Jewish community forges alliances with Latino groups

new york | When Josh Protas, director of Tucson's Jewish Community Relations Council, lobbies for immigration reform, he doesn't enlist help just from his own community.

Instead, his call list includes Catholic and Presbyterian churches, local Latino agencies, imams, bishops and pastors.

As Protas will tell you, Jewish community leaders pushing immigration reform are forging a growing number of interfaith and interethnic partnerships.

Repairing the nation's border policies has become the hottest of domestic issues, especially after President Bush announced plans this week to mobilize the National Guard along the U.S.-Mexican border.

While some faith communities have obvious reasons to join the dialogue — the Catholic Church has a large Hispanic constituency, for example — some wonder why Jews join the fray.

The answer can be traced, in part, back to Ellis Island.

"We are motivated from trying to learn the lessons from our own history about the benefits of a generous immigration policy and the dangers of a restrictive policy," said Stacey Burdett, the Anti-Defamation League's associate director of government affairs.

Other Jewish groups say the Torah compels them to act.

"We're paying heed to the biblical directive that we're to treat the stranger among us well," said Richard Foltin, the American Jewish Committee's legislative director and counsel.

Jewish groups also say they can't ignore the needs of the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority.

"If we want to be active partners with these organizations, we can't look at issues of paramount importance to these communities and say we don't see it as a Jewish issue, so we're going to sit it out," said Gideon Aronoff, president and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. "We've got to nurture our common agendas — then we can get them to engage in our other issues, like Israel."

In some cases, Jewish groups have underscored their common agenda with Latino organizations by putting immigration in the limelight.

The AJCommittee dedicated a session to the issue at its recent 100th birthday symposium, and the Anti-Defamation League released a report on hate crimes against legal and illegal Hispanic immigrants.

More than two dozen Jewish agencies signed on to an interfaith statement supporting comprehensive immigration reform. The document, which quotes passages from the Hebrew Bible, Christian Bible and Koran, says the current immigration system "offends the human dignity of all human beings."

Some say the national push hasn't trickled down to the local level.

But in the Bay Area, Jewish groups have gotten involved in several interfaith coalitions on this issue.

The San Francisco Foundation's FAITHS Initiative partnered with the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council and other organizations to host a day of building immigrant leaders; the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights actively sought JCRC participation in meetings with staff of Sens. Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein; Assemblyman Leland Yee organized an interfaith press conference; and a strong Jewish presence was at the Catholic Archdiocese-sponsored rally and march last month.

Progressive Jewish Alliance has also been active on this issue.