Elliot Vaisrub Glassenberg is a senior educator at BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, co-chair of Right Now: Advocates for African Asylum seekers in Israel, and was serving as shaliach for Habonim Dror Olami in Chicago. In this blogpost, first published in Times of Israel, Elliot tells the story of Holot, activism, cruelty, friendship and hope. Read the full article here.
"I remember the day that Holot opened.
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It was exactly 4 years, 3 months and one day ago: December 12, 2013. I found myself squeezed into the backseat of a small car full of strangers. We were a ragtag bunch of Israelis. Most of us hadn’t known each other before. We found each other on social media and connected for the sole purpose of sharing a ride to protest the opening of Holot, a two hour drive from Tel Aviv. We came from different backgrounds and disagreed on a lot, but we agreed on one thing: that Israel shouldn’t be imprisoning refugees; Israel should be protecting them. I wasn’t really much of an activist at that point and was a rather inexperienced protester, but something in my heart drove me. Something about Holot went against the very core of by being as a human, as a new Israeli, and as a Jew." Read more…
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Read BINA's statement and action plan for African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel here.
