Yesterday, February 12, there were rallies across the country to stand with refugees and immigrants. Called the “National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees,” it was organized by HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and sponsored by more than twenty major Jewish national organizations.
”You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt” — Exodus 23:9
Over 1000 people showed up at the New York City rally despite the freezing rain to hear New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and others. There were also large rallies in Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and other cities.
Here in Silicon Valley, over 200 people were at the rally in Mountain View, CA. In addition to speeches from politicians and rabbis, individuals showed pictures of their immigrant family members and told stories of how they escaped to America. HIAS handed out stickers saying “My people were refugees too.”
And someone in the crowd was displaying a great poster of Trump and Putin, shown here!