Immigration and Refugee Task Force

Members of all traditions, including Judaism, have called on Congress to pass immigration reform since at least 2003. Yet Congress has failed to move forward on meaningful legislation. While the current administration acts to detain and deport millions, people of faith have a moral responsibility to act.

Jewish Values

Fighting against the current immigration policy is in alignment with deep Jewish values to welcome strangers. From Abraham heeding the call by God to leave the land of his birth, to the story of the liberation from Egyptian slavery as told in Exodus, to the story of the wanderings in the desert on the way to the Promised Land, the Jewish spiritual narrative in the Torah is based in relocation and migration.
The Torah teaches 36 times that we shall love and not oppress the stranger, because we were strangers in the land of Egypt.

And beyond our sacred texts, Jewish history is replete with stories of immigration. Even within the last century, our ancestors have sought a better life by immigrating to this country. And within the last century, our ancestors have been refugees fleeing oppression and genocide. Both our Jewish spiritual teachings and our history compel
us to act on behalf of the immigrant and the refugee.

TBH Immigration and Refugee Task

The TBH Imigration and Refugee Task Force was created in 2017 when the Trump administration put all immigrants and refugees in danger. In partnership with 12 other faith communities, we became a physical sanctuary. We provided sanctuary for a Guatemalan mother and her son who were to be deported back to a dangerous situation. They lived in the Temple until changing circumstances made it safe for them to leave.

After a hiatus the Task Force reconvened in January of 2025. The group meets monthly and is engaged in a variety of activities.

• We are active in the Faith Network for Immigrant Support which has organized a vigil in support of immigrants, has initiated a fund to support immigrants and is organizing educational events for faith communities.
• Individual TBH members are participating in many activities including Rapid Response groups, accompanying immigrants to appointments, educating local businesses about how to respond to ICE visits, and writing letters to those detained.
• We keep our members informed through links to the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice and announcements in the TBH weekly.

On March 19, 2025 the TBH board adopted the following policy: TBH Policy of Non Discrimination based on Immigration Status

The Faith Network on Immigrant Support has compiled this list of resources.

For more information or to be one involved with our immigration group: Nancy_snyder@comcast.net