December Newsletter: We Are in This Together
December 1, 2024 • 1 Kislev 5785
TASTE OF HONEY
We have entered a dark time of year, of four years... Later this month we will celebrate Hanukkah. Rabbi Jonathon Sacks, the beloved chief Rabbi of England wrote, "Hanukkah is about the freedom to be true to what we believe without denying the freedom of those who believe otherwise. It's about lighting our candle, while not being threatened by or threatening anyone else's candle." Bring on the light! - Beth Fine
Giving Tuesday is an international day of giving that falls the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, on December 3rd. We invite you to support JCIJ this year!
Your support builds JCIJ’s accompaniment program to walk side by side with immigrant community members to high stakes appointments and expand deportation defense efforts. Your support strengthens JCIJ’s state and federal advocacy. Your support grows community engagement to activate more people to take action during this critical moment.
JCIJ’s Primary Legislative Priorities:
Unemployment Insurance for Undocumented Workers
Every worker deserves access to unemployment insurance when the unexpected happens and they experience job loss. Create and fully fund an unemployment insurance program for undocumented workers equivalent to the existing program that is available for Washington residents.
Health Equity for Immigrants
Everyone deserves access to health care regardless of immigration status. Advocate for a bill to codify and fully fund the Apple Health Expansion Program, which would provide coverage to all eligible low-income immigrant and refugee community members. Advocate for Cascade Care subsidies to make health care within reach.
Support for Newly Arrived Migrants
Newly arrived migrants deserve to be welcomed into our sanctuary state and receive services and resources that allow them to thrive. Advocate for a Budget Proviso to obtain continued funding for the Washington Migrant and Asylum-Seeker Support (WA MASS) Project administered by DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) with the goal of supporting economic stability and long-term integration.
Join the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW for an early Chanukah celebration to be together and be the light needed to get through these dark times to come. This is the moment to come together to activate our values and take action to defend immigrant rights.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Jewish Coalition and the current moment, as ICE activity and apprehensions of immigrant community members have already increased.
As in past years, the Jewish Coalition is organizing a group to be a part of WAISN's Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day (IRAD) on January 30th in Olympia.
We hope you can join us and be a part of marching, rallying, and engaging directly with legislators to advance our collective legislative priorities, which include Unemployment Insurance for Undocumented Workers, Health Equity, Support for Newly Arrived Migrants, and more.
Under "Are you signing up with an organization," be sure to check YES and mark Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice! Please email andrea@jewishcoalition.org if you're planning to come, and we can arrange to carpool together!
Order your JCIJ T-Shirt!
Order your JCIJ shirt today to wear when advocating, volunteering, or involved in community engagement! Or just support JCIJ by having custom merch.
T-Shirts are unisex and fair trade. T-shirts will cost $36 per shirt and can be mailed to you or delivered in-person at WAISN's Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day on January 30th.
Please place your order by Sunday, 1/7/2025 at 5pm PT.
12th Annual Ladino Day: “The Familiar” Book Talk with Leigh Bardugo - December 8
The University of Washington Sephardic Studies Program and the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies invite author Leigh Bardugo to speak at their annual Ladino Day celebration on December 8 at 10 AM. Acclaimed fantasy author Leigh Bardugo (“Shadow and Bone”) will discuss her new novel, “The Familiar,” which features a Sephardic Jewish heroine in 16th-century Spain who draws magical powers from her family’s secret language, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish).
MUTUAL AID
Kitchen Welcome Kits for Migrants
Please join JCIJ in supporting migrant families who are moving out of Riverton Park UMC and into permanent housing. This list is for a family of four. If larger families need kitchen bins they will adjust accordingly.
Dish detergent, paper towels, and other cleaning items are also appreciated. All the items should fit in a large sealable plastic tub that is taped shut with a list of the contents attached.
For more information or to set up a time to deliver to Riverton, please contact: Dianne Sprague, Riverton Park UMC Volunteer Case Manager, (401) 447-4421 dispraguew@gmail.com or Steeve Maboya, Riverton Park UMC Case Manager smaboya@rivertonparkumc.com.
VOLUNTEER
JCIJ’s Collaboration with Riverton Park Legal Clinics
Read about the history of JCIJ’s collaboration with Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila in supporting asylum and legal clinics (and more!) in a blog post by Susan Schulkin, Ruth Egger and Ellen Kleyman.
