‘To be truly safe, we need our community’: Jewish groups rally in Northampton for immigration justice – Amherst Bulletin
Posted By admin on October 10, 2022
NORTHAMPTON Jewish leaders and their congregations came together Sunday to show support and respect for the local immigrant community at a time when those who are fleeing violence and oppression in their homelands are struggling to find acceptance in many parts of the country.
More than 50 people attended an hourlong Securing Safety rally for immigration justice at the Connecticut River Greenway State Park on Damon Road. Dina Friedman, a member of Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western Massachusetts, led a program of speakers who urged a kinder approach.
To be truly safe, we need our community. We need everyone, Friedman said. Im not just talking about people here. Im talking about people in the world who we care about, whose lives touch us just because were part of the community of humanity.
In 2019, members of the activist group visited a Florida camp for children who were separated from their parents during the immigration process, and traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.
We heard stories that would make you weep about why people left their homes, Friedman said. We were sitting and eating with people in the refugee camps and a woman said to one of our members, I didnt leave when they threatened to kill me. I left when they threatened to kill my child.
She said anti-immigrant sentiment exists now as it did during the Holocaust, when many Americans felt compelled to help European Jews in any way possible except by allowing them safe passage into the U.S.
They felt like they could be sympathetic, they could send money or support, but they didnt want more immigrants to come here, Friedman said, even though those fleeing oppression and ultimately death camps were trying to lead a life of safety and security for themselves and their families.
Friedman and others noted that animus against immigrants even has a negative impact on those who came to the U.S. decades ago and built successful lives. They said such a person is still under constant pressure from political actors who want to limit their rights and force them to repeatedly show documentation to authorities.
Javier Luengo-Garrido, a longtime advocate for immigrant rights, urged voters to pass Question 4 on the November ballot, which would guarantee that Massachusetts residents can receive a drivers license regardless of their immigration status. He is deputy director of the Yes on Question 4 campaign.
We dont need to forget that Trump had more than a million votes in Massachusetts in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, he said. We need help. We need you canvassing. We need you informing your neighbors. We need you in the streets to pass this. If this law gets voted down, there is no way that the legislators handle it again.
He said that Question 4 will be printed on the back of the ballot and urged voters to make sure they dont miss it.
Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener of Temple Israel in Greenfield said that God commands people to love each other and, If God is one, we are all one. Marie Ange Laroche, a Haitian immigrant and case manager for Jewish Family Services of Western MA, urged attendees to volunteer their time, services and homes to immigrants and refugees.
Toby Bobbit, a member of the First Church of Amherst, a congregation of the United Church of Christ, told the story of Lucio Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant who now lives in Springfield. Perez took sanctuary at the First Congregational Church for more than three years while living under a deportation order, starting in October 2017, with the help of an interfaith network.
Perez left the church in March 2021 when he was granted a stay of removal.
It is Gods desire that we share love with everyone. Even ICE officers, I must say, Bobbit said, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents whom critics frequently accuse of being heavy-handed.
The rally was held between the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, times of self-reflection and renewing commitment to ones values.
Rabbi Riqi Kosovske of Beit Ahavah, the Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton, led a traditional tashlich ceremony, where observant Jews cast stones into water to symbolize letting go of their sins; Kosovske asked participants to put positive energy into the water, as well.
