Rami Gudovitch: Israeli Activist for Refugee Rights (Part 2)
Rami, Achol, Ramkel and Fares in an open discussion
about “The role of authority in education- Uganda vs. Israel”
about “The role of authority in education- Uganda vs. Israel”
Marlin watching the rainstorm:
Tumboush and Silvia are giving Mr. Alex Gumisriza, the
deputee headteacher of Trinity Primary, a basic lesson in Hebrew:
Lulu is reading the story she wrote:
Rami with kids from the Come True project, Trinity, Kampala:
The kids at the Victoria Lake:
In the classroom:
For Alex Gumisriza, our partner at Trinity, everything
is possible:
is possible:
Marlin smiling:
End of the day at the Entebbe Zoo:
Lulu and her friends:
A sad epilogue:
One of the challenges that refugees deported from
Israel face is, absurdly enough, a direct outcome of their confrontation with Anti-Israeli
forces in Africa who are identifying them with Israel. Right now, days after
sending my comments to ProMosaik e.V., I find myself trying to help a family of
eight South Sudanese kids who were deported from Israel and later, fled from
the civil war in South Sudan and found asylum in a refugee camp in
another neighbouring country. Last week, the older boy, 18 years of age, lost
his wallet during a soccer game in the camp. When he went back to look for it
he found it in the hands of a group of Somali refugees, also residing in the
camp, who found in it an identity card of his mother from back when she lived
in Israel. It turned out that they belong to an extreme Muslim group. They
began questioning him about his origins and while he refused to admit he came
from Israel they did not believe him and began attacking him with stones and sticks.
He managed to escape but now his friends are telling him to stay home as they
are searching for him and for his mother, as they have her photo from the i.d.
card. We are trying to get the case to the attention of the UNHCR authorities
at the camp but it is not easy, as there are hundreds of thousands residents at
the camp. The lives of the kids and their family are now as I am writing it,
under threat because they are being associated with Israel, a country who
deported them. Yesterday, the family members did not go to the food
distribution at the camp (being the only source of food for the family) fearing
to be recognized by the Somali group. Last year we tried to join the kids of
the family to our Come True scholarship program but we failed to raise the
necessary funds for their scholarships.
Israel face is, absurdly enough, a direct outcome of their confrontation with Anti-Israeli
forces in Africa who are identifying them with Israel. Right now, days after
sending my comments to ProMosaik e.V., I find myself trying to help a family of
eight South Sudanese kids who were deported from Israel and later, fled from
the civil war in South Sudan and found asylum in a refugee camp in
another neighbouring country. Last week, the older boy, 18 years of age, lost
his wallet during a soccer game in the camp. When he went back to look for it
he found it in the hands of a group of Somali refugees, also residing in the
camp, who found in it an identity card of his mother from back when she lived
in Israel. It turned out that they belong to an extreme Muslim group. They
began questioning him about his origins and while he refused to admit he came
from Israel they did not believe him and began attacking him with stones and sticks.
He managed to escape but now his friends are telling him to stay home as they
are searching for him and for his mother, as they have her photo from the i.d.
card. We are trying to get the case to the attention of the UNHCR authorities
at the camp but it is not easy, as there are hundreds of thousands residents at
the camp. The lives of the kids and their family are now as I am writing it,
under threat because they are being associated with Israel, a country who
deported them. Yesterday, the family members did not go to the food
distribution at the camp (being the only source of food for the family) fearing
to be recognized by the Somali group. Last year we tried to join the kids of
the family to our Come True scholarship program but we failed to raise the
necessary funds for their scholarships.
Sadly, this case is not unique. The issue of refugees
who were deported from Israel and are now finding themselves under an threat
because of their association with Israel is a recurring one. Many of the Sudanese
who were “voluntarily” deported to Khartoum were arrested upon
arrival and interrogated under the suspicion of collaborating with Israel. Many
were tortured and according to community members, a few were killed. I received
similar reports, about a good Sudanese friend, from Egypt. With the children,
the situation is even trickier. It is very difficult to prevent children who
were brought up and educated in Israel not use the Hebrew language, which is
the language they were taught reading, writing and they use for most of their
social communication. Recently, I have spoken to a mother who crossed the
Mediterranean and is presently in the Netherlands after she escaped from the
police who came to arrest her after her 8 years old daughter (formerly in a school
in Tel Aviv) was heard speaking in Hebrew to her 10 years old brother in their
classroom in Khartoum. The kids are now in a safe place but far from their
mother, not knowing if they would ever see her again. Other cases are less
dramatic but still show the absurdity of the situation. A few weeks ago I spoke
to a 13 years old girl who was deported last year from Israel along with her
family, and is presently, in a country in which hostility to Israel is commonplace.
The girl told me, proudly, that her teacher today dedicated a whole hour to
teaching about “the evil Israelis”. The girl rebelled and demanded
that he would not make such claims as he never met an Israel. The girl did not
confess that she herself have, but still, she argued the teacher’s statements
are baseless. When the teacher ignored her the girl left the classroom angrily
and slammed the door (an extreme but not inconceivable thing to do in Israel.
Not in that country, though.) When I was trying to warn her, in our phone
conversation, of the dangers in her behaviour she replied: “but don’t you
remember, Rami, in Israel you always encouraged me to rebel against any sign of
racism. I will not accept racism now. It is true that Israel was not good to
us, but many Israeli people always helped us and I am not willing to let people
talk badly about all Israelis!”
who were deported from Israel and are now finding themselves under an threat
because of their association with Israel is a recurring one. Many of the Sudanese
who were “voluntarily” deported to Khartoum were arrested upon
arrival and interrogated under the suspicion of collaborating with Israel. Many
were tortured and according to community members, a few were killed. I received
similar reports, about a good Sudanese friend, from Egypt. With the children,
the situation is even trickier. It is very difficult to prevent children who
were brought up and educated in Israel not use the Hebrew language, which is
the language they were taught reading, writing and they use for most of their
social communication. Recently, I have spoken to a mother who crossed the
Mediterranean and is presently in the Netherlands after she escaped from the
police who came to arrest her after her 8 years old daughter (formerly in a school
in Tel Aviv) was heard speaking in Hebrew to her 10 years old brother in their
classroom in Khartoum. The kids are now in a safe place but far from their
mother, not knowing if they would ever see her again. Other cases are less
dramatic but still show the absurdity of the situation. A few weeks ago I spoke
to a 13 years old girl who was deported last year from Israel along with her
family, and is presently, in a country in which hostility to Israel is commonplace.
The girl told me, proudly, that her teacher today dedicated a whole hour to
teaching about “the evil Israelis”. The girl rebelled and demanded
that he would not make such claims as he never met an Israel. The girl did not
confess that she herself have, but still, she argued the teacher’s statements
are baseless. When the teacher ignored her the girl left the classroom angrily
and slammed the door (an extreme but not inconceivable thing to do in Israel.
Not in that country, though.) When I was trying to warn her, in our phone
conversation, of the dangers in her behaviour she replied: “but don’t you
remember, Rami, in Israel you always encouraged me to rebel against any sign of
racism. I will not accept racism now. It is true that Israel was not good to
us, but many Israeli people always helped us and I am not willing to let people
talk badly about all Israelis!”
We would like to thank Dr. Gudovitch for his time and
for his so important information.
for his so important information.
We would like to thank all readers in advance for
sending us their comments to info@promosaik.com
sending us their comments to info@promosaik.com
If you want to help: this is Rami’s donation page:
And
this is a link to our donation page:
this is a link to our donation page:
Best regards
Dr. phil. Milena Rampoldi – ProMosaik e.V.
