Leading Jewish Organizations, 500 Jewish Clergy Sign HIAS’ Pre-election Policy Platform in Support of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

In election season shaped by xenophobia, Jewish leaders call for respect and safety for refugees and asylum seekers

SILVER SPRING, MD – Just ahead of the 2024 election, over 500 rabbis and cantors, more than a dozen leading Jewish organizations, and thousands of others have signed on to a policy platform urging all candidates to reject xenophobia and take action in support of immigrants and refugees. The policy platform was created and circulated by HIAS, the leading Jewish agency working in support of refugees and asylum seekers in the US and around the world.

During an election campaign that has featured alarming xenophobic attacks and conspiracy theories targeting immigrants — and little attention to the rights and needs of asylum seekers — Jewish leaders are calling out this harmful discourse, and uniting around a vision for fair, effective and humane border policies and refugee resettlement. Their policy platform emphasizes that the commitment to welcoming others is deeply rooted in Jewish values and history.

The organizations signing on to the policy platform with HIAS highlight the breadth of support across the Jewish community: Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbinical Assembly, National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Keshet, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Jewish World Watch, New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA), Reconstructing Judaism, Women of Reform Judaism, Rabbinical Assembly, and the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies.

These groups and the hundreds of Jewish clergy members “call on all candidates to reject the politics of hatred and fear, to reject the impulse to seal our borders and turn on our own neighbors and community members.” They call for a number of commonsense policy steps including:

• The repeal of harmful policies that deny the right to asylum
• Investment in an effective asylum system that protects the rights of asylum seekers, while also addressing security issues at the border
• Expanded legal pathways to entry and residency in the U.S.
• A robust annual target number and arrival of resettled refugees through the United States Refugee Admissions Program

“The message from the Jewish community is clear: Candidates should speak about immigrants with compassion, and with respect for their right to pursue safety through a dignified and humane asylum system,” said Merrill Zack, HIAS’ chief global community engagement officer. “The U.S. has long been a nation of immigrants, where generations of Jewish people have been able to find refuge and to thrive. It is unacceptable — and alarming — to see immigrants today used as a political punching bag.”

The full policy platform pledge and list of signers can be found here. HIAS invites all members of the Jewish community and allies to add their signatures to this call for humane immigration policies.