Wandering Through the Desert for Refugees!
During my seemingly endless weeks confined to my bed, many thoughts ran in circles in my head. I felt incredibly grateful to be so well taken care of by my community, and to have all my needs met even when I had a hard time walking down the stairs. But I also felt more aware than ever that this privilege, of having basic needs met, is one not all people share.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, the world is now home to 68.5 million displaced persons- the highest rate of displacement on record. These people have been displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.
Too many of these people are finding that the persecution from which they fled awaits them in different forms upon the doorsteps at which they seek mercy.
HIAS works to protect, resettle, and advocate for refugees around the world! It is OUR chance to make a difference by contributing to this incredible organization- the oldest migration and refugee resettlement agency in the world!
Israel is home to 39,000 asylum seekers, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan. The extremely low recognition rates of the Israeli asylum system (less than 1%) make it nearly impossible to be recognized as a refugee and granted the rights that refugee status entails.
HIAS is working to ultimately change this system.
They work to increase access to high quality and free legal representation. Increasing judicial review in a critical mass of proceedings will hopefully make Israel a more welcoming and safe place for refugees. There is a lot of work to be done, and they need our help.
In their last annual overview, HIAS reported assisting more than 390,000 refugees and displaced persons in 12 countries!
WE MUST REMEMBER THAT OUR PEOPLE WERE REFUGEES TOO!
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