JCIJ supports two free legal clinics!
A Monday afternoon TPS legal clinic from 11:45 am - 4:15 pm for Spanish speakers at Riverton Park United Methodist Church. Volunteers who speak Spanish are especially needed, but fluency is not required!. No legal experience required. We have an amazing team of dedicated volunteers (weekly commitment not required). Join us! Email Ellen Kleyman at ellenkley@gmail.com. Volunteer at tinyurl.com/jcijvolunteer.
A monthly day-long Asylum Clinic for past and current residents of Riverton Park United Methodist Church. This clinic is held on weekends. We are seeking immigration lawyers or paralegals; non-immigration lawyers and paralegals; people with an interest in learning about immigration law; and people who have sufficient fluency in Spanish, Lingala, French, Haitian-Creole or Portuguese to serve as interpreters. Volunteer at tinyurl.com/jcijvolunteer
AIDNW Short-Term Emergency Housing Volunteers
AIDNW is attempting to put together a list of volunteers who are willing and able to provide short-term emergency housing to immigrants released from the NW ICE Detention Center. If you are willing to be on such a list, please contact Aidan Perkinson, AIDNW Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org
RESOURCES
NWIRP Webinars | Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Check out webinars by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project that help provide recommendations and grounding in the reality of this moment and impacts on immigrant rights.
One takeaway: It is a good idea to move forward with any applications for DACA, work permits, green cards, citizenship, etc. that people qualify for now. Best bet is to have applications submitted now. Even though programs could be vulnerable, people should still apply and renew before Trump is in office.
Know Your Rights Resources | Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) has put together many helpful resources to prepare for this current moment:
Know Your Rights flyers and information
Additional Resources about WAISN’s Deportation Defense Hotline, Keep Washington Working, and supporting the Fair Fight Bond Fund.
NEWS
What Trump’s reelection means for immigrants in WA | Seattle Times
Reporter Nina Shapiro explores responses to the following questions: “Will Trump make good on his deportation promises? Can he, given the practical difficulties of rounding up millions of people nationwide? What protection, if any, can Washington offer?”
“It’s very dangerous for us,” [Daniel] Vingo said after interpreting at a meeting for dozens of migrants staying at Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila. “They can deport us any time.”
Biden Should Use His Authority to Protect Vulnerable Immigrants Before He Leaves Office | Immigration Impact
The federal government currently lacks the resources to fulfill Trump’s pledge of mass deportations in the first months of his presidency, but ICE can and will act quickly to target immigrants for arrests. However, before that begins, President Biden has two months left in office to take decisive action to protect people at risk under Trump’s indiscriminate immigration enforcement plans.
Private Prison Industry Sees Windfall in Deportation Plan | ABC News
The private prison industry appears poised to cash in if President-elect Donald Trump carries out his mass deportation plan. Executives at the country's top private prison firms have embraced Trump's immigration agenda as potentially lucrative if the federal government is required to construct new detention facilities and provide additional services. For years, the federal government has relied on private firms to detain immigrants, making it a multimillion-dollar business.
In 2022, Dina was asked by a friend who is a leader in the Somali community to get to know Mohamed and help him in any way she could. This is the fourth in a series of columns Mohamed and Dina are writing about his life and story. Almost every word attributed here to Mohamed is a quote from Dina’s notes of conversations with him. Mohamed has served nine years of a forty year sentence in the WA State Penitentiary at Walla Walla.
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
Curated by Dina Burstein
Kristen Bell - The Next Right Thing (From "Frozen 2"/Sing-Along) — Many of us find ourselves heartbroken and afraid of what is to come in January. What do you do when hope is hard to find? I offer you this wisdom from Anna, princess of Arandelle, from the movie Frozen 2.
Chanukah playlist — And now time to party to some wild Chanukah music!
Be in touch with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW
at team@jewishcoalition.org and learn more at jewishcoalition.org.
Follow JCIJ on Facebook and Instagram.
Donate to build Jewish Coalition’s advocacy, accompaniment and community engagement.
Volunteer for or learn more about accompaniment, legal support, observing ICE flights, tutoring, interpreting, crafting JCIJ communications, and supporting immigrant-led partners.