My name is Jessica Schaffer, and I have the great privilege of being JCUA’s Executive Director. I’d like to welcome you to Acts of Change: For A Welcoming Future.

I want to begin with a number of recognitions. First, thank you to the elected officials who have joined us tonight. We appreciate you being here, and thank you for being valued partners. I want to extend tremendous gratitude to all of our sponsors who made this event possible. Thank you to our honorees Mark Hetfield, President of HIAS, and Lawrence Benito, representing the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). Mark and Lawrence, you and your organizations inspire me and all of us with your leadership.

Thank you to the JCUA staff team, our Board of Directors, and our event host committee, including Committee Chair Emily Rapport, for all the time and effort you put into bringing this event to life. We could not have done this without you. 

I want to take a moment to honor a member of our host committee who unexpectedly passed away at the end of May. Richard Kosmacher, partner of Melissa Sterne, was a longtime member of JCUA. In fact, he and Melissa met at JCUA in 1997 fighting for a $15 dollar minimum wage. Anyone who knew Richard, knows that he carried great joy, enthusiasm and care into any space he walked into and any project he worked on. He brought his full energy to our Host Committee, and he will be sorely missed by everyone at JCUA and all who knew him. In memory of Richard, I’d like us to take a brief moment of silence.

Tonight, we are shining a spotlight on immigration justice and the work that JCUA, ICIRR, and HIAS are doing to protect and defend immigrants, migrants, and refugees. In recent days and weeks, we have witnessed intensifying attacks on immigrants here in Chicago and around the country. It is so very timely that this evening, we have the opportunity to learn from each other and recommit to this important work.

For me, immigration justice is personal. My maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. They met in a displaced persons camp in Germany. They got married there, my mom was born there, and in 1950, they were resettled as refugees to Montreal, Canada. My paternal grandparents fled Berlin for Shanghai, lived in the Shanghai ghetto for 10 years, and were resettled to the U.S. by HIAS. Had it not been for ordinary citizens who advocated to welcome Jewish refugees, and for organizations like HIAS to support them, I would not be standing here today. Many of us would not be.

And so it is not just Jewish text that mandates us to welcome the stranger, but it is our very own experiences – it is my very own experience — that mandates this as well. 

Today, JCUA pursues immigration justice by mobilizing the Jewish community to advocate for policies that have made Illinois one of – if not the most – welcoming states in the country.

This recent session, when lawmakers faced tough choices, we secured some significant wins: 

We won a funding increase to $40 million dollars for   organizations serving immigrant communities, including with case management, legal services, housing support, and more.

We protected healthcare coverage for immigrant seniors, so that anyone over the age of 65 — regardless of their immigration status — can access health insurance. 

And we passed the Safe Schools Act, which ensures that all children in Illinois — regardless of immigration status and regardless of federal policy — have access to free, public education.

JCUA is proud to represent the Jewish voice in this work, and proud to work alongside ICIRR and our partners. The events of the last week have shown how critical this work is, and how it is incumbent on all of us to stand with our immigrant and refugee neighbors.

Immigration justice represents one piece of JCUA’s work. We also organize the Jewish community around housing justice, economic justice, and community safety. Just last month, we passed the Green Social Housing Ordinance in Chicago, which will address both the housing crisis and the climate crisis by spurring the construction of permanently affordable, environmentally sustainable, tenant-governed housing units.

Through JCUA’s Community Ventures Program, we provide interest-free loans for affordable housing and community development projects. Just last year, we provided 19 loans totaling $2.9 million dollars for projects in 14 different neighborhoods.

And JCUA educates and trains our Jewish community, our allies, and elected officials on topics including antisemitism, anti-racism, restorative justice, and more. In a time of real pain, fear, and mistrust, we are building relationships and understanding between Jews and our neighbors, so that we can work together to address the rise of antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Next week, I will celebrate one year of being in my role. It hasn’t always been easy. But I believe so deeply in JCUA’s mission. I believe that to address the crises of today, we need to nurture relationships across communities and differences. And I believe that in coalition and in partnership, we can defend one another’s rights and identities and ensure our region reflects our values. Doing this work is hard. But it is necessary. 

By being in this room tonight, you are showing your commitment to this pursuit. You are part of a movement that demonstrates the importance of seeing each other, valuing each other, and standing in solidarity to make sure that we all have what we need to flourish. We have so much power in this room, and I know we’ll continue to do amazing work together. So, thank you for being here tonight to celebrate JCUA and for partnering with us to build a welcoming future.