As Jews, as Zionists, as Americans, we viscerally understand the consequences of unchecked weaponization of state power.
We’ve lived through, died from, and learned about governments that brutalize, terrorize, and gaslight their citizens; governments that rip communities apart, sow division and mistrust, racialize their societies and create scapegoats to demonize and distract. The parallels of history are undeniable.
The American government is murdering American citizens in the streets, ostensibly justified by the brazen lie this is the pursuit of public safety. Our elected President and his administration are sending rogue militias to violently target Black and brown communities––and making an example of those who stand in the way.
Silence is, and has always been, complicity––no matter what community is being rounded up.
ICE, and the administration that enables it, will live in the dustbin of history, another lesson for future generations about taking relative freedom and imperfect democracy for granted.
The question is only how many more will die before then, how many will be targeted and abused––Americans and lawful immigrants and innocent human beings seeking asylum in a country that used to be the envy of the world.
The answer will depend on how steadfastly we resist, fight back, refuse to yield, protest with courage and conviction and commitment to the humanity of our neighbors and the promise of freedom in the democracy we all deserve.
Minnesota, you are an inspiration to America and to the free world.
Renee Good and Alex Pretti, your deaths will not be in vain.
Our sacred Jewish text reminds us no less than 36 times––the most repeated commandment in Torah––to welcome the stranger, for “we were once strangers in the land of Egypt.” Renee and Alex were Americans, fighting for the humanity of those most vulnerable to this unthinkable, most un-American threat. Their stories are our story.
We are Zionists, which is why we fight for freedom, for dignity, for justice, and for the right to live free from state terror. As proud Americans, we will resist.