Nearly two dozen Jewish leaders were among the estimated 100 activists who on Thursday shut down a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in an act of civil disobedience. They had a clear message to send, not just to the Trump administration, but to everyone listening: Never again is now.
The action was part of a national wave of dozens of Jewish-led "Never Again" actions, Wisconsin immigrant rights advocacy group Voces de la Frontera said, “demanding the closure of the Trump administration's concentration camps at the border and permanent protection for undocumented immigrants and people seeking asylum.” But the protests are also deeply rooted in the activists’ beliefs and history, the Never Again Is Now Wisconsin group said.
“Central to Jewish life is the concept of Tikkun olam, the responsibility to heal the world and pursue social justice,” the group said. “Jews are taught from an early age that to remain silent in the face of injustice is morally unacceptable. We know from bitter experience where the separation of families, the rounding up of people, and the creation of detention/concentration camps leads. We refuse to wait and see what happens next.”
On Thursday, the leaders sang, chanted, and joined hands to block the entrances and exits of the building, Shepherd Express reported, “effectively shutting the building down for a time.” One of the activists who was a part of the action, Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim in Madison, said, “Our whole lives we were taught, ‘You shall not stand idly by.’ We refuse to remain silent when migrants face inhumane treatment.”
“We refuse to remain silent when [families] are forced into filthy, overcrowded detention centers and deprived of basic rights,” Rabbi Zimmerman continued. “American Jews came to this country seeking a better way of life and at times fleeing persecution. We stand in solidarity with today’s immigrant community. We will protest until our government treats them with dignity.”
Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, who was present at the action, called on all “to uplift the plight of the most vulnerable within our communities,” and said that she was “so happy” to see many groups and advocates come together.
“We are putting our bodies on the line and risking arrest in memory of our loved ones whose families were broken up, whose lives were stolen, and because when we say never again, we mean never again for anyone,” Never Again Is Now Wisconsin continued. “We take action now to stop the breaking up of families and the deportation of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers and to demand that ICE be shut down.”
