B’nai Torah Congregation Rabbi David Steinhardt to Join Mission at Mexican Border
Ten South Florida Rabbis to Meet with Immigration Groups and Visit Detention Centers Near San Diego, March 26-29
Boca Raton, FL – B’nai Torah Congregation, the largest conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida, announced today that Senior Rabbi David Steinhardt will be joining an educational mission witnessing the conditions of refugees and asylum seekers at the Mexican border and bringing information home. From March 26-29, Rabbi Steinhardt and ten rabbis from South Florida will visit detention centers, immigration groups, and other sites near San Diego.
The mission was organized by HIAS, a non-profit which was first founded 130 years ago as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Today, HIAS provides vital services to over one million refugees and asylum seekers around the world each year, and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives. HIAS works T’ruah, a human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, to bring rabbinical delegations to the U.S.-Mexico border. The goal is to take what they learn from the trip and turn it into advocacy and action on behalf of displaced people.
“I am looking forward to joining colleagues at the Mexican border to help further the HIAS mission and better understand the condition of the refugees, hoping to better understand governmental policy, educating myself and others upon my return and hopefully serve in advocacy for the vital services and opportunities that refugees need to live and thrive,” said Rabbi Steinhardt. “HIAS’ work is personal to me. My parents were refugees from Naziism in the late 1930’s and my family owes part of their success in resettlement and absorption into America to the work of this wonderful human rights agency. Furthermore, we are approaching Passover when we are once again reminded of our responsibilities to the stranger, the oppressed and the outsider.
The Jewish community founded HIAS in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, the group’s founders were guided by the traditions, texts, and history of the Jewish people – a history of oppression, displacement, and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence and remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, HIAS clients come from diverse faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds, as do its staff members. For more information, please visit https://hias.org/who/.
About B’nai Torah Congregation
B’nai Torah Congregation is the largest conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida with over 1,300 membership families. It is a close-knit, multi-generational, modern, and egalitarian synagogue, which offers diverse services, programs of worship, learning, tzedakah, social action, and social activities. B’nai Torah Congregation creates a perfect outlet for arts, culture, and learning, and we are home to several schools of Jewish education. The synagogue, which offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities that will enrich the synagogue experience, is a tremendous and vibrant center for tzedakah acts and projects that touch thousands of people. Learn more at https://btcboca.org.
