Emanuel Students learn freedom and responsibility
Emanuel School’s Year 9 students took part in an interactive and informative day about refugees and the quest for freedom as part of their course on Freedom and Responsibility within our Jewish Tradition.
Emanuel students making Makloubeh with Syrian refugee, Housen
The students took part in an interactive workshop with Kids Giving Back. One of the facilitators shared her experiences as a volunteer in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley. In response, the Year 9s made puppets that will be sent to young refugee children the Bekka Valley camp for use in drama, play and therapy. Lilly Goldberg, Year 9 student, was grateful for the opportunity to help: “We would like to thank Kids Giving Back for coming to teach us so much about the plight of refugees and giving us the opportunity to make a small difference to some of the children affected by war.”
The students also heard from Housen, a Syrian refugee, who made the treacherous journey through six different countries to finally arrive in Australia at age 22. Emanuel School student, Lily Berger, said: “Housen’s journey was moving and one we will never forget. Unfortunately, his story is not so unique and as of 2017, 65.6 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide because of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations.” Housen and the students then made Makloubeh together, Housen’s favourite dish from his childhood.
Rabbi Daniel Seigel, Head of Jewish Life at Emanuel School said: “As Jews we understand that freedom is the responsibility of us all as no one is truly free if anyone is not free.”
I am appalled by the indoctrination taking place at the Emanuel School. The Year 9 children involved in the exercise have nothing to give back since they have taken nothing from the Syrians.
The refugee camps in Lebanon are not places of danger. The Bekaa Valley is under the control of the Iranian funded Hezbollah (the party of god). Hezbollah whose sole purpose is to wage war in Israel at Iran’s request has a strangle hold on Lebanon. Russia and Turkey are supporting the murderous Assad and his Allawite clan in putting down the revolt against tyranny.
In the meantime, the wealthy gulf states are doing nothing for their Arab/Muslim brothers. But Qatar does fund Hamas.
Rabbi Seigel is free to think what he likes and to define freedom any way he likes. But admiring a 22 year old who has been country shopping, passing through several countries where he could have claimed asylum has not, in my opinion, got anything to do with freedom. And it certainly has nothing to do with year 9 students.