Trump's Anti-Immigrant Agenda Turns the Ancient Story of Passover Into a Modern One On Wednesday night, Jews sat down to the Passover seder and retold the ancient story of how our ancestors, once welcomed into Egypt as refugees from famine, were enslaved by a Pharaoh fearful of losing power. This year, it sounds like the news.

Now, the Supreme Court is considering overturning a core principle that once allowed those fleeing violence and oppression, my own great grandparents included, to find refuge in the United States, writes @rabbijilljacobs.bsky.social.

Man Tied to Pro-Israel Extremists Planned Attack on Palestinian Activist

JDL is and has always been a terrorist group. Back in its heyday in the 70s/80s under its founder Meir Kahane, they were likely responsible for a number of attacks including a bombing that killed a young Jewish woman & injured others. Their return is dangerous.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/n...

On settler violence and the dangers of sovereignty The Torah's warning about settler violence and the system that produces it

open.substack.com/pub/rabbijil...

Arrest Thwarts Plot to Assassinate N.Y.C. Pro-Palestinian Activist

I am grateful that this plot was foiled, that Kiswani is safe, and that the authorities arrested the person involved. Violence like this is wrong. Period. It doesn't matter what one thinks of someone's political positions.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/n...

'Verbal sparring' at a conference for religious Jews breaking from Israel orthodoxy? That's not what I experienced The Smol Emuni conference was marked by civil disagreements, not major ruptures

forward.com/opinion/lett...

People who ask you to explain why it's wrong to burn down ambulances of a jewish medical emergency service are not going to be convinced by your explanation.

And proud of course that @truahrabbis.bsky.social is among the Jewish groups on this brief.

US Jewish groups join CAIR, other faith-based orgs backing birthright citizenship “The participation of organizations with which we may strongly disagree does not automatically preclude ours if we are deeply committed to the cause,” an American Jewish Committee spokesman told JNS.

Kudos to American Jewish Committee for not giving in to JNS's bullying and standing up for immigrants

“the participation of organizations with which we may strongly disagree does not automatically preclude ours if we are deeply committed to the cause.”

www.jns.org/u.s.-news/am...

On the Detroit synagogue attack and some unfortunate responses The online echo chambers are each wrong in their own way

A few notes on some problematic conversations about the Detroit synagogue attack from different internet echo chambers.

open.substack.com/pub/rabbijil...

Lest you thought that a little rain could stop faith communities from standing up for democracy.

Adding that a security guard at the synagogue was injured by the car but b"h will be ok.

Active shooter incident at West Bloomfield Twp. synagogue State Police confirm an active shooter at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township. It has prompted shelter in place orders.

Horrified to hear news of yet another attack on a synagogue, this time outside Detroit-- in a month that has already seen multiple shootings at synagogues in Toronto. Grateful for initial reports that everyone there is safe. Antisemitism is real and terrifying.

www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Zoom screen for event

It was great to speak with rabbis about immigration & @truahrabbis.bsky.social work organizing rabbis to stop ICE from kidnapping our neighbors, thanks to this Hartman Institute gathering.

Pahlavi? IRGC? What’s next for Iran after Khamenei The U.S.-Israeli assassination of the supreme leader opens the door to a range of possibilities. A democratic transition seems the least likely of all.

Many of my Israeli & American Jewish friends are supporting the war with Iran out of hopes that it will end the threat that Iran has long posed to Israel. I share this long-held fear, but this war is unlikely to bring safety for Israelis/Iranians/the region.

www.972mag.com/iran-khamene...

Jewish unity and golden calves Twice this week, colleagues have berated me for undermining “Jewish unity” in a time of war.

On supposed Jewish unity and golden calves (& the war)

open.substack.com/pub/rabbijil...

Rabbinic Human Rights Group Opposes Strikes on Iran | T'ruah

"Through this decision, they have put millions of people in Israel, Iran, and across the Middle East in harm’s way and endangered American troops, dragging us all into war without clear objectives or an exit strategy."

truah.org/press/rabbin...

Buffeted on the left and the right, these liberal Zionists are holding their ground - Jewish Telegraphic Agency A virtual roundtable of Jewish activists reflects on political homelessness, progressive alliances and the case for loving and criticizing Israel.

