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Friend,
This weekend’s Torah reading truly shows that our ancestors
gave us the blueprint for moments like this.
It’s the beginning of the Book of Exodus and Pharaoh says,
“When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth: if it is a boy,
kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”
But the very next verse tells us: “The midwives, fearing G!d,
did not do as the king of Egypt had told them. They let the boys
live.”
This act by Shifra and Puah is the first major act of resistance in
the Exodus story: two brave women used their vocation to save lives,
taking a huge amount of risk to do so.
Today is our own Pharaoh’s inauguration day, and we must be ready
to resist his commands and preserve life, just as the midwives did in
their time.
Concretely, we will do this by pursuing a Block and Build
strategy:
BLOCK: We will protect our democratic institutions
and leaders, organize to prevent harm to targeted communities, and
make the authoritarian movement unattractive.
BUILD: We will build broad resilient organizations
and coalitions across lines of difference, cultivate our movement
strength, and prepare for future elections.
To do this work, we will need your help to stay in touch
and respond in real-time to protect our communities and our
democracy. I remember how one well-timed Facebook post in
2017 started the Muslim Ban protests at airports around the country
because people were connected with their neighbors and activist
organizations. Please continue to watch your inbox and social media,
where we’ll be sharing critical updates and action alerts.
And if you’re able, I hope you’ll donate today to support
our movement’s fight to resist Trump. Your
gift today — of any amount — will power the block and build strategy
and all of our work to keep our beloved communities safe under the
incoming administration.
While we don’t get to choose the historical moment we live in, we
do get to choose how we respond. Fighting for the future of this
country is big work. For many of us, it is the fight of our lives.
But we come from a long and proud line of people who rose up in the
face of adversity. Like Shifra and Puah, we know how to choose
courageous resistance and we are ready to do that over and over again
with our friends and allies in the coming days, months, and years.
In hope and prayer,
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