Courage in a refugee crisis
18/11/15 05:38
In May of 1939, the German ocean liner St. Louis sailed from Hamburg, Germany for Havana, Cuba. There were 937 passengers on the ship. Most of the passengers were Jews fleeing from the Third Reich. Most were German citizens. The majority of the passengers had applied for US visas and had planned to stay in Cuba only until they could enter the United States. This was after Kristallnacht pogrom in November, 1938. The world, including those in the United States knew of the dangers Jews faced in Germany. It was also after a long Depression with unprecedented unemployment in the US.
When the ship arrived in Havana Harbor, only 28 passengers were admitted to Cuba. One additional passenger was admitted to a hospital for treatment.
The ship sailed close enough to Miami for its passengers to see the United States, but they were denied entry. In early June, the St. Louis sailed back to Europe. Eventually, Great Britain took 288 of the passengers, the Netherlands admitted 181 passengers, Belgium took in 214 passengers; and 224 passengers found at least temporary refuge in France. Continuing to struggle to emigrate, some were later able to leave Europe. 532 St. Louis passengers were trapped when Germany conquered Western Europe. 254 of these became victims of the holocaust.
If you visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., you can see postcards written from the SS St Louis and read a complete account of its voyages and passengers. It is chilling and makes one wonder what might have happened if our country had found room to admit more refugees.
It is not one of the high points in American History.
Two words have become forever associated with the remembrance of the Holocaust: “Never Again.”
It is that commitment that has given rise to another exhibit at the Museum that highlights the plight of minorities under threat in Iraq. Christians, Kaka’i, Sabean-Mandeaeans, Shabak, Turkmen, and Yezidis are all in immediate danger in that country. Their story is well known to those who are paying attention to the stories in US newspapers. In the summer of 2014 the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) conducted a violent campaign against civilians in northern Iraq. In less than three months more than 800,000 people were driven from their homes.
Fear of attack, fear of kidnapping, fear of death - all have terrorized innocent civilian residents of the region. It is fear that has driven them from their homes. Clutching only their most essential possessions, clinging to families, many of which have been splintered by kidnappings and killings, these refugees have moved from place to place in search of safe haven. Uprooted from homes, businesses and communities these people have found themselves living in horrible, strange conditions.
And they are not alone.
Over half a million refugees from other countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other countries have made the choice to embark on dangerous journeys as the only way to give their children a chance of survival and safety.
Have we learned the lessons of the SS St. Louis?
Listening to the political rhetoric of the past few days, it appears that may may not have.
The well-publicized attacks ini Paris are only part of the story, but they seem to have given voice to a new round of fear among politicians who are speaking boldly about refusing to admit refugees. More than a few US politicians have spoken of the victims of IS as if they themselves were the terrorists.
As horrific and terrible as the attacks in Paris have been, they affect far fewer innocent human lives than the refusal to show compassion to refugees. Over a half million have crossed the Mediterranean and Aegean so far this year, ending up in Italy, Greece, Serbia, Hungary, Turkey and other European countries. No one seems to have a complete count of those remaining in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and across Africa.
We do know that critical support services are insufficient. We do know that there are shortages of food. We do know that people are sleeping on the ground without even a mat to protect them from the cold.
Will we allow fear to reign supreme? Will we allow our fears to prevent us from showing compassion?
This is a time when we need courage from our leaders, not more loud rhetoric espousing fear.
The dictionary defines paranoia as “a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.” Of course there are risks involved with welcoming refugees. Of course there is a possibility that someone intent on causing harm might pose as a refugee. But rejecting all refugees because of the fear of those risks borders on irrational. If we are afraid of terror, do we seriously believe that we can avoid it by disassociating from its victims?
I guess in our current political climate politicians need to exaggerate. When they continue to exaggerate their fears it begins to sound like paranoia. I can’t help but wonder if we expect our political leaders to suffer from chronic personality disorders. That, however, is my cynical side. And cynicism is no better than fear in providing a solution to hungry, cold, threatened refugees.
Solutions will come from working together. Those who are fearful of all who are different from themselves will need to find courage to confront their fears. Those who are complacent and doing nothing will need to speak out. Those who are unrealistic in their assessment of potential risks will need to develop vigilance. We all need to display an increase in hospitality and compassion for those who are literally running for their lives. Getting to know refugees as individuals with their own unique hopes and fears and dreams will go a long way towards preventing the mistakes and tragedies of our history.
