Dear Beloved and Holy Community,

Last week I received a letter from clergy friends in Minneapolis that said:

On Monday, March 8, 1965, as state violence was unleashed against Black citizens in Selma, Martin Luther King Jr. penned a telegram to clergy across the nation:

In the vicious maltreatment of defenseless citizens of Selma, where old women and young children were gassed and clubbed at random, we have witnessed an eruption of the disease of racism which seeks to destroy all of America. No American is without responsibility. All are involved in the sorrow that rises from Selma to contaminate every crevice of our national life. The people of Selma will struggle on for the soul of the nation, but it is fitting that all America help to bear the burden. I call therefore, on clergy of all faiths representative of every part of the country, to join me for a ministers’ march to Montgomery on Tuesday morning, March 9th. In this way all America will testify to the fact that the struggle in Selma is for the survival of democracy everywhere in our land.

It is in that same spirit—and with that same clarity—that we issue this call now.

I am so grateful that I could heed that call and show up in Minnesota this past week. While there, I, along with hundreds of other clergy members from all faiths, was able to bear witness, lend support and courage, and be in solidarity with those in the Twin Cities who are bearing the brunt of this burden unfairly and have been living under the reign of ICE terrorizing their neighborhoods for the past several weeks.

Everyone I spoke to in Minneapolis shared they feel they are living in a war zone, in occupied territory. I experienced this first-hand when driving to lunch with my friends. We rounded the corner and were informed that ICE was on the block. We stopped the car and got out to join those who were surrounding ICE vehicles, blowing whistles, making noise, and filming and legally observing their actions. I am extremely grateful that no one was detained or hurt. However, as they drove away, ICE released multiple cans of tear gas out of their windows. This is the reality on the ground there: ICE is on every corner, the potential for violence and injury is present everywhere, their hatred and harm is indiscriminate.

I was buoyed and strengthened by the solidarity and the mutual support that is taking place. Everywhere you go, there are neighbors out on the street doing patrol to make sure their block is safe, to ensure that their immigrant friends and neighbors (the majority of whom have gone through every legal process to be here) are protected from being violently targeted for detention and deportation. Folks are firing up mutual aid programs that get food, medical care, and necessities to immigrants who are terrified to leave their homes. There are Signal chats being activated at all times to keep people up to date on ICE vehicles and ICE presence. There is a genuine sense of taking care of each other that permeates the atmosphere at all times. The Jewish value of we are all responsible for one another has never felt so true or so necessary.

I was also moved that every person I talked to expressed deep gratitude to people for showing up. From the airport workers to the Uber drivers to the grocery store workers, every single person I spoke to is against ICE’s presence and shared how meaningful it was that the country is paying attention. This is a kind-hearted city, and the people are tired. They’ve witnessed constant brutality over and over and over again. They are righteously angry, and they are galvanized and united in their desire to show up, make their voices heard, and root out evil from their city.

Unfortunately, that evil was once again on full display yesterday as ICE agents killed another victim, Alex Pretti. Alex is the third human being murdered by the federal government in just the last month for legally and non-violently protecting their neighbors. Additionally, many immigrants died in federal custody after they were detained and kidnapped. The level of sheer inhumanity is too much to bear.

Being in Minneapolis, protesting and standing in solidarity with my friends and fellow clergy, has strengthened me. Hearing the news of more brutality has shattered me. The wisdom I have taken away from my time there is that this fight will be varied and broad, it will cross all cultural lines and strip away any illusions we once had about what we could hold as sacred. It will take all of us, every single one of us, to show up in our own way. It will take dissent and non-cooperation, it will take holding on to what is good and holy in a country that has seemingly abandoned these values. It will take love; it always does.

I am grateful I was able to be there, and I am grateful to have returned. Kulanu Areivim zeh ba’zeh, we are all responsible for one another, and we will all need each other for the work that is ahead!

Last week, our clergy shared some ways to take action. Click here to learn more about where to donate, how to volunteer, and how to communicate with your elected officials.

May all the names of those murdered, detained, and kidnapped not be in vain, may they be for a blessing, and a call to righteous action.

In love and prayer for a better world,

Rabbi Yael Werber