Kehilla Immigration Committee members are involved in many different aspects of immigration justice work, including political advocacy, accompaniment and housing, resource sharing, and education. Through our email list, we share opportunities to get involved in events and actions at Kehilla and in the wider community.
To get involved, please email: ImmigrationCommitteeChairs@kehillasynagogue.org
To donate to support our work:
Click here (and choose “Immigration Committee” under type).
Current Immigration Committee Activities:
Accompaniment and Housing
The Kehilla Immigration Committee coordinates small teams of volunteers to accompany newly arrived families and individuals and those recently released from ICE detention, as they resettle in the Bay Area. Teams provide practical assistance, which may involve finding housing, jobs, legal representation and ESL classes, applying for MediCal, school enrollment, use of public transit and connection with other resources in the community. As well, being on a team often involves building deep relationships with those we accompany. Our teams have had the joy of being with families for weddings, graduations, and childbirth and have journeyed with others through illness and death.
As of March 2025 over 100 people have been part of Kehilla teams. We have accompanied 111 individuals from many parts of the world, including Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Kenya, Russia, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru, and Colombia.
The immigration committee also supports Kehilla members who are able to provide temporary shelter to immigrants in their homes. Thirty-two Kehilla households have hosted individuals or families for varying amounts of time, from days up to 2.5 years. Providing shelter is an incredible gift, as housing is one of the hardest resources to find in the Bay Area.
Kehilla Guest Program
Kehilla has been involved in immigration justice work since our beginnings in the 1980’s.
We created a space in our building for temporary shelter, which was completed in 2020. During the early part of the pandemic, we were able to provide shelter and a place to quarantine for individuals who could be released from ICE detention facilities if they had a place to quarantine. These were individuals at high risk for complications or death if they contracted COVID. Now that the need for quarantining has decreased, we use our guest space for other urgent needs, such as to receive people newly arrived from the border with no immediate place to go or for families in our accompaniment program who have lost their housing.
As of today, we have had 30 different individuals who’ve stayed at Kehilla for a total of nearly 600 nights. While these guests are with us, volunteers from our committee provide meals, rides, visits, and many other types of support.
Courtroom Accompaniment
Kehilla Immigration Committee members regularly attend ICE check-ins, bond hearings and immigration court hearings to provide community support for those seeking asylum and other remedies as they make their way through the immigration court system.
Other Immigration Committee Actions and Events
Our committee participates in numerous political actions, some that we organize or co-organize, and some that are led by other community groups. During 2017 and 2018, Let Our People Go, one of the groups within the immigration committee, held powerful monthly protests at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, California. Community pressure such as ours contributed to the decision by Contra Costa County to cancel ICE’s contract. Members of our committee have also participated in many pardon campaigns, advocacy for legislation and have sponsored or co-sponsored many films, educational events and Know Your Rights trainings.
To get involved, please email: ImmigrationCommitteeChairs@kehillasynagogue.org
To donate to support our work:
Click here (and choose “Supporting Immigration Work” under type).
There are numerous organizations that provide services to immigrants and refugees around the world and locally. Below is a sampling of some we have experience with that you might be interested in knowing more about or supporting:
ACILEP
https://www.acilep.org
ACILEP coordinates a rapid response hotline to report ICE activity or arrests in Alameda Country. 510-241-4011
Afghan Coalition
https://afghancoalition.org
The Afghan Coalition is dedicated to empowering Afghan refugees and immigrants in Northern California by providing comprehensive support services.
African Advocacy Network
https://www.aansf.org
AAN works to provide every African and Afro-Caribbean immigrant with the dignity and legal protection they deserve while easing the many cultural and legal obstacles faced by this immigrant community.
California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ)
https://www.ccijustice.org
CCIJ utilizes coordination, advocacy, and legal services to fight for the liberation of immigrants in detention in California.
California Immigrant Policy Center
http://www.caimmigrant.org
CIPC advances inclusive policies that build a prosperous future for all Californians, using policy analysis, advocacy and capacity building to unlock the power of immigrants in California.
