Dear Beth,
On Sukkot, many of us invite ushpizin -- honored guests, both living and dead -- into our sukkah. During this period of vicious anti-immigrant rhetoric and raids, too often immigrants are viewed with suspicion rather than treated like guests to be honored.
We hope that you will join with individuals and institutions across the United States in extending a welcome to the immigrants who care for our children and aging relatives, work in our synagogues and schools, and add to the cultural and economic life of our communities. On Sukkot, when we remember the experience of being gerim -- sojourners without a permanent home -- we commit ourselves to helping others to find permanent homes for their own families.
To help us build sukkot that demonstrate our desire to welcome immigrant communities, the Jewish Task force for Comprehensive Immigration Reform has created a special poster. We hope that you will place this poster in your personal or institutional sukkot as a sign of your commitment to making America a safe place for immigrants.
This poster is available for purchase at www.cafepress.com/jewishjustice. Three sizes are available, in prices ranging from $6 to $18. Order soon to ensure delivery before the holiday begins next week. Click here to read the poster's text.
For more information about immigration and Jewish perspectives on immigration, please visit our online resource center. There, you will find immigration fact sheets, time lines, text studies and divrei torah.
Best wishes for a wonderful and meaningful Sukkot.
Chag Sameach!
Rabbi Jill Jacobs
(on behalf of) The Jewish Task force for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Jewish Funds for Justice and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (co-conveners) Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (Boston) Jewish Community Action (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Jewish Council for Urban Affairs (Chicago) Jewish Council on Public Affairs Jewish Labor Committee Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (New York) Jews United for Justice (DC) National Council of Jewish Women Progressive Jewish Alliance (California) Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Shalom Center United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Workmen's Circle/Arbeiter Ring
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