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 Rabbi’s Message
Our Tradition and historical experiences have helped shape our thoughts on immigrants and an immigration policy in this country advocating that it is a policy that should be both fair and compassionate. We are taught in our Torah regarding vulnerable populations - that “If your brother, being in straits, comes under your authority, and you hold him as though a resident alien, let him live by your side” (Leviticus 25:35). We are commanded repeatedly to honor those who live among us to take are of the poor and the needy. It is stated further in Deuteronomy that you "...must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs” (Deut. 15:7). Rabbinic Judaism goes a step further than simply financial arrangements. It encourages emotional support of the non-Jewish person so that we have a more harmonious society. “Our rabbis have taught: ‘we support the poor of the non-Jew along with the poor of Israel, and visit the sick of the non-Jew along with the sick of Israel, and bury the poor of the non-Jew along with the dead of Israel, in the interests of peace’” (BT Gittin 61a). Furthermore the book of Ruth epitomizes our treatment of an immigrant into the Jewish community, she is embraced once she also acknowledges Israel as her homeland. She is so well revered that eventually her line brings King David into our midst.
As a community of immigrants to this country, we have an obligation to ensure fairness in this process. Many of our families fled Europe as a result of pogroms, the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s-40s or simply a desire for a better life. In this country there has always been tension between those who wanted to welcome immigrants and those who wanted to limit their entry. As noted in the 1995 Resolution on Immigration adopted by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism), "we support those efforts that compassionately seek to regulate and to aid newcomers to this land but we oppose those that will unduly restrict immigration or burden the lives of illegal immigrants." Added to this resolution was one passed in 2006, when the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) adopted a resolution supporting efforts seeking “comprehensive immigration reform, which would include not only better enforcement of our nation's laws, but also a guest worker program and a path to earned legalization.”
Today in this country there are approximately 12 million illegal immigrants. It is our obligation to ask why and address the domestic and global forces that are causing this rising level. Many of those people take jobs that no one else wants since they are so low paying or physically demanding. In fact, the Social Security Administration estimates that threequarters of undocumented immigrants pay Social Security taxes, even though they are ineligible for benefits. Let’s engage this debate thoughtfully and carefully. While we may not all agree, it is an opportunity for us all to learn from each other and stand up for what we believe in.
~ Rabbi ~
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