Causa Justa Just Cause
http://cjjc.org
Causa Justa :: Just Cause builds grassroots power and leadership to create strong, equitable communities.
Central American Resource Center SF
http://www.carecensf.org/index.html
CARECEN of Northern California provides vital direct services and engages in community development and advocacy to help create a vibrant and thriving Latino immigrant community in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and beyond.
Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI)
https://www.cerieastbay.org
CERI proudly serves over 1200 refugees and immigrants annually, celebrating the vibrant diversity of Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Burmese, Afghan, Tibetan, Nepali, Rwandan, Iranian, Eritrean, and Indonesian communities across the Bay Area.
Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland)
http://centrolegal.org
Centro Legal de la Raza protects and advances the rights of immigrant, low-income, and Latino communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy.
Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance (CCIRA)
https://www.facebook.com/ContraCostaImmigrantRightsAlliance/
CCIRA is a collation of community, faith, advocacy and immigrant-led organizations that works to make Contra Costa a county that welcomes, honors and protects the rights of immigrant community members.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
https://eastbaysanctuary.org
EBSC provides sanctuary–support, protection, and advocacy–to low-income and indigent refugees and immigrants. Its Refugee Rights Program provides refugees and immigrants with a variety of low cost or free legal services.
El/La Para TransLatinas
https://ellaparatranslatinas.org
El/La is an organization for transgender Latinas in the Bay Area that works to build collective vision and action to promote survival and improve the quality of life.
Faith in Action Bay Area
https://faithinaction.org/federation/faith-in-action-bay-area/]
Faith in Action is a network of congregations and community leaders working to ensure that the dignity of all people in our community is upheld and focuses on the issues of gun violence, mass incarceration, health care, immigrant justice, voting rights/democracy.
ICE Out of California
http://www.iceoutofca.org
This website aims to identify the current trends in collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE so community organizers and advocates can strategically push ICE out of California.
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI
http://im4humanintegrity.org
IM4HI is a statewide organization that works at the intersection of spirituality and social movements, mobilizing congregations to take a stand on issues of social justice like immigration and mass incarceration.
Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay
http://jfcs-eastbay.org
JFCS provides refugee and immigrant services including family and parenting support, legal services, mental health services, refugees welcome fund, senior services, health navigation, LGBT refugee services, refugee resettlement and the Russian Jewish program.
La Clinica de la Raza
http://www.laclinica.org
The mission of La Clínica is to improve the quality of life of the diverse communities by providing culturally appropriate, high quality, and accessible health care for all.
Legal Services for Children
http://www.lsc-sf.org
Legal Services for Children provides free representation to children and youth who require legal assistance to stabilize their lives and realize their full potential.
Mujeres Unidas Y Activas
http://mujeresunidas.net
Mujeres Unidas y Activas is a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women with a double mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice.
NorCal Resist
https://www.norcalresist.org
NorCal Resist has a mission to fight injustice through making a positive impact on our communities. Among many other programs, NorCal Resist is a member of the National Bail Fund Network and provides free assistance with ICE bails.
Oakland Catholic Worker
http://www.oaklandcatholicworker.org
The Oakland Catholic Worker is a House of Hospitality offering transitional housing (up to 4 months) to Latin American Immigrants.
Oasis Legal Services
https://www.oasislegalservices.org
Oasis Legal Services provides legal immigration services to under-represented low-income groups with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Pangea Legal Services
https://www.pangealegal.org
The mission of Pangea Legal Services is to stand with immigrant communities and provide direct legal representation, especially in the area of deportation defense.
Priority Africa Network
https://www.priorityafrica.org
Priority Africa Network is an Oakland-based non-profit that supports and advocates for Black immigrant communities, working as a ‘bridge builder’ between Black immigrants and African Americans.
Refugee Transitions
http://www.reftrans.org
RT’s mission is to assist newcomer families in becoming self-sufficient in the United States by providing services to help them attain the English language, life, job, and academic skills they need to succeed in their new communities.
Shelter in Peace
https://alamedashelterinpeace.org
Shelter in Peace identifies and develops transitional housing opportunities for immigrants, refugees and low income families in Alameda County.
