According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there are over 68 million refugees around the world, driven from their homes by war, violence and persecution. Temple Isaiah has designated Friday, Oct. 19 as a Refugee Shabbat, and will present a program that specifically focuses on the plight of the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar.
In 2017 there were approximately one million Rohingya in Myanmar, representing the largest percentage of Muslims in the country. The government of Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, denies the Rohingya citizenship, and even excluded them from the 2014 census, refusing to recognize them as a people.
Beth Lilach, the senior director of adult and community affairs of the Holocaust and Memorial Tolerance Center of Long Island, will provide an inside look into the current genocide of the Rohingya. Lilach was invited to Bangladesh to visit the refugee camp and has since met with the State Department to share her experience and plead for help.
Temple Isaiah invites the community to attend Refugee Shabbat on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m., to help shine a light on the Rohingya tragedy and call attention to the millions of others in need of safe havens. Temple Isaiah is located at 1 Chelsea Place, off Cutter Mill Road. For further information, call the Temple office at (516) 487-5373.
