Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the ICE raid on the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, IA – at the time the largest immigration raid in US history. Here in Chicago, I was honored gather with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and other orgs for an interfaith rally at Federal Plaza. It offered an [...]
Archive for the ‘Immigration’ Category
Postville One Year Later
Posted in Immigration, Interfaith, Politics on May 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
American Gulag
Posted in Human Rights, Immigration, Politics, Refugees on March 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
You need to read this new Amnesty International report on immigrant detention in our country. Even those who have some knowledge about this national shame will be jolted by AI’s findings:
- Tens of thousands of people languish in U.S. immigration detention facilities every year — including a number of U.S. citizens — without receiving a [...]
Immigration Justice in Illinois
Posted in Civil Rights, Immigration, Politics, Religion on February 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Some rare good news in the quest for compassionate immigration reform out here in Illinois:
Thanks to the unanimous passage of the Access to Religious Ministry Act in both state houses this past December, detained immigrants will now have the same access to clergy as those imprisoned for other crimes. Up until now, undocumented immigrants awaiting [...]
Immigration Reform by Pesach!
Posted in Immigration, Pesach, Politics, Religion on February 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s an new Jewish community immigration initiative you need to know about: “Progress by Pesach.”
PBP has brought together an impressive coalition of diverse Jewish orgs to urge the Obama administration and Congress to make meaningful progress on compassionate immigration reform by April 2009.
There’s a variety of components to this campaign. Here’s the jist, from their [...]
The Deportation of Adam Savitt
Posted in Human Rights, Immigration on October 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
One important way to understand the critical human stakes of the immigration crisis in this country is to take the time to hear the stories of families that are literally being ripped apart by mass deportations. Here is one such story, featured in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune, with an interesting Jewish twist. (Tribune photo by Oscar Avila, [...]
From Bhutan to Chicago
Posted in Human Rights, Immigration, Refugees on September 22, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Just enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner at JRC with the Khatiwodas – a refugee family from Bhutan who recently resettled in Chicago. (There they are in the pic above with congregation members Edie Canter and Elaine Waxman). JRC is sponsoring the Khatiwodas through the Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries, an NGO that partners with congregations [...]
Demanding Justice in Postville
Posted in Civil Rights, Immigration, Interfaith, Labor, Politics, Religion on July 28, 2008 | 14 Comments »
I spent an incredible day yesterday in Postville, Iowa, where an interfaith mobilization of nearly 1,500 people prayed, marched, sang and testified in solidarity with the 390 immigrant Agriprocessor workers arrested in the May 12 raid. I’m still processing the experience the morning after – suffice to say this action provided a powerful ray of [...]
Alarm Bell for the Collective Conscience
Posted in Africa, Darfur, Human Rights, Immigration, Israel on June 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
As perfect a 21st century Jewish mission statement as you are going to find – here’s a taste from a recent Ha’aretz editorial on the plight of Darfurian refugees who are currently seeking asylum in Israel:
Too soon we have forgotten the suffering that is the lot of the persecuted. Perhaps we have grown accustomed [...]
Prayer for a Vigil at a Detention Center
Posted in Human Rights, Immigration, Interfaith, Labor, Prayer, Religion on June 20, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Tonight I was back at the Broadview Detention Center – a facility west of Chicago where undocumented workers are processed before their final deportation. I was there to participate in the “Night of 1,000 Conversations” – a program sponsored by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The all-night vigil offered an evening of [...]
“And You Will Incur Guilt…”
Posted in Children's Rights, Food, Immigration, Judaism, Labor, Religion, Torah Commentary on September 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »
From this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tetzei:
You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and urgently depends on it, else he [...]
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