Why Menachem Begin was the first World Leader to accept Vietnamese refugees

[Viet]

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by Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy


Even though Israel was barely able to support its own economy, he felt it was the right thing to do.

On April 30, 1977, soldiers of the Kampuchean Revolutionary Army attacked Vietnam. Over the following months, thousands of civilians were killed and many more fled in boats, seeking refuge from the war.

A few weeks later, an Israeli ship received an SOS message while sailing in the South China Sea. Many ignored the call, but the Israeli ship did not. The captain, Meir Tadmor, brought aboard 66 Vietnamese men, women and children who were found with almost no food or water.

Ten days later, Menachem Begin was sworn in as Israel’s Prime Minister and began his confirmation speech with the following:

My first action as prime minister tomorrow will be to instruct that asylum be granted to the Vietnamese refugees. We all recall the ships of Jewish refugees in the 1930s which wandered the seven seas, seeking entry to a specific country or various countries, and were denied access everywhere. Now there is a Jewish state. We have not forgotten. We will act humanely. We will bring those unfortunate refugees here to our country after our ship has saved them from drowning, and we will grant them a haven...1

Begin felt that protecting their human rights was the first thing he should do as Head of State, and Israel became the first country in the world to accept refugees from this war-torn country.

Why Menachem Begin Was the First World Leader to Accept Vietnamese Refugees - Aish.com

Even though Israel was barely able to support its own economy, he felt it was the right thing to do.

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