The painful issue of African asylum-seekers in Israel has taken on a new urgency as men, women, and children are incarcerated; as Israel has begun deporting refugees to unstable regions; and as we see xenophobic rhetoric by politicians and violence in Israeli communities.

As rabbis, we ask ourselves: What can we do; what are the best ways to discuss these complex issues with our communities?

Join T'ruah and New Israel Fund for a conference call to discuss these questions and more on Thursday, August 9, from 12:00-1:00 pm EDT (9:00-10:00 am PDT).

The call will include:

• An update on the situation on the ground by Orit Rubin, Psychosocial Program Manager at ASSAF, an organization providing humanitarian and psychosocial services for refugees,
• An introduction to materials for teaching about the issue,
• A text study with Rabbi Gideon D. Sylvester, the British United Synagogue's Israel Rabbi and Director of the Rabbis for Human Rights Beit Midrash at the Hillel House of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and
• A conversation about raising awareness among congregations and constituencies during the High Holidays and at other times.

Register at org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5149/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=49680