Go here to see the original:
- 78 years on, Jewish Holocaust rescuers want their story told - The Associated Press - en Espaol - January 27th, 2023
- The French Jewish children who went to camp, but never came back - Haaretz - January 27th, 2023
- Texas painter unites religion and art in images inspired by Jewish life in the South - NOLA.com - January 27th, 2023
- Jewish doctors in the Warsaw Ghetto secretly documented the effects of Nazi-imposed starvation, and the knowledge is helping researchers today ... - January 27th, 2023
- Shapiro to be sworn-in on three Bibles with deep meaning to him, Jewish faithful - PennLive - January 12th, 2023
- Oman, once thought to be next Abraham Accords signer, criminalizes relations with Israel - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 8th, 2023
- Pope Benedict XVI, who went from Hitler Youth to advancing Catholic-Jewish relations, dies at 95 - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 3rd, 2023
- Alex Bregman wants his community to believe in progress: I want Jewish kids who dream about playing baseball to believe that they can" -... - January 3rd, 2023
- Community: Jewish veterans' graves honored at the BR National Cemetery - The Advocate - December 31st, 2022
- The Heirs of a Jewish Banker are Taking a Japanese Company to Court over an Allegedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh - ARTnews - December 20th, 2022
- Among those celebrating Argentinas World Cup win, cabala practitioners and a teary Jewish sportscaster - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - December 20th, 2022
- Trump to meet with Orthodox Jewish group on heels of Fuentes, Ye dinner - POLITICO - December 15th, 2022
- Hanukkah merch is hitting the shelves, but does that signify more Jewish representation? - Haaretz - December 13th, 2022
- We wish we were talking about Jewish joy: Rate of antisemitic incidents continue to spike, ADL official says - cleveland.com - December 13th, 2022
- Bakersfields oldest Jewish congregation sells downtown synagogue; developer will raze it and build new high-density housing - KGET 17 - December 13th, 2022
- How antisemitic rhetoric is impacting the Jewish community - NPR - November 8th, 2022
- Kanye West Blames the Jews - aish.com - Aish.com - October 19th, 2022
- 9000 kilometres of spirit The Australian Jewish News - Australian Jewish News - October 19th, 2022
- Here are the lessons Jewish security officials learned during the first High Holiday season since the Colleyville attack - eJewish Philanthropy - October 19th, 2022
- What Stanford's anti-Jewish bias looked like in the 1950s - Los Angeles Times - October 19th, 2022
- There are no Jews in the Alabama legislature. That could soon change. - Forward - October 19th, 2022
- Homeschooling and the Purpose of Jewish Education - aish.com - Aish.com - October 19th, 2022
- Jewish housing for disabled adults adds two residences in S.F. J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - October 19th, 2022
- Simchat Torah is the best Jewish speed-dating event - Forward - October 19th, 2022
- Women of Vision | Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - October 19th, 2022
- Why Hungarys Jews Are the Safest in Europe - The American Conservative - October 19th, 2022
- This would be the only national park telling the story of a Jewish American - Forward - October 19th, 2022
- Simchat Torah: A Jewish holiday of reading, renewal and resilience - The Conversation - October 19th, 2022
- Kanye West Seeks Reconciliation With Jewish Cabal To Collab On Yeezy X Jews Streetwear - The Onion - October 19th, 2022
- Cox withdraws from 'Unite the Right' event after Jewish group raises concerns - Maryland Matters - October 10th, 2022
- The Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance Has Warned That Yes Antisemitic Tweets Are A Threat To Black And Jewish Relations - BuzzFeed News - October 10th, 2022
- Berkeley's Jewish-Free Zones Are Worse Than You Think - Jewish Journal - October 10th, 2022
- What to wear to become a Jewish mother-in-law? - Forward - October 10th, 2022
- The ancient Jewish practice of hakhel, an every-7-years gathering, gets a 21st-century revival - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - October 10th, 2022
- Extermination Camp Run By Jews: On Yom Kippur, Cornell Set to Host Professor Who Compared Jews to Nazis - Washington Free Beacon - October 10th, 2022
- Long Island Jewish History Museum Opens in Glen Cove - Long Island Press - October 10th, 2022
- Jews on the move: The geographic dimension of Jewish survival in North America - eJewish Philanthropy - September 29th, 2022
- The Jewish word that no one uses anymore - Religion News Service - September 29th, 2022
- Jewish students fight hate in the High Holy Days with education - KPBS - September 29th, 2022
