Immigration

Steven Chizzik, President

Irecently read the John Grisham novel, “Sooley.” It follows a teenage boy who plays basketball on dirt streets in South Sudan and, by luck, is spotted by a coach who brings him to the United States to play in a basketball tournament. From this stroke of luck, which separates him from a totally impoverished country in a civil war, a stark contrast is built between the life he has escaped and the conditions his family is suffering. Clearly, this is not the typical John Grisham genre we all know.

This novel made me focus on the immigration policy of the United States and the tyranny and ridiculous poverty that so many people are trying to escape. I know this is a difficult topic with many varying opinions, and I don’t proport to have all the answers; however, what I can do is bring this subject to the forefront for all of us to think about.

The Torah in Exodus says,” You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” Our own history should encourage us to make our country an example for the free world to make the United States a safe haven for those living in oppression and extreme poverty. I am sad to see other nations opening their borders to shelter and feed the oppressed as we spend years fighting amongst ourselves to have a coherent immigration policy.

As Jews living in our United States, we can’t forget about all those Jews that were turned away from the U.S. during WWII as the State Department argued that refugees posed a serious threat to the United States. Today, 32% of Jewish adults in the U.S. are either first- or second-generation immigrants, and I would guess at least two-thirds of Jews today are first-, second- or third-generation immigrants.

We are only too aware of the worker shortage in our country, which is often blamed as one of the reasons for our accelerating inflation problem these past few years. Walk into any restaurant here in Naples and the first thing you hear is how difficult it is for the restaurant to find workers.

I think we need to open our eyes to the tragedies of poverty and tyranny around the world and implore our elected officials to remember we were strangers in a foreign land, also.

Please see the calendar below to view all the great events taking place at Beth Tikvah this month.

I, again, would like to remind everyone that Beth Tikvah is now off ering new members their first year’s dues free of charge. If you or a friend wishes to experience the warmth and community found at Beth Tikvah, please join us.

Beth Tikvah is the affiliated congregation in Greater Naples of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). We are grateful to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples (JFGN) for support of our Scholar in Residence, Naples Jewish Film Festival and All Things Jewish programs.

Beth Tikvah Happenings

• Feb. 10-12 – Scholar in Residence weekend

• Feb. 12 – Naples Jewish Film Festival

• Feb. 26 – Naples Jewish Film Festival

• Every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. – Rabbi Chorny’s Lunch and Learn via Zoom

• Friday services begin at 6:15 p.m. in person and Zoom

• Saturday services begin at 9:30 a.m. in person and Zoom

• Sunday morning services begin at 9 a.m. in person and Zoom

• We convene Yahrzeit minyanim upon request.

Please check the Beth Tikvah website at www.bethtikvahnaples.org for details of all our events. You may reach Rabbi Chorny directly at 239-537-5257.