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I recently visited a shelter for unaccompanied minors on the southern border. Most people spent months trekking through jungles and treacherous terrain before arriving on American soil to apply for asylum. While waiting to be reunited with their families, the children live in modest non-profit facilities and receive humanitarian aid and basic educational services.
Class had just started when I entered the building. Seven children stood facing the American flag on the wall and put their hands on their chests. Meanwhile, his 14-year-old exile from Ecuador chanted “I pledge allegiance…” and our chorus echoed him. …” He continued, “On the flag of the United States of America…” Again we replied, “On the flag of the United States of America…”.
So we continued together. One voice followed by many voices. I thought about how to criticize my country for not doing more and doing more. Too often, we forget the gift of being a US citizen. What a true privilege it is to be in this fertile land.
As we reached the final line of the pledge, I was deeply saddened to hear a hopeful young voice proclaim, “Liberty and justice for all.” Will this be a land of freedom and justice for children who have experienced hell?
With Title 42 on the brink of expansion, our country is creating asylum-seeker bottlenecks at our borders. Can you believe that there is enough room in this most hopeful land to welcome? We must act with open arms to those who fear for their lives.
I heard countless stories of beatings, kidnappings and famines in detention facilities, shelters and advocacy centers on both the Mexican and American sides of the border. The price of liberation paid by trauma and exploitation. In the days I was there, over 1,000 asylum seekers crossed the border. I saw women and children enter the frigid sea in strong winds. I crossed the border many times with privilege and ease while my family slept on the ground waiting for an opportunity for asylum.
I asked the same question to everyone I met: a detention center director, an unaccompanied minor shelter lead teacher, an immigration attorney, a family processing center midwife. Everyone answered the same: work. Do your best at what is in front of you.
In Jewish tradition, our scriptures teach: But what does it mean when “work” seems never-ending? For me, when I see something that feels impossible, I try to find even the smallest things. conduct. something. anything.
Sometimes making a difference in the lives of others in front of us is all we can do. They may not change policies or systems or even the trajectory of a person’s life, but they do change moments. I fully believe that acts of generosity and compassion keep our souls alive, especially when hope is hard to find.
In this spirit, I encourage you to lean into the place in the world where you need to look for hope, identify one small thing you can do, and do it. Make it true today, this week, that we are a nation of freedom and justice for all. Our resolution for this year is not only about who we are in our personal lives, but also who we want to be in the world. Each of us is a little light that grows through wonder and action.
In our own city, there are many great organizations that are striving to find light in the dark, to find hope in the face of loss, and to rejoice in the human experience of connecting with community. Catholic Charity of Southwest Ohio is our city’s designated resettlement agency. In this year from 2021 to his 2022, the number of families needing resettlement assistance has increased tenfold. Other prominent local institutions such as Kentucky Refugee Ministries and Heartfelt tidbits are also experiencing increased need. They need mentors, translation support, housing assistance and financial donations for refugees.
We may not be able to change everything, but we can change our city.
Miriam Terlinchamp is the rabbi of Temple Sholom of Blue Ash. For more information on how to help local asylum seekers in the Tristate area, contact Catholic Charities of Ohio, the Kentucky Department of Refugees, and some hearty tidbits. Contact Annunciation House and Hope Border Institute to donate directly to shelters in the El Paso, Texas borderlands that provide direct assistance to families in exile. To contribute to international assistance to refugees, please contact: HIAS.
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