This weekend’s Torah reading truly shows that our ancestors gave us the blueprint for moments like this.

It’s the beginning of the Book of Exodus and Pharaoh says, “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

But the very next verse tells us: “The midwives, fearing G!d, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them. They let the boys live.”

This act by Shifra and Puah is the first major act of resistance in the Exodus story: two brave women used their vocation to save lives, taking a huge amount of risk to do so.

Today is our own Pharaoh’s inauguration day, and we must be ready to resist his commands and preserve life, just as the midwives did in their time.

Concretely, we will do this by pursuing a Block and Build strategy:

BLOCK: We will protect our democratic institutions and leaders, organize to prevent harm to targeted communities, and make the authoritarian movement unattractive.

BUILD: We will build broad resilient organizations and coalitions across lines of difference, cultivate our movement strength, and prepare for future elections.

To do this work, we will need your help to stay in touch and respond in real-time to protect our communities and our democracy. I remember how one well-timed Facebook post in 2017 started the Muslim Ban protests at airports around the country because people were connected with their neighbors and activist organizations. Please continue to watch your inbox and social media, where we’ll be sharing critical updates and action alerts.

And if you’re able, I hope you’ll donate today to support our movement’s fight to resist Trump. Your gift today — of any amount — will power the block and build strategy and all of our work to keep our beloved communities safe under the incoming administration.

While we don’t get to choose the historical moment we live in, we do get to choose how we respond. Fighting for the future of this country is big work. For many of us, it is the fight of our lives.

But we come from a long and proud line of people who rose up in the face of adversity. Like Shifra and Puah, we know how to choose courageous resistance and we are ready to do that over and over again with our friends and allies in the coming days, months, and years.