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JL;DR SUMMARY Rabbi Sid Schwarz reflects on the current state of immigration policy in the United States, urging a return to the values symbolized by the Statue of Liberty and echoing the Jewish imperative to care for the stranger. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Asylum SeekersHolocaustBiden AdministrationTrump AdministrationRefugeesHiasImmigration PolicyStatue Of LibertyRabbi Sid SchwarzAmerica's Legacy

Places mentioned

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
"Like many Americans, I am horrified to see how federal ICE agents in Minneapolis have terrorized an entire city."
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
"Rabbi Sid Schwarz is the founding rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, Md."
Washington D.C., Washington DC, United States
"Last year, I travelled to the Mexican border on a fact-finding mission led by HIAS, an organization inspired by Jewish values and history to provide vital services to refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons around the world, and to advocate for their fundamental rights."
Berlin, Germany
"My father left his family in Berlin in 1938 and sailed to the U.S. at age 16 on the last successful voyage of the St. Louis."
Havana, Cuba
"only to be denied entry, first to Cuba and then to the United States, before the ship was forced to return to Europe"
Mexico
"I travelled to the Mexican border on a fact-finding mission led by HIAS, an organization inspired by Jewish values and history to provide vital services to refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons around the world, and to advocate for their fundamental rights."

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Cairo Item ID 77065
Cairo Source ID 34
Retrieved 2026-03-07 05:30:51 UTC
Curated 2026-03-07 08:30:49 UTC