Pesach seder brings home the experience of African refugees

JORDAN MOSHE

“After all I’ve been through, it was wonderful to sit in a space where I was made to feel welcome,” says a Zimbabwean refugee who was one of the guests at the special symbolic Pesach seder held at the Temple Israel Heritage Centre (TIHC) last Saturday.

Having escaped the harsh realities of various African countries, two dozen African refugees and asylum seekers in Johannesburg were provided with this unique platform to tell their stories. They highlighted the plight shared by millions in our country and around the world.

“Xenophobia is a global problem affecting people anywhere,” says the chairperson of TIHC, Reeva Forman. “We are talking about decent human beings who struggle to stay alive. It is for us to help them establish who they are, what they do now that they are free, and what they do in the future. The Pesach story is about this exactly.”

TIHC organised the event in partnership with the Outreach Foundation of the Lutheran Church in Hillbrow. The Pesach story was recounted, including an explanation of the festival. It was interspersed with singing by the Bet David choir from Sandton. Guests from the Congo, Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Somalia, as well as Jewish and non-Jewish South Africans enjoyed a four-course meal. They also sampled the items on the seder plate, learning about their significance.

During the meal, the guests were invited to share their stories. Forman, Rabbi Adrian Schell of Bet David and Rabbi David Benjamin – a partner of TIHC visiting from Israel – pointed to the experience of the people of Israel as refugees escaping slavery and oppression in Egypt. They spoke of how the Jews subsequently wandered in the wilderness for forty years before reaching the promised land.

Asking not to be named for fear of reprisal, the Zimbabwean refugee and another from Congo said the seder was a place where they felt at home and were made to feel welcome in a hostile place that didn’t want them.

“When you make a journey like we have done to a place that promises a better life, you want to find a place that welcomes you,” said the Zimbabwean. “Because of the xenophobia I faced when I arrived, I asked whether it had all been worth it.

“We refugees have lost friends and family on these journeys. I asked myself many times, ‘Why did I leave my country to be persecuted again in a country that is supposed to be a democracy?’ But to find myself in a space where I can share my journey and feel immediately welcome makes me very thankful that I made the journey after all.”

The Congolese refugee agreed, saying that it was particularly significant that they were welcomed at a Pesach seder. “Passover is such a meaningful time,” she said. “It affords a space for different people who have had their share of pain and suffering to open up and identify with each other. We need a good space to open our hearts, express ourselves, and be listened to, and the seder gave us exactly that.”

Hearing stories such as theirs is crucial, says Marion Bubly, the vice-chairperson of Temple Israel. “It was a very emotional experience. Most of us have no idea of the hardships these people go through, leaving family and friends to journey to a new and unknown country, facing all the hardships of xenophobia and other struggles.

“We don’t realise their upheaval in moving somewhere unknown. To hear their stories is important. People must hear them, and understand the reason for their exodus, to end xenophobia.”

Johan Robyn, Chief Operating Officer of the Outreach Foundation, says, “Migration is about movement. The Passover seder is itself a symbol of journeying and movement. It gives us a space to see that the same way the Jewish people undertook a difficult journey, others are engaged in the same today, and like them, they are vulnerable people looking for a better life.

“Those three hours we spent at the seder celebrate our movement forward, the journeys of all people, and the power of an interfaith initiative to bring together people from diverse backgrounds for one purpose.”