Dear Temple Beth El,
Over the past several days, Federal Border Patrol agents have carried out an intensified enforcement operation across our city. Videos of masked agents detaining people in grocery store parking lots, near workplaces, and in front of children have circulated widely. The scale and manner of this operation have left many frightened and uncertain about what this week may bring.
Officials have described these actions as focused on dangerous offenders. However, the lived experience unfolding across our city is more complicated. Families who have no criminal history and who simply want to live their lives in peace now find themselves deeply unsettled. Businesses have closed. Parents are keeping children home from school. Entire neighborhoods have gone quiet, almost overnight. The ordinary rhythms that make a city feel like home are being disrupted.
Within our congregation, this moment is personal. We have members who do not have permanent immigration status. We have staff and volunteers connected to families at Sterling Elementary, our adopted CMS school, who are afraid to leave their homes. We have congregants who witnessed neighbors taken. And we also know that people in our Temple community are experiencing this moment very differently. Some are afraid. Some feel torn between a belief in public safety and a deep concern for the human cost of these actions. Others feel relief, believing that strong immigration enforcement contributes to national security.
Jewish life teaches us to pay close attention to moments like this. Our people remember with painful clarity what it means to feel vulnerable in a place you hoped would keep you safe. These memories live in us. We carry stories of what happens when power operates without transparency or care, and we also understand that communities need safety and that governments have responsibilities. Jewish wisdom has never asked us to choose between compassion and security. It asks us to bring both into the conversation with honesty. It asks us to safeguard life while looking closely at how power is used so that the pursuit of safety does not erase the humanity of those most vulnerable. Our tradition has taught us again and again that the measure of any community is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.
At Temple Beth El, our mission calls us to cultivate connected, proud, meaningful Jewish living that inspires change in our world. In this moment, we live that mission by offering reassurance, clarity, and care.
To offer grounding in a moment when many feel unsteady, we want to restate a few important commitments about safety and access to our building:
- Border Patrol or ICE agents may not enter Temple Beth El without a valid warrant.
- Our staff are trained never to grant access without proper documentation and to notify security.
- While we always ensure our proper compliance with applicable legal obligations, we do so with the deepest care for the safety, dignity, and privacy of every person in our building.
We share these details not because we anticipate an immediate issue, but because reassurance matters when people do not feel safe.
We also want to speak directly to the emotional and spiritual weight of this moment. For some, the news of immigration raids awakens deep memories that sit close to the surface of Jewish experience. For others, it stirs empathy for neighbors who now fear the very things our own families once feared. And for some, this moment raises moral and civic questions that do not have easy answers. Wherever you find yourself, please know that your clergy are here for you. If you or someone you love feels frightened, overwhelmed, or uncertain about next steps, you do not have to navigate this alone. Contact Renata Rosenberg, Clergy Administrative Assistant, to connect with us.
Moments like this also create rapid waves of misinformation. Posts circulate quickly and can deepen fear even when shared with good intentions. We encourage everyone to pause before reposting anything and to rely on trusted organizations, attorneys, and local partners who have expertise in this work.
For those who want to support neighbors most affected, we encourage learning from and, when appropriate, supporting organizations doing direct, on the ground work, including including Siembra NC and Carolina Migrant Network. These groups understand the landscape of immigration enforcement in Charlotte and can guide community members safely and responsibly.
If you’re looking for additional ways to support our neighbors, please see the bottom of this email for opportunities by local partners.
In this unsettled moment, our tradition calls us not to turn away but to draw closer. We remember that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. We remember the stories of our ancestors, who carried both vulnerability and resilience. And we remember that the heart of Jewish life is the commitment to see the humanity in every person who walks beside us.
May we choose steadiness over panic.
May we choose compassion over indifference.
May we remember that security and dignity can and must coexist.
And may we continue to hold one another with tenderness, clarity, and hope.
With strength and care,
Rabbi Asher Knight
Cantor Danielle Rodnizki
Rabbi Beth Nichols
Rabbi Lexi Erdheim
Jonathan Friedman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
A-J Secrist, Temple President
Opportunities to Support Locally
- VOLUNTEER
Siembra NC and Carolina Migrant Network are hosting volunteer trainings to monitor certain corners and corridors. Siembra NC offers “Safe to Work, Safe to School” trainings. After training, you may sign up for stationary or roaming patrols. Trainings are available both in person and via Zoom. More are being added each day. - DONATE
We have heard from our partner Sterling Elementary School that their families have immediate need for fresh food and diapers. If you would like to help these families meet their basic needs, please donate to the Sterling School Contributions Fund.
These local organizations also require immediate financial assistance to support our immigrant neighbors.- Carolina Migrant Network fuses legal services and community advocacy to provide holistic support for their clients and their families.
- ourBRIDGE for KIDS provides after-school programs and wrap-around services for immigrant and refugee families at three locations in Charlotte (East & Southwest). They are conducting a food and coat drive.
- Carolina Migrant Network fuses legal services and community advocacy to provide holistic support for their clients and their families.
- SHOP LOCAL
At this time, many vulnerable families are choosing to stay home. Immigrant restaurants and other businesses suffer. Spend your dollars to support the most impacted businesses (and get a great meal!). Here’s a great place to start.
