Decade after decade. mankind has plunged into a variety of conflicts. which have spread ever outward to engulf virtually every continent. One depressing result of all this has been the uprooting of peoples and their dispersal across the globe. Refugees in all their misery have become an all too common sight to the world. Americans have been particularly touched by such scenes because we are a nation composed of the descendants of immigrants. who came to these shores largely to avoid persecution of many kinds. In effect. then. we are the descendants of refugees. And our country. concerned and compassionate. has time and again reached out the hand of assistance to such people. Our willingness to help has usually been in evidence. regardless of who those in need are and in spite of any special background they have possessed. Such behavior has become one of the hallmarks of America. and perhaps our special saving grace. When one speaks of exiles. dispersal. refugees and persecution. however. one must again and again return to the original people to whom these words have a timeworn. unique meaning. the Jews. For the past 20 centuries. they have written the original script in regard to these unhappy experiences. Every era has witnessed another kind of oppression directed at them.
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Refugees immigrants refugees