beth-Or, Dayton OH
  33. Rabbi Adam Rosenthal, Cincinnati OH
  34. Rabbi Ken Kanter, Associate Dean and Director of the Rabbinical School, HUC-JIR, Cincinnati OH
  35. Dr. Dana Herman, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of The American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati OH
  36. Aharon Varady, The Open Siddur Project, Cincinnati OH
  37. Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, Cincinnati OH
  38. Dr. Gila Safran Naveh, Department Head, Judaic Studies, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
  39. Dr. Michael Meyer, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  40. Rabbi (Student) Alicia Harris, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  41. Rabbi (Student) Zoe McCoon, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  42. Rabbi (Student) Samantha Schapera, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  43. Rabbi (Student) Libby Fisher, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  44. Rabbi (Student) Yael Dadoun, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  45. Rabbi (Student) Natalie Louise Shribman, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  46. Rabbi (Student) Isaama Stoll, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  47. Rabbi (Student) Taylor Poslosky, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  48. Rabbi (Student) Bailey Romano, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  49. Rabbi (Student) Simone Schicker, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  50. Rabbi (Student) Kylynn Perdue-Bronson, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  51. Rabbi (Student) Taylor Baruchel, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  52. Rabbi (Student) Will Hall, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  53. Rabbi (Student) Sam Schauvaney, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  54. Rabbi (Student) Benjamin Zober, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  55. Rabbi (Student) Rachel Gross-Prinz, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  56. Rabbi (Student) David Reinhart, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  57. Rabbi (Student) Samuel C Kaye, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  58. Rabbi (Student) David B. Bloom, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  59. Rabbi (Student) Zachary S Goodman, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  60. Rabbi (Student) Joseph Rosen, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  61. Rabbi (Student) Ally Resnik Jacobson, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  62. Rabbi (Student) Michael Weiss, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  63. Rabbi (Student) Sara Zober, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  64. Rabbi (Student) Ross Levy, HUC-JIR. Cincinnati OH
  65. Abby Schwartz, director of the Skirball Museum Cincinnati, HUC-JIR, Cincinnati OH.

For further information please contact:

Rabbi Shena Potter Jaffee, President, Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis

shenapotterjaffee@gmail.com

or

Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit-Halachmi

rabbiofer@gmail.com

 


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Comments

  1. B Moskowitz says:
    February 8, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    You are misleading the Jewish Community as to the truth and real story. 90% of these refugees came for economic reasons. They were not in danger in their homeland. You also fail to mention the tremendous damage they have done to the residents of South Tel Avivwhere the large majority of these people reside. The people are crying out for help. The crime has exploded. From rapes, robbery, assaults etc.Even the Israeli Supreme Court, a bastion of the liberal left, recognizes that these are not regular refugees.

    Reply
  2. Bob says:
    February 15, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    I don’t like how you try to speak for all of Cincinnati jews but don’t have a single orthodox rabbi who signed your letter. Shame

    Reply
    1. Jordan says:
      March 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm

      You’re spot on Bob, absolutely appalling, typical Huc hypocrisy. What about a decent salary for their contingent workers for a start?

      Reply
  3. Huc-insider says:
    March 9, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    Absolutely appalling, typical Huc hypocrisy. What about a decent salary for their contingent workers for a start? I, regrettably, know these people, their manners and their “Jewish humanism” all too well to be fooled.

    Reply

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