Carrying signs reading “Don’t Deport My Bubbe” and “What Would Moses Do?”, Jewish demonstrators representing several organizations participated in the Rally for Citizenship in Washington.
The Jewish groups rallied April 10 on the west lawn of the Capitol alongside Latinos, Catholics, Unitarians, union members and women’s groups.
Members of Jews United for Justice, HIAS, the American Jewish Committee, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the newly created Jewish Justice Roundtable wore light blue shirts with the slogan “We Were Strangers Too.”
On the backs of their shirts, in black marker, the marchers listed where their relatives had lived before immigrating to America. The countries varied from Russia, Romania and Poland to Newfoundland and Norway.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, began the event’s interfaith service by calling for a moment of silence “for those who have died waiting for their dream to be fulfilled.”
Citing numerous references in the Torah in which God tells the Jews to “love the sojourner for you were once strangers,” Saperstein yelled out, “Could God be any more clear?” — jta