Estera Foundation

Last updated
Logo of the Foundation LogoEsteraFund.gif
Logo of the Foundation

The Estera Foundation (Polish : Fundacja Estera) was created by Miriam Shaded in Warsaw, Poland as a reaction to the humanitarian crisis that evolved through the civil war in Syria. The transport of many Syrian Christians to Poland was acknowledged by international media, the Foundation was often criticized for helping only Christians. [1]

The Foundation organized refugees' travel, accommodation and supports each family financially with 2.600 PLN per month, funded exclusively by private and church donations.

On July 10/11, 2015 158 refugees were brought in by the Foundation [2] (55 families) half of which soon moved to Germany. [3] As of January 2016, only 35 of these refugees stayed in Poland. [4]

Many international media wrote about the Estera Foundation in connection to the rescue of Christian families from Syria, for example Financial Times, Agence France Presse, Euronews, Der Spiegel, Die Welt, Berliner-Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger, The Times of Israel and politics.co.uk. A large part of refugees brought in by the Foundation moved on to other European countries. [5]

Ms Shaded complained about manipulation with information about the activities of the Foundation in the media. As an example, she mentions the claims circulated in the media that of brought refugees were only 10 or 12 children supposedly based on an arbitrary criterion of "children between 2-13 years old". In fact even with this criterion the number is 26. For the range of 0-13 the number is 30, and in range of 0-18, the number of persons is 46. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Syria</span>

Syria's estimated pre–Syrian Civil War 2011 population was 22 ±.5 million permanent inhabitants, which included 21,124,000 Syrians, as well as 1.3 million Iraqi refugees and over 500,000 Palestinians. The war makes an accurate count of the Syrian population difficult, as the numbers of Syrian refugees, internally displaced Syrians and casualty numbers are in flux. The CIA World Factbook showed an estimated 20.4m people as of July 2021. Of the pre-war population, six million are refugees outside the country, seven million are internally displaced, three million live in rebel-held territory, and two million live in the Kurdish-ruled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erika Steinbach</span> German politician

Erika Steinbach is a German right-wing politician. She previously served as a member of the Bundestag from 1990 until 2017.

Immigration to Germany, both in the country's modern borders and the many political entities that preceded it, has occurred throughout the country's history. Today, Germany is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants in the world, with well over 1 million people moving there each year since 2013. As of 2019, around 13.7 million people living in Germany, or about 17% of the population, are first-generation immigrants.

Thomas de Maizière German politician

Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Federal Minister of the Interior from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2018, as well as Federal Minister of Defence from 2011 to 2013. He previously served as Head of the Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the First Merkel cabinet from 2005 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a member of the Bundestag for Meißen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerd Müller (politician)</span> German politician

Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria who has served as Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization since 2021.

Syrian Americans Ethnic group

Syrian Americans are Americans of Syrian descent or background. The first significant wave of Syrian immigrants to arrive in the United States began in the 1880s. Many of the earliest Syrian Americans settled in New York City, Boston, and Detroit. Immigration from Syria to the United States suffered a long hiatus after the United States Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, which restricted immigration. More than 40 years later, the Immigration Act of 1965, abolished the quotas and immigration from Syria to the United States saw a surge. An estimated 64,600 Syrians immigrated to the United States between 1961 and 2000. Memphis, Tennessee received the most Syrian refugees.

The Greeks in Poland form one of the country's smaller minority groups, numbering approximately 3,600.

Refugees of the Syrian Civil War are citizens and permanent residents of Syria who have fled the country over the course of the Syrian Civil War. The pre-war population of the Syrian Arab Republic was estimated at 22 million (2017), including permanent residents. Of that number, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million (2016) as displaced persons, requiring humanitarian assistance. Of these, since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 more than six million (2016) were internally displaced, and around five million (2016) had crossed into other countries, seeking asylum or placed in Syrian refugee camps worldwide. It is often described as one of the largest refugee crises in history.

