Los Angeles, CA – Over 550 Jewish clergy across the U.S. joined together in a public letter condemning the indiscriminate and violent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have occurred in Southern California and throughout the United States, targeting valued members of our communities.
Signatories include Rabbi Jill Borodin, Rabbi Sally Preisand, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Rabbi Elliott Tepperman, Rabbi Andy Vogel, Rabbi Eric Woodward, and hundreds more.
“It is central to our Jewish values to love our neighbors as ourselves,” urged Rabbi Susan Goldberg of Nefesh, “What is happening to our neighbors is cruel and simply reprehensible. It is important that we raise our voices as a Jewish community to stand together with those at the center of this hateful scapegoating and to call out for a world we know is possible.”
The letter also condemns President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard soldiers and Marines in Los Angeles to suppress protests. Together, these rabbis and cantors are making their moral voices heard in strong opposition to the President’s actions, which are straight out of the authoritarian playbook.
“The assault on, and kidnapping of citizens by ICE and other federal agents, coupled with the invasion of our city by the National Guard and the Marines is appalling,” added Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the American Jewish University.
“Though I do not live in Los Angeles, I signed the T’ruah letter because the events in LA must be cause for concern for our entire country,” said Rabbi Shuli Passow of B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in New York City. “That a federal agency is addressing immigration in the cruelest way possible is a violation of values that are fundamental to a humane society. Our city and our country should be a refuge for those fleeing violence and poverty. Instead masked plain-clothes officers kidnap hard working people in their homes, at their work, and on the streets. There is no greater desecration of the name of God.”
The letter was organized by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, a national rabbinic human rights organization, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), which organizes justice campaigns in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California and throughout Southern California.
“The ICE raids in Southern California have forced us to reflect on our deepest values,” stated CLUE Executive Director, Reverend Jennifer Gutierrez. “What are we called to do when our neighbors are threatened? The answer is clear. We must respond with courage and care. Love for God and our neighbors will win in the end.”
For a complete and updated list of signatories, please refer to the letter’s webpage here.
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About T’ruah: T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Canada, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
About CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) educates, organizes, and mobilizes religious leaders and community members to walk with low-wage workers, immigrants, and communities of color while advocating for dignity, fair work, and healthy communities.