Progress by Pesach

February 3, 2009 0 Comments

“When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

Thirty-five times this principle is repeated in the Torah. Thirty-five times we are reminded of our own immigrant history. Thirty-five times we are commanded not only to welcome the stranger, but to “love them as yourself.”

Today, we face the enormous task of fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. Over 12 million undocumented immigrants live as “strangers” in our communities. U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids, such as the one in Postville, Iowa at the Agriprocessers kosher meatpacking plant, have torn apart immigrant families. Detention centers across the country leave thousands in legal limbo and offend our sense of humanity. It is time to tell Congress and the Administration to enact solutions.

In this light, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) in coalition with a number of other Jewish organizations, including the Union for Reform Judaism, has launched a new campaign for comprehensive immigration reform: Progress by Pesach.

Passover is a time when we celebrate our freedom from bondage, remember when we were strangers in a strange land, and connect our history to modern-day liberation struggles. This year, consider the strangers who sojourn with you by telling President Obama and Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform a priority by Passover.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Help collect petition signatures and sign the letter to President Obama and Congress
Host HIAS’s interactive and educational “Welcome the Stranger” program on immigration
Participate in monthly interfaith immigration national update and coordination calls
Host an interfaith prayer vigil for immigrants on Presidents’ Day weekend
Deliver a D’var at your shul
Follow and post to the blog
Be a part of coalition work with immigrant groups and immigrant allies
Help with press strategy: write editorials, write to editorial boards, etc
Attend local events to support the campaign, by checking out the event calendar link on the HIAS Web site
Host a house party to educate and mobilize your friends, family and neighbors about immigration issues: we’ve got plenty of materials and support to help you create a great event