������Ƶ

As a young child, my father and his family were refugees. Migrating from a country then known as Palestine into Eastern Europe, my grandparents found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time in history.

World War I had ignited and much of Europe was a battlefield. Like the migrants now fleeing war-torn Syria, my father’s family joined a throng of refugees displaced by war. I know precious little of their story, but have heard they were imprisoned in Romania, and somehow found their way to America, entering through Ellis Island, New York.

As is still required for refugees, a brother already living in the U.S. sponsored them. A copy of a letter from Congregation Bnai Israel in Chicago dated “THIS 10TH DAY OF DECEMBER A.D.1923” swears it will “employ Rabbi Abraham Joseph Siegel and pay him a sufficient salary to support his wife and children properly … and we are certain they will not become Public ��󲹰������.”

The less traumatic but equally fortunate story of how I managed to migrate from my birthplace in Washington, D.C., to 40-plus years of life in Hawaii nei must be saved for another day.

I am deeply troubled by the growing turmoil and terrorism in our world. And precisely because of that, I am proud of Hawaii’s governor for his largely symbolic but nonetheless important statement on Monday that Hawaii is willing to accept a share of immigrants from Syria.

He cited America and Hawaii’s “long history of welcoming refugees impacted by war and oppression. Hawaii is the Aloha State, known for its tradition of welcoming all people with tolerance and mutual respect.”

He also mentioned the importance of “vigorous screening and security vetting” and working with the feds to “ensure appropriate resources and support.” 

Dozens of state governors are scoring cheap political points by saying they will “close their states” to Syrian refugees when in fact they have little power to do so; the federal government chooses where to settle refugees.

But by dropping a few verbal drone bombs, these politicians sound tough and appear as if they are doing something to protect the American people. In this environment, it was critical for Gov. David Ige to speak up. He is one of the few governors who knows from his own history the shame, suffering and cost of discrimination based on race or birthplace — such as the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Dozens of state governors are scoring cheap political points by saying they will “close their states” to Syrian refugees when in fact they have little power to do so; the federal government chooses where to settle refugees.

His statement is likely to have little impact on actual settlements in Hawaii; the federal government settles refugees where there are good job prospects, low cost of living and family willing to support them — Hawaii surely will not qualify.

The governor’s words have resulted in a torrent of criticism, fed by two intertwined streams: One, fear of importing terrorism, flames fanned by the recent Paris tragedy; and two, a surge of “Take care of our own first” sentiment, frustration boiling over from feelings that Hawaii’s fragile resources are overwhelmed with local people, homeless and migrants all needing resources, so how can we handle anything more?

The second point should be re-examined in light of the fact that few refugees are likely to be placed in Hawaii given our horrendous cost of living. It is, however, a valid question that should also be asked whenever new luxury housing developments are proposed, new military installations built, or agribusiness imports migrant farmworkers from poor and desperate parts of the globe to keep their profits high while passing along the social costs of low salaries and immigration to the wider community.

I have been saddened by Facebook postings by some of our youth who are too young to remember much about 9/11. Some happen to be the children of progressive friends.

Their comments this week echo the fears and xenophobia of that dark time — and it was those fears that carried us into the failed war in Iraq that in turn helped create a spawning ground for ISIS. Comments such as: Better increase security and background checks — for them (yet, it is we who are taking off our shoes, and has this made us safer?); a meme reading: Hundreds of homeless in Hawaii and Ige volunteers to house 10,000 Syrian refugees (10,000? Uh, no, that was Obama).

What does the data says about how many will likely take refuge in Hawaii? If Hawaii refused refugees, would we than really use the resources to help the homeless? Has Hawaii really become so impoverished that we can no longer afford to be a pu’uhonua — place of refuge?

Ige need not apologize for offering to welcome refugees. He must continue to speak up for Hawaii’s best values of multi-cultural inclusiveness and reconciliation — and for the danger of making decisions based upon fear. If fear rules, the terrorists achieve their goal. They will have won us over to their way of thinking, dividing the world into two camps: us and them.

�ճ�����will have changed our values and way of life. And we will be lured step by bloody step toward the next world war.

As Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said in the midst of the Depression, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”