Thursday, January 30, 2025
Michael Masters, CEO
Secure Community Network
Eric Fingerhut, CEO
Jewish Federations of North America
Dear Mr. Masters,
As rabbis and cantors who have long appreciated and benefited from Secure Community Network’s efforts to protect Jewish institutions, we were deeply dismayed to read your open letter to President Trump calling for the deportation of immigrants who “provide material support to designated terrorist organizations like ISIS and Hamas or threaten to harm Americans.” In it, you advocate for deporting “any non-citizen alien who supports terrorism.” You then define “support for terrorism” extremely broadly, citing the presence on “American streets and campuses” of people who promote “the slogans, flags, and messages of designated foreign terrorist organizations” and urge Trump to “take immediate action and begin the removal of those known to support these organizations.”
Like you, we have been alarmed at the rise in antisemitism over the past few years, including direct violence and threats against synagogues and other Jewish institutions. Existing U.S. criminal law is well-equipped to respond to the perpetrators of such acts. Neither subverting the rule of law nor amplifying lies that smear immigrants as disproportionately involved in criminal activities makes the Jewish community safer.
It is well-documented that the primary perpetrators of domestic terrorism in the United States, and particularly against Jews, are white American citizens. We do not deny that in select circumstances, immigrants have carried out and attempted terrorist attacks. But to frontload them as the primary threat to Jewish security is not only morally irresponsible, but dangerous for the Jewish people and for American society. Furthermore, in all the examples you offer, the perpetrators or would-be perpetrators of horrific acts were arrested by law enforcement and charged in courts of law.
President Trump made lying and fear mongering about immigrants a core part of his campaign, and has already made targeting immigrants a core goal of his administration, as evident in the flurry of Executive Orders issued on Inauguration Day. It is a common strategy of would-be authoritarians to use scapegoating to excite support and justify violating due process and civil rights. Twentieth century Jewish immigrants, too, were smeared as dangerous to Americans and American society. People of conscience, and particularly Jews who care about our long-term security in a free and open society, should publicly resist that kind of incitement, not pander to it.
We need you to continue doing your crucial work to help keep Jewish communities safe. Perpetuating fear of immigrants and promoting the corrosion of the rule of law undermines this mission.
For these reasons, we ask you to reconsider your positioning and publicly retract your letter. Your credibility as an apolitical organization devoted to Jewish safety depends on it.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Leora Abelson – Jamaica Plain, MA
Rabbi Herschel Aberson – Van Nuys, CA
Rabbi Ruth Adar – San Leandro, CA
Rabbi Jacob Adler – Belle Mead, NJ
Rabbi Rachel Adler – Pittsburgh, PA
Cantor Sheri Allen – Fort Worth, TX
Rabbi Doug Alpert – Kansas City, MO
Cantor Jennifer Antebi – North Easton, MA
Rabbi Charles Arian – Montgomery Village, MD
Rabbi Guy Austrian – New York, NY
Rabbi Susan Averbach – San Francisco, CA
Rabba Ilana Axel – Buffalo Grove, IL
Rabbi Amy Bardack – Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Benjamin Barnett – Portland, OR
Rabbi Renée Bauer – Madison, WI
Rabbi David Dunn Bauer – Elkins Park, PA
Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker – New York, NY
Rabbi Dana Benson – Seattle, WA
