18 Jewish Groups Urge Congress To Pass Bill Ending Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban

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By Josefin Dolsten April 11, 2019

(JTA) — Eighteen Jewish organizations called on Congress to pass a bill seeking to end President Donald Trump’s executive order banning citizens of certain predominantly Muslim countries.

On Wednesday, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., introduced bills in the Senate and House, respectively, to repeal three versions of the president’s travel ban. The current version places entry restrictions on citizens of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen.

HIAS, an immigrant advocacy and aid group formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, organized the letter sent Wednesday to members of Congress.

“We stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors, and in support of refugees and asylum seekers from around the world,” the letter reads. “As American Jews, we are proud of our country’s legacy as a place that welcomes people who are forced to flee their homelands in search of safety.”

Among the signatories are official groups representing the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Jewish denominations as well as the Orthodox social justice organization Uri L’Tzedek. American Jewish World Service, the Anti-Defamation League, J Street and the National Council of Jewish Women also signed.

Last year, the Supreme Court upheld Trump’s executive order mandating a ban on travel from several Muslim majority countries, a decision criticized by major Jewish organizations. Trump had issued similar bans twice before but they were blocked by lower courts.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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