Hundreds to Gather for Jewish Rally for Refugees to Protest Muslim Ban

NEW YORK – This Sunday, February 12, 2017, Mayor de Blasio will headline a Battery Park rally expected to bring together thousands in support of welcoming refugees. HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, is convening supporters for a Jewish Rally for Refugees, being commemorated with events in communities nationwide as part of the National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees.

Participants will raise up their voices together to call on elected officials to reject President Trump’s executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program and demand that America's doors stay open to refugees fleeing violence and persecution.

The rally will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, overlooking the Statue of Liberty, which welcomed thousands of Jewish immigrants to NYC in earlier decades, many of whom were helped by HIAS. 

Speakers will include:

• New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
• Sana Mustafa, a Syrian refugee who is now a Bard College student seeking to reunite her family
• Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York
• Mark Hetfield, President and CEO, HIAS
• Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Vice President of Community Engagement, HIAS

The rally also will feature a Jewish ritual moment, live music, and opportunities to further build the Jewish movement in support of refugees.

As activists gather in New York to protect the Statue of Liberty and all that she stands for, sister actions will take place in cities across the country – a full list is available here. Organized by HIAS, synagogues and Jewish organizations will stage local actions to demonstrate a powerful Jewish voice nationwide in support of refugees. These actions are part of HIAS’ ongoing Welcome Campaign, which has engaged more than 260 synagogues and over 1,900 rabbisaround refugee advocacy work.

National organizations that are co-sponsoring the National Day of Jewish Action for Refugees are (list in formation):

American Jewish Committee | American Jewish World Service | Avodah | Anti-Defamation League | Bend the Arc | Central Conference of American Rabbis | Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation | Hebrew Union College | J Street | Jacob Balustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights | Jewish Council for Public Affairs | Jewish Theological Seminary | Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees | National Council of Jewish Women | New Israel Fund | Rabbinical Assembly | Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association | T’ruah: A Rabbinic Call for Human Rights | Union for Reform Judaism | Women of Reform Judaism

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