A stranger in a strange land

What makes people keep fighting, when it seems they will never succeed, that no one will ever listen? They constantly figure out ways to keep going, to move forward and discover a solution to whatever problem they face. They preserver and will not give up.

Genocide. FGM. Cold blood murder. Famine. Starvation. These horrors are more common than we realize, yet we live in our ivory towers, watching them and saying poo poo poo or 'thank God that isn't me.' We often don't ask the questions of who these people are and what they do. How they live or what their past entails. Not a second thought is 'wasted' on these indigents.

What would happen if we opened our eyes. If we looked into the eyes of these individuals and asked them about themselves. Even more importantly, what would happen if we show them some humanity and welcome them with a smile. Truthfully, not much. It doesn't hurt us to step outside the high walls of our seemingly glamorous life and demonstrate our humanity.

Imagine stepping off the bus in the central bus station in Tel Aviv, no money in your pockets and no clue how to escape the convoluted hallways of this cavernous building. You finally walk out a side door, breathing the stagnant air, thinking it is the best scent you have ever had the privilege to experience. You overhear a snippet of your own language and inquire as to where you should go. A gentle voice encourages you to cross the street and venture into Levinsky park. There, the hunger that ravages your stomach is finally satiated with food from generous Tel Avivians who cared enough to bring food for all refugees showing up to the park each night. Next, came the daunting task of figuring out where you would sleep the night. The park seems as good an idea as ever.

Your friend from the previous day shows up in the morning and offers you a hand and some helpful directions. Having passed multiple stays in prison, you aren't keen on trusting government, but you know you have no choice. Hopefully these ones won't beat you or hang you from the ceiling.

Instead, you leave the government building with a visa in hand and a chance for a future.

This is the story of one man, Mutasim Sumali, who escaped the genocide in Darfur, alone. He traveled from Sudan to Egypt and from there, eventually decided to come to Israel. Only when he realized that Libya, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia were not viable options. Now, he lives in Israel with a geology degree and hasn't seen his parents in ten years. Yet he could not work in anything higher than construction or other hard physical labor. And he did not give up hope.

Imagine. Someone appears to you and tells you to leave your home, your village, all that you know and go go a foreign land. Although Abraham was not a refugee, he did leave his known community and go to a land he was promised by God. He had no idea what lay in store for him, simply that he had to listen. He was alone and scared, unsure of the way, with only his tepid belief in God to keep him going. This first Jew was told that his descendants would indeed be strangers in this strange land (Gen 15:13). The possibility of being welcomed was narrow and their rights were omitted. Much like those of these strangers coming and claiming refugee status.

Abraham also has to bear a famine and disguises his wife as his sister to avoid her being taken by the pharoh in jealousy. But Abraham had a favorable outcome in the end. He ended up in Caanan, with his wife and their lot. He trusted in God and his a trust was proven well-placed. The refugees who come almost daily to Israel and are kept in prison, ten people per room suitable for two, they also place their trust in God. Yet they are constantly let down and betrayed.

We know what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. We know what it is like to be castigated and denigrated simply for ones identity and background. Therefore, we have a moral obligation, on this Shabbat Lech-Lecha, to reach out to our brother and give them a leg up. We can offer them assistance, work, food, concern. We can work in conjunction with them. Mutasim eventually found a job as the director of the African refugee development center. He works hard everyday to aide his fellow countrymen in finding work and safety in this country. As one of the few with a high school education, not to mention his bachelors degree, Mutasim is lucky and has decided to work to support his fellow country men not through physical means, but legal ones. We can offer monetary assistance as well as our time (if we are in Israel), and give them our support. We know what it is like to wander. We cannot let these people wander, lost and alone, in our land. Otherwise, why would we deserve the land at all?