those who are oppressed or treated unfairly anywhere in the world.
Perhaps it is because of this background that Emma Lazarus, a young Jewish poetess in 1883, was so moved by the plight of the immigrants fleeing poverty and tyranny in Eastern Europe, that she wrote the poem engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty-“ Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free ….”
On a personal level, I know that my own parents, Holocaust survivors, always referred to themselves as“ refugees” and taught me to both be grateful for this haven offered by our American government, but also to be compassionate and generous to anyone else who we encountered who needed our help.
My parents were involved in various charitable organizations and always hosted guests for Passover Seders and other holidays, but we never knew who the needy person was and who was not since all were treated equally with respect and invited to participate in readings, discussions, and songs.
In fact, our Rabbis in the Talmud spent a lot of time discussing how to treat guests and were very specific about a few behavioral aspects.
The basis of this comes from a statement in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat which states“ Hospitality to guests is even greater than
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