Watch the new video of this week’s Jews Against ICE actions
Outside of ICE headquarters this week, I joined hundreds of rabbis, cantors, and Jewish community leaders to sing from the Torah: I will not stand on the blood of my neighbor! I will not stand idly by!
As my colleague and friend Rabbi Jill Jacobs from T’ruah said, “ICE is an affront to Torah. When we demand that ICE leave our cities, we are living our Torah. When we demand not one more dollar for ICE and CBP, we are living our values. This is what it means to be a Jew, and this is Torah.”
We are Jews Against ICE. We are here for our neighbors. We are here for our democracy. And we are not going anywhere.
In Pirkei Avot there is a promise: Mitzvah goreret mitzvah; one good deed leads to another.
This week, I watched ordinary people do just that: so many good deeds to protect their neighbors and say no to this cruelty. I know that our calls for justice will lead to more people across the nation showing up.
Because we know we need sustained civil action to defeat fascism — people everywhere speaking out, disrupting business as usual, refusing to comply, and demanding justice.
The good news is that our Jewish movement is growing every day, and we will continue to rise up with our neighbors until we will win freedom and safety for all of us.
WATCH: Jews Against ICE at ICE headquarters in Washington, DC.
May the sound of the shofar ring out everywhere,
Jamie Beran
CEO, Bend the Arc
PS: You can watch and share the video on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Bluesky.
