A Current Day Exodus: African Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel

with

Tamara Newman, Director of International Outreach at The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants,
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Vice President for Community Engagement at HIAS,
&
Clips from Brad Rothschild's new film, African Exodus


Monday, March 30^th from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Temple Israel of Boston

A light dinner will be served.


This is a free event. Please RSVP below.


Interested in bringing important current events and justice work to your Passover Seder this year? In 2014 there were more refugees on the move throughout the world than in any other year since the end of World War II. Israel, sitting at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, has felt this. Since 2006, almost 60,000 people have traveled through Egypt to Israel in search of safety. Join us as we hear from experts on the ground: Who are these people, and why have they come to Israel? What is the legal and political response of the Jewish State? How does Israel’s response to refugees fit into the larger global response? We will hear personal stories, screen refugee and asylum seeker testimonials from Brad Rothschild's new film African Exodus, and learn about the legal action, services, and advocacy work being done in Israel, fulfilling one of our most central commandments, related to our own journey: Love the stranger as thyself, for you were once a stranger in the land of Egypt.

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn is the Vice President for Community Engagement at HIAS, the international Jewish refugee organization, where she is mobilizing the Jewish community to advance the rights and lives of refugees in the United States and around the world. Prior to coming to HIAS, Rabbi Rosenn played a catalytic role in building the Jewish social justice movement and the field of Jewish service as the Director of the Jewish Life and Values Program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. She has also served as a campus rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College Hillel. A founding board member of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps and Repair the World, Rabbi Rosenn has twice been named one of the Forward’s 50 Jews in America. Rabbi Rosenn was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. She lives in New York City with her husband, Rabbi David Rosenn, and their two sons. 

Tamara Newman is visiting the US from The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants - Israel's leading organization protecting the rights of refugees, migrant workers and victims of human trafficking. The Hotline, a New Israel Fund grantee, represents some of the most vulnerable people in Israel and advocates for government policies consistent with a just, equal and democratic Israel. Tamara will bring insight from the field on the situation of the 46,000 currently living in Israel and the work being done by NGOs in Israel to protect their rights. Tamara is responsible for international outreach at The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants. She made Aliyah to Israel from Australia in February 2013, prior to which she worked on the launch of the New Israel Fund in Australia.

Organized by:
New Israel Fund New Generations
The Riverway Project
Right Now: Advocates for Asylum Seekers in Israel

Co-sponsored by:
BINA Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture
Keshet
Moishe Kavod House


Check out the Facebook event page, too (but make sure to register below)!


This event is presented by the young adult (20s and 30s) contingents of the host organizations. All ages are welcome and we are looking forward to an intergenerational space.

Free validated parking is available at the garage at 375 Longwood Avenue. Please bring your parking ticket to the desk at Temple Israel's entrance for validation. Temple Israel is two blocks from the Longwood stop on the Green "D" line.



              

Event Location