Events | 2010.03.27
Passover and the principle of refuge | Edie Friedman
This Passover we should reflect on the plight of Britain\'s asylum seekers
This Monday evening, Jewish people around the world, whether religious or not, will be celebrating the festival of Passover. Together with family and friends they will sit down to a seder – the ceremonial meal that recounts the story of the Jewish people\'s redemption from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
The seder (which literally means "order") is a reminder of the joyous and painful events that have marked Jewish experience through the ages. It\'s a multi-layered occasion, with food, wine, stories, parables, prayer, song and debate. Although it specifically commemorates the exodus from Egypt, it also acts as a vehicle for exploring what freedom, or the lack of it, means for people today – millions of victims of war, genocide and oppression – a tiny number of whom have sought asylum in Britain.
The right to refuge is enshrined in article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But in recent years, the concept of asylum has been thoroughly debased by some politicians and sections of the press. So, in the runup to the forthcoming general election, Citizens for Sanctuary , a campaigning group that is using Obama-style community organising to secure justice for refugees, has launched the "sanctuary pledge" to champion the principle of refuge.
Over the next couple of months, multi-faith delegations in constituencies around the UK will lobby their prospective parliamentary candidates and encourage them to sign a promise that they will campaign responsibly, positively and sensitively on race and asylum issues. The pledge asks them to champion the tradition of sanctuary that has been such an important part of Britain\'s history, and to safeguard its long-term future. In particular, it asks them to help end the detention of children for immigration purposes – a shameful practice which is one of the worst examples of the loss of freedom in Britain today. According to the Children\'s Society, 1,000 children are held in UK detention centres each year, often snatched from their beds in dawn raids , with terrible psychological consequences.
For Jews – as for other groups who have found refuge in Britain in the past – there is a particular resonance in the pledge. Just as Britain helped us find sanctuary in the past, so we should speak up for those who seek sanctuary here today.
And this brings us back to the seder. A central part of the story-telling is prompted by the youngest child present at the table. She or he has to ask four questions as to why this particular night is different from all other nights. There are four traditional replies. However, questioning and debate are an intrinsic part of the Jewish tradition, and it has become customary in many households to introduce supplementary questions and readings on a wide array of topical themes concerned with social justice.
So here is my supplement to this year\'s seder, four additional questions to ask at the table: Why did Jewish refugees come to Britain? Why do so many people seek sanctuary in Britain today? Why is there so much prejudice against asylum seekers and refugees? Why do Jewish people and other minority communities have a special responsibility towards refugees and asylum seekers? These questions are not only for Jewish people to contemplate but for all who live in Britain.
Migrants have been coming here for centuries with their dreams, fears and aspirations, and making an enormous contribution to society. They serve as a reminder of how fragile freedom is, and how precious – something none of us, whatever our background, should ever forget.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/[...]refuge-passover-asylum-seekers
