Speaking yesterday at the “No Cuts, No Cages, Protect Families” rally in D.C. with immigrant, faith, and civil rights groups

My name is Eli, I’m Bend the Arc’s new Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs. I come to this holy work — and it is holy work — after 10 years of running campaigns, most recently for reproductive freedom and voting rights.

My job has always been to track legislative cycles, so I won’t sugarcoat what’s happening right now in Congress: if we don’t take action, Congress is likely to upend the lives of immigrants, paid for by cutting Medicaid and SNAP for families, while giving giant tax breaks to billionaires.

I hope you’ll join me next week on Tuesday, May 20th at Bend the Arc’s national call to learn how our Jewish movement can show up in this fight and push back on Congress funding Trump’s cruel agenda.

Welcome to Bend the Arc:
Immigration, Antisemitism, and Safety For All of Us

Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00pm ET on Zoom

During this call we’ll:

• Learn updates on the political landscape, including upcoming legislative fights
• Understand our analysis on why we do this work as Jews, including how the fights for immigration justice and dismantling antisemitism are intertwined
• Have concrete ways you can join us to fight deportations and change the story of Jewish safety
• Celebrate incredible energy from the Jewish community and our growing movement!

As a Jewish leader I cannot be clear enough: in this moment, the Trump administration is actively trying to co-opt valid Jewish fear of antisemitism as a smokescreen to distract from and justify abducting immigrants. We reject the idea that our safety requires enshrining authoritarianism or hurting our friends and neighbors. We are ONLY safe in solidarity.

We’re gathering to plan the next steps of our fight against Trump’s cruel agenda — join us next week for our national call on Tuesday, May 20, at 7pm ET.

We are in a deeply meaningful time of year in Judaism between Passover and Shavuot in which we count the Omer. We count the 49 days between these defining moments — fleeing Egypt with whatever we could carry on our backs, and on the other side, the divine encounter that would give us the Torah.

We count the Omer to re-experience this wait for safety and to remember that hope is a spiritual obligation.

I joined Bend the Arc because I believe a world with safety for all of us is not only possible, but the only way forward.

I look forward to doing this holy work with you,

Eli Williams-Szenes
Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs, Bend the Arc