Let Our People Go: Join the Protest, Bring Your Kids & Fight for Justice
by Hillary Brooks, Sam Davis, Rachel Kotok and Laura Weide Want to do more than sign online petitions to fight racist mass incarcerations and deportations, but can’t go to weeknight meetings or long marches? That’s why Hillary and Laura—both busy working moms—started a new Immigration Committee project, Let Our People Go. It’s a one-hour protest […]
Finding Yes
by Esther Ehrlich “What do you think?” I ask. It’s Sunday evening and Neal and I are sitting at our kitchen table. I’ve just shown him the email that I received from Julie, co-chair of the Immigration Committee, that’s stirred my heart. A caravan of 16 young transwomen and gay men have been making their […]
Supporting theTrans-Gay Caravan
by Julie Litwin The Kehilla Immigration Committee has volunteered to assist a young trans activist, Valeria, who is part of a caravan of trans and gay youth from Central America that crossed the border into the US on August 10th, seeking asylum due to violence against LGBTQI people in their home countries. Valeria is being […]
BART Board Passes Sanctuary Rule with Kehilla Support
by Jeanne Finberg Four Kehilla members attended a BART Board of Directors meeting on June 22, 2017 to speak in favor of a proposal to protect undocumented immigrants using its services from being reported by BART officials to federal authorities. Lili Shidlovski and Carol Rothman, of Kehilla’s Immigration Committee, represented the only faith-based organization to testify before […]
Kehilla members featured for their immigrant rights work
On July 9, Kehilla members and members of Bend the Arc: Bay Area gathered for a vigil in front of ICE Headquarters to oppose cruel immigration enforcement policies. Video footage from KTVU Fox 2.
Immigration Committee at the SF Jewish Film Festival
The Kehilla Immigration Committee is proud to co-present 5 films at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival focused on refugees. The festival runs July 20-Aug. 6, 2017. Hope to see you there! The Good Postman, a Bulgarian documentary about a gentle village postman Ivan, who runs for mayor on the platform of welcoming Syrian refugees. […]
Protecting Immigrants in Our Community
Submitted by Julie Litwin, Kehilla Immigration Committee Whether we are immigrants ourselves or are concerned about the safety of immigrants in our community, it is important for all of us to know the rights of immigrants and to know what to do if we witness activity by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The Trump administration […]
Help Needed for Immigrant Family
During this year’s High Holy Days, we were called to find ways to welcome immigrants and refugees to our community. Here is a new opportunity to do so! Last week a family of nine arrived in the United States from Afghanistan. They are being assisted to resettle in the U.S. by Jewish Family and Community […]
Housing an Immigrant Family: Creating Meaning, Safety, and Connection
by Lili Shidlovski In response to our anger and helplessness after the election in November and the need to do more than sign petitions and make phone calls, my partner and I invited a Guatemalan asylum-seeking family that had just arrived in Oakland to live with us for three months. We responded to a plea […]
Another Way to Support Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams
by Karen Rachels and Julie Litwin, Immigration Committee Over the past two years, Kehilla members, in conjunction with the organization Nueva Esperanza, have formed four accompaniment teams that provide welcome and ongoing support to families and youth who have recently arrived from Central America. Over twenty Kehilla members and friends have joined teams and assisted […]
