Background
- Throughout our history, Reform Movement Congregations have acted as safe-havens for those seeking refuge from persecution and deportation. In the 1980s, congregations provided temporary shelter (also known as sanctuary) primarily to central Americans at risk of deportation. As the Union for Reform Judaism stated in a 1985 resolution:
- We are instructed in the Holiness Code (Lev. 19:33) to take to heart the lessons of our own history by treating aliens in our midst with justice and compassion. "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Judaism affirms the supreme value of human life and the equal dignity of every human being. The prophets of Israel bade us to pursue justice, seek peace, and build a society of loving-kindness among all of God's creatures…
- Though some of the underlying issues from 1985 and now remain the same, today we face new challenges in addressing the flaws in our immigration system and the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
- The Obama administration was among the most aggressive in deporting undocumented immigrants. At the same time, President Obama created programs including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), intended to provide some protected status for key constituencies while prioritizing the deportation of people who pose a higher risk to the U.S. More than 750,000 undocumented immigrants are currently enrolled in the DACA program.
- The increase in immigration enforcement activity since the Trump Admnistration took office has instilled new levels of fear into the undocumented immigrant community.
Jewish Values
- We are instructed in the Holiness Code to treat the strangers in our midst with justice and compassion:
- "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33).
- This teaching permeates Jewish tradition and is echoed 35 times in the Torah – the most repeated of any commandment.
- The history of the Jewish people from Egypt through the Holocaust until today reminds us of the many struggles faced by immigrants throughout the world. As a community of immigrants, we are charged to pursue justice, seek peace and build a society that is welcoming to all of God's creatures, regardless of their immigration status.
- In Genesis, three strangers visit Abraham, and he welcomes them into his home and into his heart without question (Genesis 18:1-22). This virtue of hachnasat orchim, welcoming the stranger, drives both our commitment to protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation and our dedication to the hospitality and inclusion of all people.