Rojava–Islamist conflict Theater in the Syrian Civil War

The Rojava–Islamist conflict, a major theater in the Syrian civil war, started after fighting erupted between the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamist rebel factions in the city of Ras al-Ayn. Kurdish forces launched a campaign in an attempt to take control of the Islamist-controlled areas in the governorate of al-Hasakah and some parts of Raqqa and Aleppo governorates after al-Qaeda in Syria used those areas to attack the YPG. The Kurdish groups and their allies' goal was also to capture Kurdish areas from the Arab Islamist rebels and strengthen the autonomy of the region of Rojava. The Syrian Democratic Forces would go on to take substantial territory from Islamist groups, in particular the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, provoking Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war

Humanitarian aid during the Syrian Civil War has been provided by various international bodies, organizations and states. The main effort is coordinated by Jonh Ging of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). In 2014, U.N. Security Council Resolution 2165 authorised humanitarian aid to be supplied via four border crossings not controlled by the Syrian government, generally to supply rebel-controlled territory.

Syrians in Lebanon refers to the Syrian migrant workers and, more recently, to the Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon during the Syrian Civil War. The relationship between Lebanon and Syria includes Maronite-requested aid during Lebanon's Civil War which led to a 29-year occupation of Lebanon by Syria ending in 2005. Following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, refugees began entering Lebanon in 2011. Lebanon's response towards the influx of refugees has been criticized as negative, with the Lebanese government leaving them undocumented and limited and attacks on Syrian refugees by Lebanese citizens which go unaddressed by authorities. Despite the strained relationship between the Syrians and Lebanese, taking into consideration only Syrian refugees, Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with one refugee per four nationals. The power dynamic and position of Syria and Lebanon changed drastically in such a short amount of time, it is inevitable that sentiments and prejudices prevailed despite progressions and changes in circumstance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 European migrant crisis</span> 2010s migrant crisis in the European Union

The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to request asylum, the most in a single year since World War II. Those requesting asylum in Europe in 2015 were mostly Syrians, but also included significant numbers of Afghans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Iraqis and Eritreans, as well as economic migrants from the Balkans.

Hatune Dogan is a religious nun of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, President of the organization Helfende Hände für die Armen. She currently lives in the Syriac Orthodox monastery of St. Jacques Sarug in Warburg, Germany.

Syrians in Germany Residents of Germany of Syrian descent

Syrians in Germany refers to Syrian immigrants in Germany or Germans with Syrian ancestry. The number of Syrians in Germany is estimated at around 800,000 people in March 2021, making it the third largest community of foreign nationals. The population consists mainly of refugees of the Syrian Civil War, which began in the 2010s. The total number of people in Germany with Syrian roots was just over 1 million.

Miriam Shaded Human rights activist

Miriam Shaded is a Polish entrepreneur, human rights activist and critic of Islam. She is the founder and president of the Estera Foundation tasked with bringing Christian refugees from Syria to Poland.

Turkish occupation of northern Syria Military occupation since 2016

The Turkish Armed Forces and its ally the Syrian National Army have occupied areas of northern Syria since August 2016, during the Syrian Civil War. Though these areas nominally acknowledge a government affiliated with the Syrian opposition, they factually constitute a separate proto-state under the dual authority of decentralized native local councils and Turkish military administration.

Alice Weidel German politician serving as Leader of Alternative for Germany

Alice Elisabeth Weidel is a German politician and has been the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag since October 2017. She has been a member of the Bundestag (MdB) since the 2017 federal election during which she was the AfD's lead candidate together with Alexander Gauland. Since November 2019, she has been the deputy federal spokeswoman for her party and, since February 2020, chairwoman of the AfD state association in Baden-Württemberg.

