Northern California Jewish bulletin (San Francisco, Calif.), Volume 134, Number 44, 1 November 1985 — Kehilla is first area Jewish congregation housing refugee [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kehilla is first area Jewish congregation housing refugee

By TAMAR KAUFMAN Of the Bulletin Staff

Kehilla Community-Synagogue has become the first Jewish congregation in Northern California to openly risk housing a Central American refugee. The refugee, a young man from Guatemala, is staying in the home of a congregant. He was welcomed into Berkeley's "synagogue without walls" during a special service last Tuesday at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. Kehilla was one of three congregations welcoming Central Americans that evening. The others were St. John's and Communidades Ecclesial de Base Sagrada Familia in Acampo, Calif. While a number of Bay Area congregations of all faiths have joined the sanctuary movement, declaring in principle that they support the protection of refugees from the violent chaos of Central America, only a few have openly challenged federal authorities by sheltering or transporting the illega’ aliens. "The most important thing is to actually take refugees into our homes," insisted Rabbi Burt Jacobson of Kehilla. "A Jew should imagine him or herself in Europe in 1942. If a Christian family would only take you in, then perhaps your life could be saved. That's the situation that these refugees are in. If they were sent back to El Salvador or Guatemala, most of them would disappear, and many would be killed." The evening also included the induction of seven new religious organizations into the loosely-knit sanctuary movement. Among them were Kehilla, Beyt Chesed (a prayer-study group), New Jewish Agenda (a political organization), and Congregation Beth El, the most recent synagogue to declare itself a sanctuary. About 500 people attended the service, which was deliberately planned for Oct. 22, the first day of a trial of 11 sanctuary workers in

Tucson, Ariz., who faced numerous federal charges including conspiracy, transporting illegal aliens, and concealing, harboring or shielding illegal aliens. The penalty for each violation is five years imprisonment and/or a fine of S2,OCX) to $lO,OOO. One after another, the new sanctuary congregations addressed the gathering. Sue Goldberg represented Beyt Chesed; Wilma Rader, Beth El; and Ari Davidow, New Jewish Agenda. Speaking for Kehilla, congregant Roberta Maisel said that her synagogue "is proud and happy to participate in whatever way it can in the sanctuary movement.” Kehilla voted to shelter refugees during a general membership meeting in July. Asked about the risk of his congregants facing a trial like the one in Tucson, Jacobson said, "It all depends on whether the INS [lmmigration and Naturalization Service] decides to really confront the sanctuary movement in the Bay Area. If they do, then Kehilla will be involved."

The government, specifically the INS, claims that the Central Americans are in this country simply to seek jobs, and classifies them as illegal aliens. The sanctuary workers cite statistics from the U.N. High Commission, various human rights groups, church organizations and independent delegations plus eyewitness accounts from the Central Americans themselves to prove that these people are fleeing for their lives. One of the defendants in the Tucson trial, Rev. John Fife of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, flew to Berkeley to participate in the service at St. John's. He reported that the judge has instructed the jury to treat his case as "just another case of smuggling." Jacobson is realistic about the risks. "I think it very possible that they're going to lose in Tucson,” he said. "The judge has been instructed by the INS to make sure that these people are found guilty. I think it will probably go to the Supreme Court. There's where we'll see what happens." Kehilla is not the only Jewish organization that would be implicated in an INS investigation in the Bay Area. Ari Davidow, who represents New Jewish Agenda to the East Bay Sanctuary Coalition, asserted that the Northern- California chapter also is committed to housing refugees but not openly. "To the best of my knowledge, some members have already taken in refugees," he said. But he declined to elaborate. Said Jacobson: "If the INS comes down on the Bay Area, they're going to have a hot time on their hands. In my estimation, there's a lot more public support here than there would be in Tucson. I tend to feel they would concentrate on areas of the country where there wouldn't be a lot of public support for the sanctuary movement, but they could always decide they want

to make an issue of it here. I don't know their strategy." The sanctuary movement considers Central American refugees to be political refugees. Political refugees, as opposed to economic refugees, are protected against deportation to the country of persecution by the U N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Geneva Conventions, and the (U.S.) Refugee Act of 1980, sanctuary workers say. The activists claim that, by deporting the Central Americans, the INS is breaking American and international law. Despite the risk, some 250 religious organizations around the country have joined the sanctuary movement with the largest concentration more than 50 in Northern California. Oct. 15, the Berkeley Hillel Foundation became the first Hillel in the country to declare itself a sanctuary. Local Jewish activists have formed their own group, called the Jewish Sanctuary Coalition, which

serves as an information clearinghouse for organizations and individuals who want to get involved. Member Steve Leibman is the contact person, at 835-2235. In addition, more and more congregations and organizations are looking into the sanctuary issue. It will come before the board of directors of Temple Sinai in Oakland Thursday, Nov. 14, for example. Also considering the question are Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater East Bay. Rabbi Ira Book of Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro plans to bring it to his congregation next month. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations is considering endorsing the sanctuary movemeff during its current convention, which runs through Tuesday. The Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform) and the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) already did so at their last conventions.

Photos by Tamar Kaufman Roberta Maisel congregation on the line

Jews ofler masked Central American refugees a safe haven during welcomM* service at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Berkeley last week.