Promotional Information

Fueled by the explosion of the world's population, the quest for asylum is one of the most pressing problems of our age. Human compassion for these refugees can be found everywhere, but so can xenophobia and the desire to preserve one's nation, economic well being and cultural integrity. The clash between these impulses represents one of the great dilemmas of our time and is the subject of Rabbi Plaut's study.

Table of Contents

The Issues Questions Without Answers Definitions Religion, Natural Law, and Hospitality A Look at History Some Ethical Questions Through the Lens of Sociobiology Community and Individual Contended Rights: To Leave, Return, Remain The Practice Refugees in Africa Four Asian Lands Glimpses of Europe and Central America The North American Experience The Sanctuary Movement A Final Look Appendix A: Egyptian and Hittite Treaties Appendix B: Human Rights-Major Documents Appendix C: Refugee Documents; Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees of 31 January 1967 Bibliography Index

About the Author

W. GUNTHER PLAUT is a senior scholar at the Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. Born in Germany, where he received his doctor of laws, he fled Hitler's Reich for the United States where he became a rabbi, serving in Chicago, St. Paul, and since 1961 in Toronto. Plaut is the author of 20 books, including Torah: A Modern Commentary, of which he is the editor and principal author. He is a research fellow at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University.