Islamophobia in Poland is the fear, hatred of, or prejudice against the Islamic religion or Muslims in Poland. Since the Muslim community in Poland is small the situation has been described as "Islamophobia without Muslims". According to Monika Bobako, Islamophobia is one of the main elements of the Polish nationalist discourse.

The city of Baltimore, Maryland includes a small Syrian population. The Syrian-American community is centered in East Baltimore. While Syrian-Americans have had a presence in Baltimore for over a century, most Syrians in Baltimore are recent immigrants and refugees who have fled the Syrian Civil War.

Anna Alboth Polish activist and journalist

Anna Alboth is a Polish journalist, blogger and political activist. She gained international attention as the initiator of the Civil March for Aleppo—a peace march on foot from Berlin to Aleppo from December 2016 to August 2017, for which she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.

References

  1. Zosia Wasik, Henry Foy: Poland favours Christian refugees from Syria (eng.). ft.com, 2015-09-21. [2015-11-17]. Jan Puhl: Polen und die Flüchtlingskrise: Wahlkampf mit der Angst (deutsch). spiegel.de, 2015-09-27. [2015-11-17]. Syrian Christians find sanctuary with Polish families (eng.). dunyanews.tv, 2015-07-20. [2015-11-17]. Poland and refugees. Where is the Solidarity? (eng.). euronews.com, 2015-10-23. [2015-11-17]. Stefanie Bolzen, Gerhard Gnauck: Für syrische Christen ist Warschau ein Paradies (deutsch.). welt.de, 2015-08-07. [2015-11-17]. Ulrich Krökel: «Solidarität» wird in Polen zum Fremdwort (deutsch.). tagesanzeiger.ch, 2015-09-03. [2015-11-17]. Jenni Frazer: Holocaust survivor repays ultimate debt via rescue of Syrian Christians (eng.). timesofisrael.com, 2015-06-16. [2015-11-17]. Ian Dunt: Germany’s ten-point refugee plan shows how irresponsible Britain has become (eng.). politics.co.uk, 2015-09-25. [2015-11-17].
  2. "Prime Minister on accepting refugees: Poles also were helped out in the past", premier.gov.pl, July 11, 2015 (retrieved June 6, 206)
  3. "Poland and refugees. Where is the Solidarity?", Euronews, October 23, 2015 (retrieved June 6, 206)
  4. "Majority of Christian Syrian refugees left Poland", Radio Poland, January 26, 2016 (retrieved June 6, 206)
  5. Zosia Wasik, Henry Foy: Poland favours Christian refugees from Syria (eng.). ft.com, 2015-09-21. [2015-11-17]. Jan Puhl: Polen und die Flüchtlingskrise: Wahlkampf mit der Angst (deutsch). spiegel.de, 2015-09-27. [2015-11-17]. Syrian Christians find sanctuary with Polish families (eng.). dunyanews.tv, 2015-07-20. [2015-11-17]. Poland and refugees. Where is the Solidarity? (eng.). euronews.com, 2015-10-23. [2015-11-17]. Stefanie Bolzen, Gerhard Gnauck: Für syrische Christen ist Warschau ein Paradies (deutsch.). welt.de, 2015-08-07. [2015-11-17]. Ulrich Krökel: «Solidarität» wird in Polen zum Fremdwort (deutsch.). tagesanzeiger.ch, 2015-09-03. [2015-11-17]. Jenni Frazer: Holocaust survivor repays ultimate debt via rescue of Syrian Christians (eng.). timesofisrael.com, 2015-06-16. [2015-11-17]. Ian Dunt: Germany’s ten-point refugee plan shows how irresponsible Britain has become (eng.). politics.co.uk, 2015-09-25. [2015-11-17].
  6. "Powszechna metoda walki z „niewiernymi” w islamie – Takijja. Miriam Shaded" (Miriam Shaded's reply to the article "„Fundacja Estera finansowana przez międzynarodowy syjonizm" ("Estera Foundation id Funded by International Zionism")), Wolna Polska, April 9, 2016