Asylum Granted to the Vietnamese Boat People 
June 26, 1977

http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1058

During the 1960's and 1970's, conflict and hardship was 
not exclusive to just the Middle East. The nation states 
of Asia were also fighting to rid themselves of colonialist 
rule and in some cases battling themselves in search of a 
national direction.

The people of Vietnam were no exception. For much of the 
1960's and 1970's, they were a people that knew nothing other 
than conflict, pain and hardship. During the mid 1970's, 
many Vietnamese citizens, frustrated and fatigued from years 
of conflict, chose to seek a better life elsewhere. Setting 
sail on ships of poor integrity, these people sailed from 
nation to nation seeking asylum. Over time, they would come 
to be known as the (Vietnamese) “boat people”.

During 1977, one particular group of refugees after being 
denied entry by many other nations would ultimately find their 
sanctuary on June 26, 1997 in the State of Israel. 
For 66 Vietnamese refugees, the Jewish State became their 
new home. Today, a strong Vietnamese community thrives in 
Israel.

As a Jewish people, we remember the USS St. Louis and the fate 
that its passengers met in Nazi Europe because no nation would 
offer her asylum. We remember the refugee ship Exodus and her 
crew of Holocaust survivors denied entry during the British 
Mandate period when immigration was shut off to Palestine.

The lessons of our people run deep and long. Whenever and 
wherever possible, we have reached out to help those in times 
of crisis and need. The 1977 Vietnamese example is just one 
of many. More recently, Israel has provided refuge to the 
Kurds and citizens of war torn Albania and Bosnia.

It is important to make the distinction that these are not Jews, 
but people of other faiths. When we look to these examples of 
humanity, we realize that Zionism is an experiment that has 
learned from its past and has done its small part to assure 
that history for our people or people of other faiths and 
nations is not repeated.