Glad to be in this article discussing & contesting the terms we use.

"The word Zionist, and also anti-Zionist, tends to...prevent us from having an actual conversation about the state of Israel, which is not an idea or a theory, it’s a country."

www.jta.org/2026/03/05/i...

@rebeccasolnit.bsky.social this is a poem by Yehuda Amichai, considered Israel's greatest poet.

Photo taken 2/11/26 outside 500 12th Street SW - ICE Headquarters. Man in black clothing holding sign that says Rejecting Kings since 1776.

Photo taken 2/11/26 outside 500 12th Street SW - ICE Headquarters. Crowd scene.

Photo taken 2/11/26 outside 500 12th Street SW - ICE Headquarters. Blue sign on left says We've Seen Where this Goes/Jews Against Fascists and sign on right says "You shall not oppress an immigrant" Exodus 23:9

Some of my own pics! T'ruah said there were about 500 people. I brought a neighbor in her 80s and we ran into another with his 7 week old baby. L'dor v'dor - from generation to generation💗

"The Jewish clergy gathering in D.C. was organized by T’ruah, a progressive group that trains clergy and advocates on human rights issues."
buff.ly/jQWWu7d

Jewish leaders protest in DC, say ICE's actions are 'affront to God' More than 150 rabbis and cantors protest outside ICE's headquarters in Washington, DC, criticizing the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.

"ICE is an affront to Torah, ICE is an affront to God," Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T'ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization, told the crowd.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p... via @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

For these clergy, Trump’s immigration blitz became a call to action Jewish leaders at a D.C. conference learned how to take on more prominent roles protesting ICE operations in their communities.

Coverage of @truahrabbis.bsky.social convening @washingtonpost.com

"More than 140 rabbis and cantors from around the country heard lectures about the historic role of clergy in opposing authoritarianism, studied concrete organizing tools... And they prayed."

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

Jewish leaders protest in DC, say ICE's actions are 'affront to God' More than 150 rabbis and cantors protest outside ICE's headquarters in Washington, DC, criticizing the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of @truahrabbis.bsky.social [which] helped organize the rally, told USA TODAY...

Seeing members of the clergy at a protest sends "the message that this is not a political issue and it's not a partisan issue, it's a moral issue,"

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

'Jews against ICE': Rabbis lead hundreds in mass Jewish protest outside ICE headquarters WASHINGTON (RNS) — ‘We know it from history, and we know it from God, what is demanded of us in this moment,’ Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum told the crowd.

"Participants at the protest, which organizers said included more than 100 rabbis alone from all over the country, carried a wide range of signs. Some bore references to Scripture, such as Lev. 24:22: “You shall have one standard for stranger and citizens alike.”

religionnews.com/2026/02/11/j...

140 rabbis train in Washington on how to resist authoritarian governments, ICE (RNS) — The convening will train rabbis on practical tools for non-violent resistance — both to disrupt systems with tactics such as boycotts and strikes, and to create alternative processes to help vulnerable populations under threat.

140 rabbis have converged on Washington, D.C., to begin training on organizing, strategizing and, if needed, putting their bodies on the line in defense of their values.
religionnews.com/2026/02/09/rabbis-descen...

Hundreds of U.S. Jews rally against Trump administration's immigration crackdown Rabbis, Cantors and Lay Leaders From Across the Country, Representing Dozens of Liberal and Progressive Jewish Organizations, Gathered to Emphasize the Jewish Nature of Their Protest Against Deportati...

"Jacobs, for her part, stressed the immigration issue was indeed a Jewish issue, highlighting this week's Torah portion notes the need to protect the vulnerable while insisting that the majority of U.S. Jews share a similar view of the issue."

www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026...

Rabbis, cantors and protesters singing at ICE HQ: “I will not stand on the blood of my neighbors. I will not stand idly by.” #JewsAgainstICE

Rabbis and protesters blow their shofars in front of ICE HQ. #JewsAgainstIce

HAPPENING NOW: A massive crowd of hundreds of rabbis, cantors, and other Jews have gathered outside ICE headquarters in DC for the largest ever Jewish protest against ICE’s violence and crimes. #jewsagainstICE