April 16 A protest and civil disobedience involving Jewish, Muslim and Christian faith leaders and community members on Thursday expressed “Exodus from detention!”
The event called out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and resulted in the arrest of more than 30 people for their refusal to remove themselves from blocking a loading dock of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC). MDC is a federal jail downtown that holds individuals for immigration-related crimes, among other offenses.
The April 13 act took place on the third day of Passover. Those who participated drew parallels with the Israelite Exodus story from bondage to liberation with the slavery of undocumented immigrants who live in fear of being detained.
“I’m standing with my brothers and sisters in faith … on behalf of the undocumented and the refugee and immigrant communities that are being targeted now. Especially now during Passover it is time we remember our own liberation,” Rabbi Sarah Bassin, associate rabbi at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, told the Journal, locking arms with Wilshire Boulevard Temple Rabbi Susan Goldberg, prior to their arrest.
Approximately 200 members of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and other faith-based social organizations turned out.
This article first appeared on the site We Resist.