There is so much to say this week. First, I must begin with solemn gratitude:
ברוך אתה ה׳ אלקינו מלך העולם דיין האמת.
Praised are you, God, who is the true judge.
We were relieved this week to see Ran Gvili returned to his family, so that he can be properly buried and mourned. He was the last hostage of the 251 captured on October 7 to remain held in captivity. For more than 50 days, he was the only hostage still held, with Hamas insisting that it was unable to locate him, leaving his family and nation worried that his body would never be found.
He was buried Wednesday, his funeral attended by hundreds. With this painful chapter finally behind us, may we now be able to turn our attention to healing, repair, and pursuing peace.
When we turn our gaze closer to home, however, we feel no such sense of closure. Parashat B'Shallaḥ is one of my favorite parts of the Torah – I love the drama of finally leaving Egypt and crossing the sea. But this year, I find myself identifying more with the sense of terror and overwhelm the Israelites were feeling as they realized that the Egyptians were chasing them and that they had nowhere to turn. Hemmed in by the encroaching Egyptian forces and the sea, it seemed to them that no matter where they looked, they found no safe harbor.
This past week, our nation looked on in horror as ICE agents killed Alex Pretti, may his memory be a blessing. It was the second such killing in Minneapolis this month alone, after Renee Good was shot in her car on January 7. While the deaths of these two people, distinguished by being American citizens exercising their constitutional rights, have been garnering enormous attention, they are not the only people to die at the hands of or in the custody of ICE this year.
We also note with sadness the losses of:
- Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, died January 5 while in ICE custody
- Geraldo Lunas Campos, died by homicide January 3 while in ICE custody
- Víctor Manuel Díaz, died on January 14 while in ICE custody
- Parady La, died January 9 while in ICE custody
- Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, died January 6 while in ICE custody
- Heber Sánchez Domínguez, died January 14 while in ICE custody
May their families know comfort and safety, and may their memories endure as a blessing.
Just a few days ago, an old friend posted something on social media that gave me pause. He pointed out the return of our attention to Minneapolis, that the last time when the entire country was focused there was after the killing of George Floyd. He was killed during Covid, when the world was at a standstill. Without other distractions, we could properly see what had happened. This weekend as well, with much of the country blanketed in snow and ice, we were also stopped in our tracks and we couldn’t avoid seeing what was going on, calling out the improper use of force and violence.
As my friend said, “maybe part of the lesson is this: when movement stops, truth gets louder.
The question is whether we carry that truth with us when life speeds back up.”
My friend, in his wisdom, is calling on us to bear witness, own the truth, and ideally take action.
The kind of overwhelm I feel at this moment, the kind of overwhelm the Israelites felt as they escaped Egypt, is the kind of overwhelm that might keep us from doing so.
Life has certainly sped back up – it seems to be whirling all around us. And so we need to figure out how to keep the truth blasting at full volume, how we can continue to carry the weight of that truth along with everything else we carry.
A few small suggestions:
→ Engage with our elected officials: Call our senators. The Senate is set to vote today on the DHS appropriations bill, which includes funding for ICE. The current version of the bill, which previously only included DHS appropriations, has now been packaged together with a number of other appropriations bills, making it a bigger ask for senators to vote against it. Maryland senators have come out against the bill – call them to express your gratitude and to encourage them to continue along this path. You can reach the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can find a sample script for what to say when you call here.
→ Stay informed: Follow organizations such as the Immigrant Defense Project and the National Immigrant Justice Center. Connect with local organizations like JUFJ to see what is happening here in Baltimore and how you can take action closer to home. Monitor the ICE Newsroom.
→ Make sure to take care of yourself: The necessity of not looking away from what’s happening to our neighbors and to our country takes a real toll. In the midst of all of this, keep an eye on your own needs. Get enough sleep. Find moments of connection with friends, family, and community. Don’t let go of the parts of your life that bring you joy.
In our Torah reading this week, once the people found their footing, their collective will and faith split the sea that was once an insurmountable obstacle, allowing them to cross over unharmed. May we see ourselves in that story, joining our voices together to make our country a place of safety and justice for all who call it home.
Shabbat shalom.