More than 100 rabbis and clergy from across the Chicagoland area have published a bold letter in the Chicago Tribune.

Representing diverse denominations and communities, these leaders are speaking out against attacks on democracy being carried out in the name of Jewish safety.

They write:

“In recent weeks, students and others, many with legal status, have been detained or had their visas revoked without explanation or due process, including at the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, and Northwestern University. Federal funds for higher education have been frozen or withdrawn, including $790 million at Northwestern. The administration has also announced plans to surveil immigrants’ social media.

“Many of these actions have been presented as in defense of the Jewish community. Yet in truth, Jewish fear is being used as a fig leaf for an anti-democratic agenda of mass deportations, civil rights rollbacks, and attacks on higher education.”

See the full letter and list of signatories here.

JCUA is proud to have coordinated this letter in partnership with our congregational partner rabbis. Together, we brought together a multiracial, multidenominational coalition of leaders to speak out, rooted in our Jewish values and tradition.

As Jessica wrote last week in her Passover message, we know that our rights and freedoms as Jews are intertwined with those of our neighbors. We’re obligated not only to seek justice for ourselves, but to protect the rights and freedoms afforded to all people.

In this critical moment, we must continue to speak out against deportations without due process, suppression of free speech, attacks on higher education, and the dismantling of democratic norms. Doing so is an expression of our Jewish and American values.