|
Friend,
86 years ago today, the United States turned away a ship called the
MS St. Louis, which sought to rescue 937 refugees — almost all Jewish
— from Europe just before Hitler’s invasion of Germany. Today, this
act is widely accepted as one of this nation’s most shameful
moments.
It is an insult to these ancestors — many of whom were killed in
death camps during the Holocaust — that Trump just used
“Jewish safety” to justify reintroducing and expanding his 2017 Muslim
Ban.1
Our Jewish communities are still reeling and mourning after the
killing of two attendees at a Jewish event in D.C. and the attacks on
a gathering of Jews in Boulder. Another President might have chosen to
calm a nation and address violence — mapping out a bright and safe
future ahead. Instead, Trump chose to exploit our pain and fear as a
smokescreen for his cruel plans against immigrants and civil
rights.
Trump needs to keep Jewish safety out of his mouth until he
stops putting us in danger. He has shown he doesn’t care if
Jews take public blame for his authoritarian power grabs, as long as
he succeeds at using us. All this while he intentionally destroys the
democracy that keeps Jews and all those we love safe.
I can’t make myself any clearer: Authoritarians have never
and will never make Jews safer.
But this country is bigger than Trump and our worst moments. After
turning away the MS St. Louis, the U.S. became home to over 135,000
Holocaust survivors.
After Trump’s 2017 Muslim Ban, people of all faiths and across all
walks of life took to the airports, streets, and courts in protest —
and won.
We have stopped Trump’s cruelty before and we can stop it
again.
Thank you for making Bend the Arc a political home where we
can rise up together with our allies to build a better future for all
of us. You
can donate here to power our fight against Trump's new travel ban and
our growing movement for real Jewish safety.
This Shabbat, may we find rest and community care to strengthen us
for the work ahead.
Shabbat Shalom,
|