Rabbi Karyn Berger – Hewitt, TX
Rabbi Allan Berkowitz – Kensington, CA
Rabbi Donald Berlin – Bethesda, MD
Rabbi Marjorie Berman – Clarks Summit, PA
Rabbi Michael Bernstein – Alpharetta, GA
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch – Tempe, AZ
Rabbi Binyamin Biber – Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Barry Block – Little Rock, AR
Rabbi Rena Blumenthal – New Paltz, NY
Rabbi Anna Boswell-Levy – Yardley, PA
Rabbi Herbert Brockman – Hamden, CT
Rabbi Caleb Brommer – Ithaca, NY
Rabbi Lester Bronstein – White Plains, NY
Rabbi Michaela Brown – Northfield, MN
Rabbi Meredith Cahn – Petaluma, CA
Rabbi Debra Cantor – Bloomfield, CT
Rabbi Nachshon Carmi – Boca Raton, FL
Rabbi Adam Chalom – Highland Park, IL
Rabbi Kerry Chaplin – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Elyssa Cherney – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Geoffrey Claussen – Greensboro, NC
Rabbi Eva Cohen – Minneapolis, MN
Cantor Gerald Cohen – Yonkers, NY
Rabbi Abby Cohen – Portland, OR
Rabbi Howard Cohen – Bennington, VT
Rabbi Sandra Cohen – Denver, CO
Rabbi Aryeh Cohen – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Tamara Cohen – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Emily Cohen – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Hillel Cohn – San Bernardino, CA
Rabbi David Cooper – Berkeley, CA
Rabbi Robin Damsky – Efland, NC
Rabbi Beth Davidson – Auburn, NH
Rabbi JudiAhavah DelBourgo – Encino, CA
Rabbi Jessica Dell’Era Nussbaum – Medford, MA
Rabbi Megan Doherty – Oberlin, OH
Rabbi Matt Dreffin – Mountain Brk, AL
Cantor Ellen Dreskin – Ardsley, NY
Rabbi Malka Drucker – Santa Barbara, CA
Rabbi Lisa A. Edwards – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Amy Eilberg – Los Altos, CA
Rabbi Barat Ellman – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Rachel Esserman – Endicott, NY
Rabbi Susan Falk – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Charles Feinberg – Washington, DC
Cantor Devorah Felder-Levy – Los Gatos, CA
Rabbi Jen Feldman – Chapel Hill, NC
Rabbi Jason Fenster – White Plains, NY
Rabbi Zev-Hayyim Feyer – Stone Mountain, GA
Rabbi Brian Field – Boulder, CO
Rabbi Barry Fineman – Loveland, CO
Rabbi Daniel Fink – Boise, ID
Cantor Yael Fischman – Hyattsville, MD
Rabbi Nicole Fix – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Jeff Foust – Newton Center, MA
Rabbi Shoshana Friedman – Roslindale, MA
Rabbi Marsha Friedman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Ronne Friedman – Brookline, MA
Cantor Shelly Friedman – Chicago, IL
Rabbi Lev Friedman – Waban, MA
Rabbi Dayle Friedman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein – Elgin, IL
Rabbi Ruth Gais – Summit, NJ
Rabbi Rachel Gartner – Washington, DC
Rabbi Laura Geller – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Carol Glass – Newton Center, MA
Rabbi Miriyam Glazer – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Grace Gleason – Greensboro, NC
Rabbi Gail Glicksman – Haverford, PA
Rabbi Bob Gluck – Mount Kisco, NY
Rabbi Rosalind Gold – Reston, VA
Rabbi Susan Goldberg – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Dan Goldblatt – Danville, CA
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg – Jackson Heights, NY
Rabbi Megan GoldMarche – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Seth Goldstein – Olympia, WA
Rabbi Lisa Goldstein – San Antonio, TX
Rabbi Lizz Goldstein – Vienna, VA
Rabbi Maralee Gordon – Woodstock, IL
Cantor Tanya Greenblatt – Tampa, FL
Rabbi James Greene – Stafford Springs, CT
Rabbi Rachel Greengrass – Pinecrest, FL
Rabbi David Greenstein – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Suzanne Griffel – Chicago, IL
Rabbi Rayna Grossman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Marc Gruber – Bethesda, MD
Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald – Denver, CO
Rabbi Joshua Gutoff – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Maurice Harris – Glenside, PA
Rabbi Cantor Rhoda Harrison – Marlton, NJ
Rabbi Cantor Jill Hausman – New York, NY
Rabbi Rachel Hertzman – New York, NY
Rabbi Erin Hirsh – Glenside, PA
Rabbi Solomon Hoffman – Chapel Hill, NC
Rabbi Linda Holtzman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Margaret Holub – Albion, CA
Rabbi Michael Holzman – Reston, VA
Cantor Sandy Horowitz – New York, NY
Rabbi Jocee Hudson – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson – New York, NY
Rabbi Sandi Intraub – Needham Heights, MA
Rabbi Lisa Izes – Irvington, NY
Rabbi Jill Jacobs – New York, NY
Rabbi Cantor Ellen Jaffe-Gill – Virginia Beach, VA
Rabbi Miriam Jerris – Huntington Woods, MI
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster – Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Emily Kapor-Mater – Portland, OR
Rabbi Nancy Kasten – Dallas, TX
Rabbi Alan Katz – Pittsford, NY
Rabbi Stuart Kelman – Berkeley, CA
Rabbi Justin Kerber – Carmel, IN
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block – Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Ralph Kingsley – Aventura, FL
Rabbi Emma Kippley-ogman – Saint Paul, MN
Rabbi Jason Klein – New York, NY
Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum – New York, NY
Rabbi Michael Knopf – Stamford, CT
Rabbi Michael Kramer – Hockessin, DE
Rabbi Douglas Krantz – Townsend, DE
Rabbi Jonathan Kraus – Belmont, MA
Rabbi Yaacov Kravitz – Abington, PA
Rabbi Nancy Kreimer – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Jeremy Kridel – Ellicott City, MD
Rabbi Leah Kurtz – Petaluma, CA
Rabbi Enid Lader – Cleveland, OH
Rabbi Susan Laemmle – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Karen Landy – Dedham, MA
Rabbi Gilah Langner – Washington, DC
Rabbi Adam Lautman – Cherry Hill, NJ
Cantor Amelia Lavranchuk – Forest Hills, NY
Rabbi Sandra Lawson – Burlington, NC
Rabbi David Lazar – Palm Springs, CA
Rabbi Esther Lederman – Arlington, VA
Rabbi Chayva Lehrman – San Francisco, CA
Rabbi Shoshana Leis – Dobbs Ferry, NY
Rabbi Darah Lerner – Albuquerque, NM
Rabbi Karen Levine – Woodstock, NY
Rabbi Yael Levy – Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Rabbi Janet Liss – Glen Cove, NY
Rabbi Akiba Lubow – Springfield, NJ
Cantor Abbe Lyons – Ithaca, NY
Rabbi Jill Maderer – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Nina Mandel – Sunbury, PA
Rabbi Marc Margolius – New York, NY
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis – Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Susan Marks – Highland Park, IL
Rabbi Deni Marshall – Elk Grove, CA
Rabbi Jessica Marshall – Bishop, CA
Rabbi Rim Meirowitz – Peabody, MA
Rabbi Sabine Meyer – Waco, TX
Rabbi Rachel Mikva – Chicago, IL
Rabbi Diana Miller – Brookline, MA
Rabbi Yocheved Mintz – Deerfield, IL
Rabbi Katie Mizrahi – Centennial, CO
Rabbi Joel Mosbacher – New York, NY
Rabbi Leiah Moser – Binghamton, NY
Rabbi Linda Motzkin – Gansevoort, NY
Rabbi Ariel Naveh – Wantagh, NY
Cantor Julie Newman – Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Leah Nussbaum – Medford, MA
Rabbi Grace Oedel – Burlington, VT
Rabbi Janet Offel – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Barbara Penzner – West Roxbury, MA
Cantor Hasha Perman – Evanston, IL
Rabbi Robin Podolsky – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Aaron Potek – Washington, DC
Rabbi Amber Powers – Abington, PA
Rabbi Charles P. Rabinowitz – Larchmont, NY
Rabbi Michael Ramberg – Elkins Park, PA
Rabbi Victor Reinstein – Jamaica Plain, MA
Cantor Jeri Robins – Newton Center, MA