I hope that decades from now my grandchildren will visit the Holocaust Museum. I pray that they won’t be visiting displays that depict the tragic mistakes of our generation and telling the stories of lives lost from a lack of compassion.
When the ship arrived in Havana Harbor, only 28 passengers were admitted to Cuba. One additional passenger was admitted to a hospital for treatment.
The ship sailed close enough to Miami for its passengers to see the United States, but they were denied entry. In early June, the St. Louis sailed back to Europe. Eventually, Great Britain took 288 of the passengers, the Netherlands admitted 181 passengers, Belgium took in 214 passengers; and 224 passengers found at least temporary refuge in France. Continuing to struggle to emigrate, some were later able to leave Europe. 532 St. Louis passengers were trapped when Germany conquered Western Europe. 254 of these became victims of the holocaust.
If you visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., you can see postcards written from the SS St Louis and read a complete account of its voyages and passengers. It is chilling and makes one wonder what might have happened if our country had found room to admit more refugees.
It is not one of the high points in American History.
Two words have become forever associated with the remembrance of the Holocaust: “Never Again.”
It is that commitment that has given rise to another exhibit at the Museum that highlights the plight of minorities under threat in Iraq. Christians, Kaka’i, Sabean-Mandeaeans, Shabak, Turkmen, and Yezidis are all in immediate danger in that country. Their story is well known to those who are paying attention to the stories in US newspapers. In the summer of 2014 the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) conducted a violent campaign against civilians in northern Iraq. In less than three months more than 800,000 people were driven from their homes.
Fear of attack, fear of kidnapping, fear of death - all have terrorized innocent civilian residents of the region. It is fear that has driven them from their homes. Clutching only their most essential possessions, clinging to families, many of which have been splintered by kidnappings and killings, these refugees have moved from place to place in search of safe haven. Uprooted from homes, businesses and communities these people have found themselves living in horrible, strange conditions.
And they are not alone.
Over half a million refugees from other countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other countries have made the choice to embark on dangerous journeys as the only way to give their children a chance of survival and safety.
Have we learned the lessons of the SS St. Louis?
Listening to the political rhetoric of the past few days, it appears that may may not have.
The well-publicized attacks ini Paris are only part of the story, but they seem to have given voice to a new round of fear among politicians who are speaking boldly about refusing to admit refugees. More than a few US politicians have spoken of the victims of IS as if they themselves were the terrorists.
As horrific and terrible as the attacks in Paris have been, they affect far fewer innocent human lives than the refusal to show compassion to refugees. Over a half million have crossed the Mediterranean and Aegean so far this year, ending up in Italy, Greece, Serbia, Hungary, Turkey and other European countries. No one seems to have a complete count of those remaining in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and across Africa.
We do know that critical support services are insufficient. We do know that there are shortages of food. We do know that people are sleeping on the ground without even a mat to protect them from the cold.
Will we allow fear to reign supreme? Will we allow our fears to prevent us from showing compassion?
This is a time when we need courage from our leaders, not more loud rhetoric espousing fear.
The dictionary defines paranoia as “a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.” Of course there are risks involved with welcoming refugees. Of course there is a possibility that someone intent on causing harm might pose as a refugee. But rejecting all refugees because of the fear of those risks borders on irrational. If we are afraid of terror, do we seriously believe that we can avoid it by disassociating from its victims?
I guess in our current political climate politicians need to exaggerate. When they continue to exaggerate their fears it begins to sound like paranoia. I can’t help but wonder if we expect our political leaders to suffer from chronic personality disorders. That, however, is my cynical side. And cynicism is no better than fear in providing a solution to hungry, cold, threatened refugees.
Solutions will come from working together. Those who are fearful of all who are different from themselves will need to find courage to confront their fears. Those who are complacent and doing nothing will need to speak out. Those who are unrealistic in their assessment of potential risks will need to develop vigilance. We all need to display an increase in hospitality and compassion for those who are literally running for their lives. Getting to know refugees as individuals with their own unique hopes and fears and dreams will go a long way towards preventing the mistakes and tragedies of our history.
I hope that decades from now my grandchildren will visit the Holocaust Museum. I pray that they won’t be visiting displays that depict the tragic mistakes of our generation and telling the stories of lives lost from a lack of compassion.