|
Home | About JCA | Calendar | Contact Us |
||||
|
Home |
Postville Jewish Organizations and Allies Back JCA Efforts
Fifteen major Jewish organizations, bishops of the Catholic and Lutheran churches, and a congresswoman have come together in calling for a "new beginning" in the small Iowa town of Postville, home of a kosher meat-packing plant that has received considerable national attention.
On September 23, Jewish Community Action Executive Director Vic Rosenthal and Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, wrote a letter to Daniel Hirsch of Agri Star, urging the new owners of the Postville plant to collaborate with the Postville Community Benefits Alliance.
Along with JCA and JCUA, 13 other Jewish organizations signed on in support: American Jewish World Service; AVODAH, the Jewish Service Corps; Hazon; Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society; Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action; Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston; Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Jewish Labor Committee; Jews United for Justice; National Council of Jewish Women; Progressive Jewish Alliance; Uri L' Tzedek; and Workmen's Circle/Arbiter Ring.
Local Christian leaders have also backed
the Community Benefits Alliance. Rev. Dr. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop
of the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, wrote to Hirsch, "I wish you every success and will include
that petition with my prayers of gratitude for your role in the
restoration of this town." Rev. Jerome Hanus, archbishop of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, echoed that sentiment: "I believe that
it is important that as many people as possible, collaborate with the
Postville Community Alliance in order to provide an environment that
promotes the health and prosperity of the plant, its work force and
the town of Postville." In a separate letter to Hirsch, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) referred to the plant’s “poor working conditions [and] unethical treatment of animals” under its former owner, Agriprocessors, Inc. She added, "There is now the opportunity to usher in a new image for kosher meat production in Postville, free from violations of U.S. and Jewish Law."
Download the letter here (65K)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Postville: Multimedia
Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas was one of 26 federally certified interpreters called to Iowa (with no prior knowledge of the circumstances) as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained several hundred Agriprocessors employees; this was, at the time, the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. In the hastily run proceedings, most workers were not even aware that they faced criminal charges. Dr. Camayd-Freixas, a professor at Florida International University, was outraged. A story in the New York Times covered his reaction, including his description of the experience.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
New Year's Campaign: Hundreds of Messages Sent to New Plant Owners in Postville Hundreds of you prepared and sent postcards to the new ownership of the plant in Postville. It has been over a year since many of us went to Postville, Iowa, to demand better practices at the Agriprocessors kosher meat-packing plant and to call for humane, comprehensive immigration reform. Recently, a new company – SHF Industries – purchased Agriprocessors, now named Agri Star. We believe this is an opportunity for change! We care about the impact on the community, the work force, the animals and the environment. We
are asking SHF Industries CEO Daniel Hirsch to meet with and develop a
genuine and lasting working partnership with the newly created Postville
Community Benefits Alliance (PCBA) to ensure that the problems of the
past are not repeated. The PCBA – comprised of local congregations,
social service agencies, community leaders and their allies (including
Jewish Community Action and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs) – was
recently formed to ensure that everyone benefits this time around: the
workers, the community, the company and the consumers. -------------------------------------------------------------------
"When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him.
The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your
citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the
land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God."
On May 12, 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted what was, at the time, the largest single-site immigration raid in this country’s history. The raid was at the Agriprocessors plant, the nation’s largest kosher meat supplier. Over 390 people were detained, and over 250 arrested and charged. The majority of those swept up in the raid were from Guatemala and Mexico. This raid is not the first of its kind, but is unique because those arrested were charged with felonies and sentenced to five months in prison before being deported. This is the first time undocumented people have been criminally charged in the aftermath of a raid. Prior to this raid, they were instantly deported. This raid, like all raids, has torn families apart and has violated our own laws regarding due process of law and humane treatment of residents, whether they are citizens or non-citizens. Postville is a small town and the raid has had, and will continue to have, a devastating effect on this rural community. In addition to those in jail, women with children who were arrested were sentenced to five months of house arrest. Because they are unable to work during this time, it is nearly impossible for them to support their families. In the aftermath of the Postville raid, Jewish Community Action has been receiving numerous calls and emails asking questions about what being done and what is going on. Bellow you will find some frequently asked questions and our answers. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Frequently Asked Questions Q. I heard the raid happened because of poor treatment of workers in the Agriprocessors plant, is this true? A. No. It is true that there have been allegations of worker abuse at the Agriprocessors plant; however, the raid was not in response to this. Q. Why did the raid happen? A. The raid happened because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is trying to show that it is tough on those who violate US immigration laws. ICE is using intimidation and fear to scare immigrants and harm legal citizens as well. Q. Are raids really that bad? A. Raids separate families and violate our own laws regarding due process of law and humane treatment of residents, whether they are citizens or non-citizens. Raids harm legal citizens as well as non-citizens and turn rural towns upside down. Raids intimidate and harm legal citizens and employers who are trying to do the right thing. Q. How can we stop the raids? A. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed to protect the rights of people and to create a true and accessible path to citizenship. Raids are not a solution to our broken immigration system. Unless the system is mended, Postville will be just the beginning of a series of false attempts at solving the immigration “problem” in America. Q. What would Comprehensive Federal Immigration Reform (CFIR) do? A. CFIR would provide a path to citizenship, emphasize family reunification, legalize future migration, protect human rights; dignity and due process, and protect workers and employers. Q. My family came here legally, why can’t new immigrants do the same? A. Until we have CFIR, there is not path to citizenship available to the majority of new immigrants; there literally is not a way to do it under the current laws. Q. Why are there so many people coming here now from Mexico and Central and South America? A. U.S. trade policy, specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA-1994) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-2005) has made it extremely difficult for people to survive in their home countries. NAFTA and CAFTA have created greater wealth disparity, destroyed agriculture as a means for income and forced wages down in all countries involved. Economically, NAFTA, CAFTA and other U.S. trade policies have proven disastrous. Q. Why should I care about immigrants as a Jew? A. Our history compels us to stand up for justice, whether it affects us directly or indirectly. Jewish Community Action has long stood by immigrant communities who – much like our own - come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families, oftentimes escaping violence, war and poverty. We are also directed in the Torah to stand up for the strangers in our midst. Q. This is horrible! What is JCA doing about it? A. Jewish Community Action is working with other organizations to come up with a response to this disastrous situation. We are thinking about the short term: meeting the needs of the people now by raising money –and the long term: how to organize around this to stop future raids. We will be updating you shortly as we have more concrete plans. Q. I understand that we need to work for immigrants’ rights, but what about the workers’ rights too? A. Immigrants are workers, and until there is comprehensive federal immigration reform, the national immigration debate should not be fought out in the workplace on the backs of workers. Q. What is JCA doing about workers’ rights? A. We are working on a new campaign initiative called Hekhsher Tzedek, a marking that would indicate kosher food was produced in a manner that respected the workers, the animals and the earth. Many of the problems in the kosher food production industry are food industry-wide. Of course, that does not mean that makes it all right. It does mean that the Jewish community has an obligation regarding food being produced specifically for us. By definition, kosher food is in compliance with Jewish dietary and ritual laws. This campaign will bring kosher food into compliance with Jewish ethical law and social justice values. Q. Does the Hekhsher Tzedek replace the existing kosher certification? A. No – it will be used in addition to traditional kosher certification. Only food already certified as kosher will be eligible to receive a Hekhsher Tzedek. Q. Why should we care about this as Jews? A. As Jews, we are in a unique position to advocate for improved working conditions, environmental standards and business practices in kosher food-producing businesses.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Jewish Illegal Immigration: Jewish Community Action has long stood by immigrant communities who – much like our own - come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families, oftentimes escaping violence, war and poverty. As U.S. Immigration policies have shifted over the years, oftentimes tightening on different groups and populations, pockets of “illegal” immigration have followed. Currently, the policies are tightened on the peoples of Mexico and Central and South America. It was not that long ago, that Jews were in a similar situation. In the 1920s, the U.S. passed unprecedented immigration laws that created nation-based quotas aimed at slowing down Eastern and Southern European immigration and eliminating Asian immigration. The idea was to keep out those deemed “undesirable,” such as Jews. This legislation kept many Eastern European Jews from coming to the U.S.; however, it did not stop them entirely. Therefore, Jews too came here “illegally,” for similar reasons and with similar methods including: · entering with fake papers or someone else’s papers · crossing the Canadian and Mexican border by train, car, foot or plane, sometimes alone and sometimes with “coyotes” (smugglers) and · entering via Cuba by boat to Florida or Louisiana Due to their immigration status many Jews kept a low profile and it is difficult to know the exact numbers who came through “illegally,” however it has been estimated that at least tens of thousands arrived this way between 1921 and 1924 alone. Similar reactions existed then for Jews as do now for Latinos including: · extensive records of federal investigations of smuggling rings involving American and foreign Jews · extensive records of individuals caught violating U.S. immigration law and · extensive media coverage about the “flood of illegal immigrants” Additionally, when the U.S. tried to pass laws requiring foreign non-citizens register with the government, the Jews lead the charge in calling them “un-American,” and condemned the quota laws as well. Later in the late 1930s with quota laws still restricting immigration, Jews were turned away and left to face a dire reality back in Europe. In addition to Jews, many other groups of people have been excluded from immigrating to the U.S. throughout time for various reasons, and like the Jews, have made efforts to come despite the existence of an unwelcoming atmosphere. As Jews, we are commanded to stand up for the strangers in our midst and in this situation, we cannot turn our backs. ------------------------------------------------------------------- On October 19,
2008,
Jewish Community Action presented
Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas
Read
more about Dr.
Camayd-Freixas. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Help Is Needed Immediately! Money and Food are the biggest need for the families affected. Please send checks to:
Jewish Community Action
·
Write a letter to the editor denouncing raids and calling for
comprehensive federal immigration reform.
In
the coming days and weeks, stay tuned for info about: For more information please call: 651.632.2184 and ask to speak with Vic or Lauren Please email: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org or vic@jewishcommunityaction.org Letter from Rabbi Kravitz regarding Postville
Jewish Community Action's mission is to |
POSTVILLE NEWS
Postville Film
A Translator's
Account
Jewish Community Action responds to Postville On Sunday July 27, 2008 Jewish Community Action led a caravan down to Postville, Iowa. In Iowa, we were joined by local organizations, families affected by the raids, union members, church members responding to the raids, and fellow concerned Jews from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) of Chicago. We delivered much-needed food and monetary donations and participated in community activities in support of workers' rights and immigrants' rights.
Monetary donations can still be mailed to JCA: For more information, contact Lauren Bastien, Melissa Rudnick or Vic Rosenthal.
For Email Marketing you can trust
|
|
|
Jewish Community
Action |
|