Cantor Jessi Roemer – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn – New York, NY
Rabbi Francine Roston – Whitefish, MT
Rabbi Julie Roth – Montclair, NJ
Rabbi Michael Rothbaum – Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein – Gansevoort, NY
Rabbi Sandy Rubenstein – Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Rubenstein – Eugene, OR
Rabbi Adrienne Rubin – Princeton, NJ
Rabbi Gila Ruskin – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen – Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Jared Saks – Portland, ME
Rabbi Regina Sandler-Phillips – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe – Falls Church, VA
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller – Berkeley, CA
Rabbi Simone Schicker – Kalamazoo, MI
Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz – Willimantic, CT
Rabbi Amanda Schwartz – Englewood, CO
Rabbi Amy Schwartzman – McLean, VA
Rabbi Stephen Segar – Shaker Heights, OH
Rabbi Judith Seid – Pleasanton, CA
Rabbi David Seidenberg – Northampton, MA
Rabbi Gerald Serotta – Chevy Chase, MD
Rabbi Drorah Setel – Rochester, NY
Rabbi Jenna Shaw – Washington, DC
Rabbi Ellie Shemtov – Rutland, VT
Rabbi Jeremy Sher – Oakland, CA
Rabbi David Shneyer – Rockville, MD
Cantor Michael Shochet – McLean, VA
Rabbi Misha Shulman – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jacob Siegel – Eugene, OR
Rabbi Jodie Siff – Port Washington, NY
Rabbi Becky Silverstein – Jamaica Plain, MA
Rabbi Jeremy Simons – Woodland, CA
Rabbi Jonathan Slater – Hastings on Hudson, NY
Rabbi Asher Sofman – Wyncote, PA
Rabbi Ruth Sohn – Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Marc Soloway – Boulder, CO
Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett – Nashua, NH
Rabbi Hannah Spiro – Washington, DC
Rabbi Toba Spitzer – Waltham, MA
Rabbi Jacob Staub – Blue Bell, PA
Rabbi Abby Stein – Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Talia Stein – Brighton, MA
Rabbi George Stern – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Danielle Stillman – Middlebury, VT
Rabbi Jamie Stolper – Auburndale, MA
Cantor Lilah Sugarman – Danbury, CT
Rabbi Daniel Swartz – Clarks Summit, PA
Rabbi Robert Tabak – Elkins Park, PA
Rabbi Elliott Tepperman – Montclair, NJ
Rabbi David Teutsch – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Shifrah Tobacman – Emeryville, CA
Rabbi Shoshanah Tornberg – Allentown, PA
Rabbi Ariel Tovlev – Hyattsville, MD
Cantor Louise Treitman – Belmont, MA
Rabbi Yisraela Tubman – Eugene, OR
Rabbi Lauren Tuchman – Bethesda, MD
Rabbi Jason Van Leeuwen – Sherman Oaks, CA
Rabbi Allison Vann – Beachwood, OH
Cantor Risa Wallach – Somerville, NJ
Rabbi Pamela Wax – North Adams, MA
Rabbi Debora Waxman – Wyncote, PA
Rabbi Abi Weber – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman – Abington, PA
Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Samuel Weintraub – Bethesda, MD
Cantor Stephanie Weishaar – Clarksburg, MD
Rabbi Micah Weiss – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Alex Weissman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Josh Whinston – Ann Arbor, MI
Rabbi Nancy Wiener – New York, NY
Rabbi Avi Winokur – Haddonfield, NJ
Rabbi David Wirtschafter – Lexington, KY
Rabbi Amelia Wolf – Arlington, VA
Rabbi Joseph Wolf – Portland, OR
Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan – Berkeley, CA
Rabbi Michal Woll – Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Bridget Wynne – Berkeley, CA
Rabbi Daniel Zemel – Washington, DC
Rabbi Lina Zerbarini – Huntington Station, NY
Rabbi Rabbi Shawn Zevit – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Simcha Zevit – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Brian Zimmerman – Fort Worth, TX
Cantor Michael Zoosman – College Park, MD