Updated Jan. 31
The leader of a national organization that protects Jewish communities from security threats wrote to President Donald Trump days before his inauguration, calling on him to deport “any non-citizen alien who supports terrorism.”
The Jan. 14 letter came from Michael Masters, CEO of Secure Community Network, which works on behalf of hundreds of Jewish organizations, including nonprofits, schools and federations. A total of 275 rabbis and cantors — including more than 20 from Northern California — have since signed an open letter that calls on Masters to retract his statement.
Masters’ letter cites several recent examples of threats to the Jewish community from foreign nationals, including a George Mason University student from Egypt arrested in December for allegedly plotting an attack on an Israeli consulate.
“Since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, many American streets and campuses have been subject to numerous events that interfere with the rights of Americans to carry out their daily lives; people are being hindered, hassled, and harassed,” Masters wrote.
“While we deeply respect free speech, the parroting and promotion of the slogans, flags, and messages of designated foreign terrorist organizations are not free speech: they are support for terrorism,” he continued. “These incitements against Americans, particularly those in the Jewish community who have been subjected to violence and threats of violence, must not be allowed.”
His letter urges Trump to deport any “non-citizens who support terrorist organizations,” offering Hamas and Hezbollah as examples.
The possibility of deportation is not theoretical. Mass deportation of illegal immigrants was one of Trump’s campaign promises and has kicked into high gear since his Jan. 20 inauguration. But his administration has also begun targeting visa holders.
Rabbis and cantors across the country who support the progressive nonprofit T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights collaborated on a response to Masters’ letter that reflects their outrage over his sweeping call to “expel” immigrants who threaten Jewish community safety.
“Like you, we have been alarmed at the rise in antisemitism over the past few years, including direct violence and threats against synagogues and other Jewish institutions,” states the Jan. 30 letter to Masters. “Existing U.S. criminal law is well-equipped to respond to the perpetrators of such acts. Neither subverting the rule of law nor amplifying lies that smear immigrants as disproportionately involved in criminal activities makes the Jewish community safer.”
Since 2004, SCN has served as a law enforcement liaison and security partner for Jewish institutions across North America.
“They are really relying on SCN to be an apolitical organization that protects Jewish communities,” Shira Danan, T’ruah’s chief communications officer, said of its 2,300 clergy members. “So I think a lot of them were really horrified that the CEO was using his platform this way to scapegoat immigrants.”
Twenty-one Jewish clergy from Northern California are among those who signed T’ruah’s letter: Rabbi Ruth Adar of San Leandro, Rabbi Susan Averbach of San Francisco, Rabbi Allan Berkowitz of Kensington, Rabbi Meredith Cahn of Petaluma, Rabbi David Cooper of Berkeley, Rabbi Amy Eilberg of Los Altos, Cantor Devorah Felder-Levy of Los Gatos, Rabbi Dan Goldblatt of Danville, Rabbi Margaret Holub of Albion in Mendocino County, Rabbi Stuart Kelman of Berkeley, Rabbi Leah Kurtz of Petaluma, Rabbi Chayva Lehrman of San Francisco, Rabbi Deni Marshall of Elk Grove, Rabbi Jessica Marshall of Bishop, Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller of Berkeley, Rabbi Judith Seid of Pleasanton, Rabbi Jeremy Sher of Oakland, Rabbi Jeremy Simons of Woodland, Rabbi Shifrah Tobacman of Emeryville, Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan of Berkeley and Rabbi Bridget Wynne of Berkeley.
Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein of Eugene, Oregon, was key to drafting the letter, Danan told J. The letter reads in part:
“It is well-documented that the primary perpetrators of domestic terrorism in the United States, and particularly against Jews, are white American citizens. We do not deny that in select circumstances, immigrants have carried out and attempted terrorist attacks. But to frontload them as the primary threat to Jewish security is not only morally irresponsible but dangerous for the Jewish people and for American society. Furthermore, in all the examples you offer, the perpetrators or would-be perpetrators of horrific acts were arrested by law enforcement and charged in courts of law.”
It adds: “We need you to continue doing your crucial work to help keep Jewish communities safe. Perpetuating fear of immigrants and promoting the corrosion of the rule of law undermines this mission.”
“It’s not a zero-sum game,” Danan said. “We can keep immigrants safe, and we can keep Jews safe. Those two things aren’t at odds, and we are always going to be calling out people in leadership positions that are trying to use fear of the other to make people feel safer.”