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News & Updates
Leviticus 21:1-24:23: Strangers and Immigrants: Justice for All
A subtle thread runs through the seemingly disparate narrative and legal materials in this week's Torah portion of Emor. It is the subject of the "ger," the stranger or the immigrant, the perennial "other." How might we apply this high standard of care and concern for the poor and the stranger today? Some of these questions are explored in recent resources developed by Jewish campaigns for immigration reform (Bend the Arc and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).
The Jewish Social Justice Bus
Rabbi Sid Schwarz, author of Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World, joined a conference convened by Jewish Funders Network’s (JFN) and found himself on a bus with many top leaders in Jewish social justice: Simon Greer, who led the Jewish Funds for Justice and now is president of the Nathan Cummings Foundation; Alan van Capelle who succeeded Simon at JFSJ, now called Bend the Arc; Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World Service; Dan Sokatch, president of the New Israel Fund; Rachel Levin of Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation; and Rabbi Sharon Brous, the founding rabbi of IKAR.
Committee OKs Wolk bill to expand list of crimes on firearms ban
The California Senate Public Safety Committee voted 5-2 late Tuesday to approve Senate Bill 755, legislation by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, that will add to the list of crimes subject to a 10-year firearms prohibition. SB 755, which will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee, is supported by a broad coalition of groups including Bend the Arc.
Entry Denied: The American Dream vs. Current U.S. Immigration Laws
The complex issues surrounding the topic of immigration take an interactive and apprehensive approach in the immigration survey “Entry Denied,” developed by Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.
Would your ancestors have been allowed into America under current immigration laws? The online test that lets you find out.
Bend the Arc has launched an online test that enables users to check if their own ancestors would have been able to settle here under current laws. Most people will find that their family would have been denied entry under current laws which place strict limits on the number of people allowed to claim refugee status, the types of skills required for a work visa, and the number of people from specific countries allowed to apply for the Green Card lottery.