Fear should not drive thoughtful decision-making

Fear often causes the hand to close up tight.

That, sadly, has been the reaction of many in the United States, including in Congress, in the aftermath of recent deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Mali. A discussion about how much more America should do to resettle Syrian refugees has quickly morphed into one about what can be done to bar the door.

More than 11 million Syrians have fled their homes because of a brutal civil war. That would be like all the people in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts left without a home or regular life.

The United States has taken only an infinitesimal role in resettling Syrians, admitting about 2,000. President Obama proposed that the number increase to 10,000 in the next year, and some argue for more. The way it looks now, getting to the next 100, not to mention the next 10,000, will be quite a feat.

Many in this country, including a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives and governors last week, have said they want to make it harder for Syrians to get here, for fear terrorists will sneak in among them. They want to make a process that is already extremely careful – with up to 20 steps that can take two years – more restrictive.

Fortunately, others, including many from the Jewish community locally and nationally, are standing up and saying America has a responsibility to help the refugees. 

Jews, even as a small part of the population, for many, many generations have a record of helping and welcoming those facing persecution and distress.

Perhaps it is the long, difficult experience as “other” that has given Jews this natural inclination and empathy. The Torah and other parts of Jewish tradition are filled with exhortations

to welcome ‘the stranger,’ whether Jew or non-Jew.

Last Shabbat morning, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline and Sen. Gayle Goldin were invited to speak during services at Temple Emanu-El in Providence, and they added useful perspective. Cicilline pointed out how effective the screening process for refugees is already. It is not a process that needs fixing, he said.

Goldin, who lost members of her family in the Holocaust, warned that some of the same arguments are being made against accepting Syrian refugees that were used during the 1930s to stop Jews who wanted urgently to leave Germany – concerns they would be safety risks in their new lands, including the United States.

The plight of Syrian refugees is difficult, yet there is much that can be done to aid their cause, including making it possible for some to find new lives in the United States, perhaps even in Rhode Island:

•             Supporting political and government officials who have taken the side of assisting refugees. In Rhode Island, in contrast to more than half the nation’s governors, Gina Raimondo has said she would welcome more Syrians. Cicilline voted against legislation to make it harder for Syrian refugees to get into the United States, while U.S. Rep. James Langevin supported it.

•             The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, coordinated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and including dozens of other North American Jewish groups, is raising and allocating funds to help Syrians.

•             Many Jewish organizations, HIAS prominent among them, are working to convince President Obama and others to allow more Syrian refugees, safely and with all the proper checks, to come to the United States.

•             Much refugee resettlement in this country is handled by faith-based organizations, so synagogues could have the opportunity to sponsor individuals or families.

The world has many problems. The events of recent weeks show again that groups such as ISIS can be ignored only at great peril. Care must be taken. But closed hands cannot be the only solution.

NOEL RUBINTON is a consultant and writer based in Providence.