I wish I could share an interpretation of the Torah portion with a lighter touch this week. But as we read the story of a devastating flood, the building of an ark to save one human family, and the rescue of animals to preserve the bio-diversity of creation, dramatic actions are also occurring in our country.
According to government reports, 100+ Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials are arriving this week in the Bay Area, including the East Bay. Their actions and goals will likely follow those we are witnessing in other cities, where community members are being seized without due process, and whole neighborhoods and communities are plagued by fear.
As Jews, we know the experience of being blamed for large-scale social problems, portrayed as dangerous and targeted with violence and exclusion – this is the essence of antisemitism, and it continues in our time. In this moment, we are not the primary target of ICE, but we know that a society that is acting in this way is dangerous for all.
The instruction that we must protect the vulnerable among us, and particularly the immigrant, is the most prominent thread in the entire Torah. It flows from the central teaching that every person is created in the Divine image, and from the knowledge that we know the heart of the stranger for we have been strangers. It is a sacred responsibility – a central mitzvah – not only to welcome the stranger but to prevent their mistreatment.
If you are interested in taking action together to protect immigrants in our own and other local communities, please contact me by email. We have immigrants in our community, our congregation, and our families. This is a time to reach out, to ask about their experiences and what we can do to support them. And it is a time to speak out and to stand for what we know from both our Torah and our history: our treatment of immigrants is a reflection of our humanity and the course of our society.
Noah (Gen. 6:9-11:32) Torah reading for October 25, 2025: Torah is All About Protecting Immigrants
October 30, 2025 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah
I wish I could share an interpretation of the Torah portion with a lighter touch this week. But as we read the story of a devastating flood, the building of an ark to save one human family, and the rescue of animals to preserve the bio-diversity of creation, dramatic actions are also occurring in our country.
According to government reports, 100+ Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials are arriving this week in the Bay Area, including the East Bay. Their actions and goals will likely follow those we are witnessing in other cities, where community members are being seized without due process, and whole neighborhoods and communities are plagued by fear.
As Jews, we know the experience of being blamed for large-scale social problems, portrayed as dangerous and targeted with violence and exclusion – this is the essence of antisemitism, and it continues in our time. In this moment, we are not the primary target of ICE, but we know that a society that is acting in this way is dangerous for all.
The instruction that we must protect the vulnerable among us, and particularly the immigrant, is the most prominent thread in the entire Torah. It flows from the central teaching that every person is created in the Divine image, and from the knowledge that we know the heart of the stranger for we have been strangers. It is a sacred responsibility – a central mitzvah – not only to welcome the stranger but to prevent their mistreatment.
If you are interested in taking action together to protect immigrants in our own and other local communities, please contact me by email. We have immigrants in our community, our congregation, and our families. This is a time to reach out, to ask about their experiences and what we can do to support them. And it is a time to speak out and to stand for what we know from both our Torah and our history: our treatment of immigrants is a reflection of our humanity and the course of our society.