Stand Together Contra Costa
https://standtogethercontracosta.org
Stand Together Contra Costa is a rapid response, legal services and community education program to support safety and justice for immigrant families in Contra Costa County.
Street Level Health Project
http://streetlevelhealth.org
Street Level Health Project is an Oakland-based grassroots organization dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of underserved urban immigrant communities in the Bay Area.
UC Berkeley Undocumented Student Program
http://undocu.berkeley.edu/
Provides resources and support services for students wanting to attend or attending UC Berkeley. Offers opportunities to help local undocumented students apply to Berkeley.
Al Otro Lado
https://alotrolado.org
Al Otro Lado provides direct, free, legal services on both sides of the US-Mexico border and beyond.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights
The ACLU has been at the forefront of almost every major struggle on behalf of immigrants’ rights.
Asian Law Caucus
https://www.asianlawcaucus.org
Asian Law Caucus brings together legal services, community empowerment, and policy advocacy to fight for immigrant justice, economic security and a stronger, multiracial democracy.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with regional offices nationwide.
Detention Watch Network
https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org
Detention watch Network is a national coalition building power through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to abolish immigration detention in the US.
Freedom for Immigrants
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org
Freedom for Immigrants works to abolish immigration incarceration, organizing alongside of and following the leadership of currently and formerly incarcerated immigrants.
Hand in Hand
http://domesticemployers.org
Hand in Hand is a national network of employers of nannies, housecleaners and home attendants, our families and allies, who are grounded in the conviction that dignified and respectful working conditions benefit worker and employer alike. Hand in Hand is a member of the California Domestic Workers Coalition.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
http://www.hias.org
HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities.
Immigrant Defense Project
https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/about/
IDP fights to end the current era of unprecedented mass criminalization, detention and deportation through a multipronged strategy including advocacy, litigation, legal advice and training, community defense, grassroots alliances and strategic communications.
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
https://www.ilrc.org
The mission of the ILRC is to work with and educate immigrants, community organizations and the legal sector to continue to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people.
Haitian Bridge Alliance
https://haitianbridgealliance.org
The Haitian Bridge Alliance advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, focusing on Black people, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals and survivors of of torture.
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
https://www.rescue.org
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.
Kids in Need of Defense
https://supportkind.org
KIND staff and pro bono attorney partners at law firms, corporations, and law schools nationwide represent unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in their deportation proceedings.
No More Deaths/ No Mas Muertes
https://nomoredeaths.org/en/
The mission of No More Deaths is to end death and suffering in the borderlands through direct aid that extends the right to provide humanitarian assistance, witnessing and responding, consciousness raising, global movement building, encouraging humane immigration policy.
Respond Crisis Translation
https://respondcrisistranslation.org
Respond Crisis Translation provides around the clock professional trauma-informed translation and interpretation to asylum seekers and refugees for whom language is a barrier to accessing safety, dignity and support.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
http://www.unhcr.org/4fc5ceca9.html
UNHCR works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.
United We Dream
http://unitedwedream.org
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation. It organizes and advocates for the dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and families, regardless of immigration status.
Recent Kol Kehilla posts from the Immigration Committee:
- Housing Needed Kehilla’s Immigration Committee has been accompanying a family of seven from Afghanistan that Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay resettled in January 2020. The family is looking to rent a two or 3-bedroom home in the East Bay, ideally in Berkeley, Albany, Oakland, or Alameda. For the past two years, the father has worked… »
- Pilgrimage for a Better Future May 28-June 1, 2022 Photos and Reflections
Julie Litwin
Wren Ganin-Pinto and I were honored to represent Kehilla in a journey of faith leaders, activists and folks directly impacted by ICE detention that was organized by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and Dignity not Detention. We traveled to the seven ICE detention facilities in California and other significant sites… » - Update from the Immigration Committee – 3/4/2022
Our accompaniment program has been in full-swing. In addition to continuing to work with individuals and families we knew before the pandemic, we have had the opportunity to form new teams over the past 2 years to accompany asylum seekers and refugees from Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Russia, Nicaragua and… »