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Between one and three million Uyghur Muslims have been arrested or detained because of their religion, and government minders and mass surveillance keep the Uyghur community under constant watch. Mosques stand empty because of the presence of state police. Since 2016, dozens of internment camps have been built, filled, and expanded, and individuals living in the Xinjiang have little ability to communicate with family outside the area.

In biblical Judaism, every seventh year was considered a shmita year. During this year, crops would not be planted, debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and every 49th year land ownership was relinquished. In modern times, we understand shmita as a release, an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to being good stewards of God’s creations and to correct the inequalities we perpetuate.

This year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tu Bishvat (the Jewish "New Year of the Trees") both occur on January 21, 2019, and the 15th of Shvat 5779. While many people are already familiar with the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, more severe wildfires and hurricanes, species loss, ocean acidification, water pollution, food insecurity, and increasing health problems, fewer people recognize that communities of color are often the most severely impacted.

Crises often continue long after they disappear from the headlines, and the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Burma is no exception. That is why we are joining with our partners* on Erev Shabbat, December 7, 2018, to dedicate the 6th candle of Hanukkah to the Rohingya people of Burma. We hope you will join us.