Hear the ShofarThe religious themes of "We were Once Strangers in the Land" were the focus of the first public action of the newly-formed group Jews for Refugees at the Maribyrnong Detention Centre on Sunday 31 March, during the Festival of Passover - Pesach. The vigil ended with blasts on the ancient Jewish Shofar or ram's horn trumpet outside the fence.
It was unfortunate that the organisers decided it was inappropriate to allow a RAC speaker to address the crowd - estimated at several hundred - as it meant they did not hear a message of welcome from the detainees they were assembled to support, and remained mostly unaware of the hunger strike now in its sixth day. But the RAC stall attracted a lot of interest, with badges and information leaflets in great demand.
During the night someone had burned the word "FREEDOM" in the grass at the back of the centre, and there were signs of red spray-painting in places, but there seemed to be no extra security measures in force for the vigil, and in fact the outer gate was open, most unusual under the circumstances. But the detainees had been locked in as usual, and visiting hours cancelled for the day.
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| Hear the Shofar |