At a time when federal immigration agents have ramped up sweeps, detentions and deportations, Congregation Sherith Israel’s board of trustees last week voted to designate the temple a sanctuary synagogue, becoming the first Jewish house of worship in San Francisco to do so.
By doing so, the synagogue is committed to aiding immigrant families under threat of federal deportation by offering moral and material support.
“Immigration is core to a Jewish worldview,” said Rabbi Jessica Graf, who last fall urged congregants to take up the issue in her Kol Nidre sermon. “We’re an immigrant people in this country. This issue is central to a conversation about Jewish values, American values and where we stand in creating an America in which we deeply believe.”
On March 5, the same day the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program expired, the synagogue’s board unanimously passed the sanctuary synagogue proposal, joining Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos, Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont and Congregation B’nai Israel in Sacramento.
Though designated as a sanctuary, Sherith Israel will not house or shield immigrants facing arrest or deportation, something that arguably violates federal law.
“We want to be clear that we support the upholding of laws,” Graf said, “but as Americans who feel very proud of our democracy, when we find laws that are not just and don’t comply with our views, it is our obligation to speak up and speak out.”
Related: Sanctuary synagogues stand ready to help immigrants
In an email sent to members, Sherith Israel president Craig Etlin said the sanctuary designation links the synagogue to “a local and national network of like-minded groups to form partnerships in action… we will help immigrant families plan ahead for potential crises of arrest and detention, and we will seek effective advocacy for policy change to minimize deportations and respect human rights.”
Social justice committee co-chairs Karen Alschuler and Stacy Passman spearheaded the sanctuary effort. Ever since the Trump administration started issuing executive orders instituting travel bans, and ICE began ratcheting up its work, Alschuler said her committee has focused more attention on immigration.
“Sanctuary has come to mean something powerful,” she said. “It’s a set of values built out of Jewish values, welcoming the stranger, but it also connects us with many other faith organizations that want to work together. It’s a call to those of us organizing to provide intelligent and effective action.”
Sherith Israel members will help immigrants facing legal trouble by accompanying them to court proceedings, and are setting up a family support program to help immigrants prepare for a potential crisis, partnering in the effort with churches that have large Latino populations.
Alschuler said they also have partnered with Faith in Action Bay Area and Reform CA, nonprofits that focus on aid to immigrants.
“We stand in solidarity with immigrants and their families in exercising their right to due process. They have a right to be heard with respect and compassion. And there are many cases where we are not seeing that happen,” she said.
“We do this because our values, we celebrate what has been a magnificent contribution from immigrants and refugees over the life of this country.”
That’s disgusting!! shame on you!!!!
What a disgrace. This is not Judaism.
Wow, cool. Ya know, it’s always irked me, that I’m expected to buy a ticket to attend High Holyday services. Now my problem is solved: I’ll sneak in to Sherith Israel, and claim my rights as an undocumented synagogue member!
Bravo!
Dina de-Malkhuta Dina – that’s Jewish law – dictates that we respect the law of the country in which we reside. This is Liberalism being confused with Judaism. To my liberal friends: Please revel in your unbridled goodness, but please don’t claim that indulgence to be part of Judaism. Shunda.
How is immigration a Jewish value? We’re supposed to live in Israel not trot the globe.
We don’t immigrate. We run like h*’ll when people come to kill us. And then when we find a place that isn’t killing us for sport we set up shop until our new neighbors start killing us. Our history of “immigration” has nothing to do with anyone else’s.
I get it. Individual Jews or even groups of Jews are democrats and feel that the default liberal line is their political comfort zone.
But that’s not Jewish. Its their personal beliefs. Which are I guess good American values. But American values aren’t Jewish values any more than Egyptian or Persian or Babylonian or Roman or Greek or polish or German values were Jewish.
Our values are different. Older. And frankly built to survive the temporary mood swings of western culture.
And when these “progressives” continue to brand Judaism as the religion of the democratic party or nutty “progressives” what happens when the democrats are out of power and hated? What does that linkage do to Jews? Even worse if the “progressives” win and treat Jews like the Soviets did where does that leave Jews?
It’s how political differences morph into ethnic hatreds.
Really…you want to wave a red flag with a star of David in front of people?
Be involved. If you have to be “progressive.” But do it on your own dime. Don’t deal our ethnicity or people or religion into it.
This is what happens when liberalism is mistaken for religion. As the conservative and reform movements began to see largely empty pews on Sabbath, their leaders concocted an expanded concept of “tikkun olam.”
This is a HUGE mistake. The Rabbi (?) does NOT respect the law of the land & therefore is harming the Jewish People. Compassion is wonderful but disregarding the law & welcoming a scourge that MUST be purged is insane.
MUSLIMS are cancer that devours the host – b/c the host cannot not see, is blinded to the truth b/c THEY DO NOT learn from history & HISTORY teaches US that ISLAM’S ONLY purpose is to conquer the world.