Opinion
OTHER VIEWS
Unity Binds The Jewish Community
A
s we gather at our respective
seder tables with loved ones,
friends and extended family,
we join Jews around the world in telling
the story of the Jewish struggle against
oppression and the search for freedom.
Struggling as a Jewish people has been
a recurring theme throughout our history,
and one that remains central even today.
We have never had it easy.
Today, while our local Jewish commu-
nity is blessed with many freedoms, we
are also facing economic hardship and a
struggle of a different kind.
I know so many families are struggling
this Pesach with worries that they did not
have to face just a year ago; and the needs
of the Jewish community in
Israel have never abated.
As president of the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, I
have seen firsthand how
hard each of our 19 partner
agencies has been work-
ing to keep up with the
demand for some measure
of help from the steadily
increasing number of our
community members in
true need — community
members who find them-
selves in financial distress through no
fault of their own.
And yet, we can be very proud
in the way our community has
answered the call to help those in
need by generously supporting
Federation.
Pesach is a time to come together
as a family, to pass the message of
struggle and hope from generation
to generation.
By inviting others to the seder
table who are not as fortunate, we
are performing a mitzvah.
It's also a way to signify that
in Jewish life, "family" is consid-
ered broader than those who live
within the same four walls — a concept
bigger than those who are related to each
other.
We are all part of a much larger family,
and the reason we have survived through
one struggle after another is because our
resiliency is based on tikkun olam, repair
of the world, and to understand that
the strength of our community is truly
dependent upon each of us, helping one
another.
Thank you for your participation in this
wonderful community.
Happy Passover to you and your fam-
ily. ri
Nancy Grosfeld is in her first year as presi-
dent of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit in Bloomfield Township.
Passover And Our Inner Immigrant
New York/JTA
rnmigration restrictionists frequently
charge that American Jewish atti-
tudes about immigration are mired
in a sepia-toned
time warp where
bubbies in babush-
kas and wide-eyed
zaydies are still hob-
bling off boats from
the old country.
Sentimentalities
aside, we must not
lose sight of the
fact that Jews are
Gideon
a religious and
Aronoff
ethical people and
Special
the bearers of an
Commentary
ancient tradition
whose messages
take on even greater immediacy as we pre-
pare to celebrate Passover.
We are taught to internalize the lesson
that is repeated throughout the Torah
and the Talmud that we must "welcome
the stranger;' "not oppress the stranger;'
"protect the stranger;' "have one law for
the stranger and the citizen among you,"
because "you were strangers in the land
of Egypt." In other words, for most Jewish
Americans, immigration in the 21st centu-
ry is far more nuanced, melding parochial
interests with universal Jewish values and
our national interests as Americans.
Today, as low-skilled Latin American
and Asian workers clamber to get into the
U.S. legally or illegally, we are witness-
ing a striking parallel to our own Jewish
American history. We remember that
A42
April 17 • 2008
when massive waves of Jewish immigrants
arrived in the U.S. at the turn of the last
century, there were few visa requirements,
so it was relatively easy to be admitted
legally. By the early 1920s, however, severe
restrictions had been established and Jews
began resorting to illegal entry or were
denied access, with tragic consequences
during the Holocaust.
U.S. Immigrants
Against this background, it is important to
understand the diverse goals, hopes, needs
and expectations the Jewish community
holds for America's immigration system.
With 10 percent of American Jews for-
eign born, Jewish self-interest requires a
system that facilitates Jewish immigration
and protects Jewish refugees coming to
our shores from places they are not wel-
come. Yet it is neither moral nor practical
to carve out a system that admits Jews
but restricts others, slamming the door to
America behind us.
We additionally have a need for a
vibrant economy now and in the future.
While the economic analysis of the pros
and cons of immigration is certainly com-
plex, the argument that our country needs
significant immigration to continue its
prosperity is strong.
Since 1990, immigrants have started one
of every four U.S. venture-backed public
companies, especially in the technology
arena. American immigrants founded
or co-founded some of the world's most
prominent tech companies, among them
Intel, Sun Microsystems, eBay, Yahoo! and
Google. Forty percent of companies oper-
ating in high-tech manufacturing today
were started by immigrants.
In addition, Federal Reserve Chairman
Ben Bernanke has said we will need to
raise immigration levels to 3.5 million
people annually to overcome the effects of
baby boomers retiring from the workforce.
The Jewish community also requires
federal policies that enhance community
and national security. Jews need real secu-
rity; and real security will come only from
careful analysis, policymaking and focus
on individuals where evidence shows they
may present a threat.
The vast majority of undocumented
workers are not dangerous actors against
U.S. interests. They need attention from
the U.S. government, but not from those
charged with keeping our homeland
safe. Immigration agents waste valuable
resources chasing busboys and nannies.
Multicultural Respect
One of the best ways to enhance our secu-
rity is to develop policies that promote
the integration of newcomers while valu-
ing American diversity. When allowed to
truly integrate, all groups become true
Americans, even while keeping alive their
individual heritages.
That is what allowed us to become fully
Jewish and fully American. It also is the
reason you can still get great sauerkraut
in Philadelphia or Cincinnati while know-
ing that the business of ordering it will be
conducted in English and not German.
Embracing that diversity always has
been a hallmark of the American Jewish
community, demonstrated by the preva-
lence of Jewish community relations
councils across the United States that
build bridges with other ethnic and reli-
gious groups to achieve common goals. As
a people who have been targeted by hate
crimes and violent language for centuries,
we stand with these groups when immi-
grants of other backgrounds are today's
targets.
We Jews must remain deeply engaged
with the challenges of American immigra-
tion. When some 500 Mexicans die each
year on our southern border trying to
reach this country, it is no less our prob-
lem.
Yet we must also unpack the answers to
some critical questions:
How generous should we be to people
who are fleeing persecution? If practically
speaking we cannot deport 12 million
people, is it better to leave them in the
shadows or create a package of enhanced
enforcement, new immigration opportu-
nities, and legalization and integration
programs?
What policies best promote the inte-
gration of newcomers? Since we cannot
accept everyone in the world, what are the
criteria for a controlled, liberal immigra-
tion system?
Though our specific answers to these
fundamental questions may vary, as a
community we must stay mindful of our
time in Egypt by seizing the opportunity
to fight the forces of immigration restric-
tion as we seek to create a 21st century
American Jewish movement for immi-
grants and refugees. ❑
Gideon Aronoff is president and CEO of HIAS,
the international immigration agency of the
American Jewish community.