NJ Jewish Leaders Plan Service Outside Elizabeth Jail; Solidarity With Immigrants, Refugees

A consortium of North Jersey clergy members plan to hold a ritual Tisha B'av service in solidarity with immigrants and refugees at the Elizabeth Detention Center on Monday, July 31.

According to a news release from organizers, the service – which includes several representatives and members of temples and synagogues throughout North Jersey - will take place at 8 p.m. at the detention center, which is located at 625 Evans Street in Elizabeth.

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Montclair Rabbi Elliott Tepperman of Bnai Keshet explained the purpose of the service:

“We will be observing Tisha B’Av at the Elizabeth Detention Center to remember, amplify and mourn the painful truth of our immigrant history… In so doing we are also declaring our solidarity with all immigrants and refugees who feel compelled to leave the safety of their homes to search for a safer life.”

Members and clergy from several North Jersey temples and synagogues plan to join Tepperman at the July 31 service:

• Cantor Kenny Feibush and Rabbi Laurence Groffman (Temple Sholom in Verona)
• Rachel Kahn-Troster (T'ruah the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights program director in Teaneck)
• Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz (Bnai Abraham in Livingston)
• Rabbi Hannah Ordin (Summit's Congregation Beth Hatikvah)
• Rabbi Susan Falk (Belle Mead's Kehillat Shalom)
• Archange Antoine (executive director of Faith in New Jersey)
• Leaders from Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield

Organizers said that the Tisha B'Av service will be held outside of the detention center on the street. Participants will “chant Lamentations, dwell with the sadness of Jewish history and proclaim commitment to safety and justice for all immigrants.”

For more information, call 973-746-4889 or visit www.bnaikeshet.org.

According to a statement from event organizers:

“The Elizabeth Detention Center houses about 300 individuals who are being processed for potential deportation. Their primary crime: being undocumented. While in detention, they're subject to a court process that can take anywhere from a few months to a year to determine whether they will be deported or allowed to remain in the US. Each person housed there was compelled to take the risks needed to come to the United States.”

• See related article: 1 In 10 New Jersey Inmates Will Likely Die In Jail, Report Says
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Photo (Elizabeth Detention Center): ICE.gov