- Kandinsky painting returned to Jewish family as Netherlands shifts approach to looted art - St. Louis Jewish Light - September 29th, 2022
- Alarming letter referencing Nazis delivered to Staten Island Jewish man on Rosh Hashana - SILive.com - September 29th, 2022
- Your Daily Phil: Bicycling in Jerusalem + Jewish migration in the U.S. - eJewish Philanthropy - September 29th, 2022
- Amid rising threats, local Jewish orgs nab $2M in federal security funds J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 29th, 2022
- Newish Jewish, at Kossars and Beyond - The New Yorker - September 29th, 2022
- US Jewish leaders, Erdogan meet for the first time in three years - JNS.org - September 29th, 2022
- Campuses hit by antisemitism on Rosh Hashanah + Is this Broadways most Jewish play? - Forward - September 29th, 2022
- Voluntary dues afford us a better Jewish new year - eJewish Philanthropy - September 29th, 2022
- Jews. In Their Own Words review appalling revelations in a gallop through centuries of bigotry - The Guardian - September 29th, 2022
- Museum Of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial To The Holocaust Presents THE NEW YORK JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL This December - Broadway World - September 29th, 2022
- The significance of Rosh Hashanah for the Jewish community - ABC Action News Tampa Bay - September 29th, 2022
- Coming events, October 2022 - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle - September 29th, 2022
- The Tuscan-Jewish Variation Of Fried Chicken You Should Know - Tasting Table - September 29th, 2022
- Jews and Weight Loss - aish.com - Aish.com - September 29th, 2022
- Rome & the World: Christians in the Gulf; popes and the Jewish Community of Rome - Aleteia - September 29th, 2022
- One-woman show is a journey through generations of Iraqi Jews J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 29th, 2022
- Putin tells Russian Jews he expects hefty contribution in New Years message - The Times of Israel - September 29th, 2022
- Gay Block's portraits of non-Jewish Holocaust rescuers on view in S.F. J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 8th, 2022
- Being Jewish together - Jewish Community Voice - September 8th, 2022
- What Jewish group is thriving in the secular age? | Opinion - Deseret News - September 8th, 2022
- Your financial support is a lifeline to Jews at home and around the world - Jewish Community Voice - September 8th, 2022
- LA deli exhibit puts a little mustard on the Jewish-American immigrant tale - The Times of Israel - September 8th, 2022
- Ive enjoyed working with the community - Australian Jewish News - September 8th, 2022
- With $73 million and counting, this organization is the backbone of the Jewish aid effort for Ukraine - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - September 8th, 2022
- They were forced to sell their beloved synagogue. 7 decades later, they finally have a chance to buy it back - Forward - September 8th, 2022
- The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Bombing of Auschwitz - Jewish Journal - September 8th, 2022
- Do these stats about 21st-century Jewish orgs sound right to you? - eJewish Philanthropy - September 8th, 2022
- The greatest Jewish Hollywood character youve never heard of - Forward - September 8th, 2022
- 'Four Winters' Reveals Jewish Womens Armed Resistance to Nazis During World War II - Ms. Magazine - September 8th, 2022
- Federation invites the community to Town Halls with new Houston Jewish Security Director - Jewish Herald-Voice - September 8th, 2022
- Gesher, the J and Federation Partner on Jewish Agency Career Expo Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - September 8th, 2022
- Leaning Into the Difficulty - Jewish Exponent - September 8th, 2022
- Cleveland Cop Who Praised Hitler Should Be Punished, US Jewish Groups Say - Algemeiner - September 8th, 2022
- The joys of catching a baseball at the Giants' Jewish heritage night J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 8th, 2022
- It is time to make big bets on teens and young adults - eJewish Philanthropy - September 8th, 2022
- Beinart Blathers On - Jewish Exponent - September 8th, 2022
- Ukraine-related presentations at the 18th World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem - UJE - Ukrainian Jewish Encounter - September 8th, 2022
- Seniors matter to us . . . now more than ever - thejewishchronicle.net - September 8th, 2022
- Jews - Wikipedia - September 4th, 2022
- Jamaica, Jews and Christopher Columbus: The Fascinating History of Jews in Jamaica - aish.com - Aish.com - September 4th, 2022
- Denigration: A Tragic Story of Jews in Art from the Late Renaissance - aish.com - Aish.com - September 4th, 2022
Comments