All photos taken at the International School of Peace by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie

We Jews are a nation of refugees.

Abraham and Sarah were once refugees, fleeing their home at a time of famine, finding sanctuary among strangers across the border. So it was for Isaac & Rebecca, for Jacob and his vast tribe, for each of our ancestral mothers and fathers, all the way to Moses and David, Ruth and Naomi. The Jewish story is the story of finding refuge and standing up for making sure our sisters and brothers, strangers and friends alike, find sanctuary at times of crisis – just like we were helped by others.

We are witnessing the largest refugee crisis in recent history. What can each of us do about it?

My father was a refugee. On the Hebrew date of this Sabbath, 11th of Heshvan 1942, his father and younger brother were exterminated in Poland. My father and one remaining brother made it out alive; as refugees they were helped across borders to find refuge in what would become Israel. In memory of my father, his father, and countless others whose stories of persecution and survival still echo in our blood, I step up today to offer support to today’s refugees: our human family, our friends, our responsibility.

On this day I am proud to launch Lab/Shul’s Refugee Task Force, stepping up to help an extraordinary project co-created by Arab and Jewish Israelis to offer a school for hundreds of refugee children on the island of Lesbos in Greece: The International School for Peace. I visited the school this past summer and plan to go back there again soon and often. Along with other friends in our community I will work in the weeks, months, and probably years ahead to support the International School for Peace and ensure its continued ability to offer a lifeline to children and parents, teachers, and volunteers – all refugees stranded by life’s fate and seeking to live lives of dignity, meaning and joy.

We created this one page document with info about the school, including links for direct tax-deductible donations to support their inspiring work.

I invite you to join our task force, to donate money so that the students get much needed winter clothes, and to join our community this coming December in hosting the leaders of the school to raise awareness and funds to support their visionary project. Our task force will have two planning sessions next month. Please email me at amichai@labshul.org to rsvp or for more info: Potluck & Planning Meeting, November 14th, 6-9pm AND Zoom Call with ISOP team members, November 18th, 5-6:30pm.

This summer I plan to return to Lesbos, hopefully with a larger group of us, to volunteer, help out, deepen our connections, widen our understanding, and ensure their stories are heard. Stay tuned for details, and please join our task force if you want to help make this happen.

These are small but meaningful ways to honestly say: “I am a member of a refugee nation. I am honoring my tradition by doing what I can to offer responsible love to my fellow humans.”

On this National Refugee Shabbat, we are honored to be joined by hundreds of communities around the country in rising up to help heal our world. With profound gratitude and respect, we thank our partners and teachers at HIAS for the invitation and inspiration to be part of the solution today and every day.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie