Why Making Stephen Miller An Outcast In The Jewish World Makes A Difference To His Victims
Stephen Miller watches as U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivers remarks during the daily White House press briefing on March 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Image by Getty Images
By Faith Williams June 20, 2018
In her June 18 piece, “Jews Should Disown Stephen Miller Over Trump’s Family Separation Disgrace,” Jane Eisner asks, “should the American Jewish community disown Stephen Miller?” Jewish leaders and thousands of Jewish activists have already shared their answer and it is a resounding yes.
This February, more than 17 Jewish organizations signed a letter authored and organized by the National Council of Jewish Women addressed to Chief of Staff John Kelly, urging him to remove Miller from the White House. Since then, over 2,600 Jewish advocates and our interfaith partners have signed an NCJW petition addressed to President Trump, also demanding Miller’s removal.
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: Stephen Miller does not belong in a position of national leadership.
We’ve made our case against Miller, and we’ve made our ask of this administration. But, as Ms. Eisner also asks, does it make a difference?
As someone who has dedicated a fair amount of professional time and energy to removing Senior Advisory Stephen Miller from his role in the White House, my answer is also yes.
It will take more than a letter to reverse this administration’s inhumane policies crafted by Miller. But every time the Jewish community disavows Miller, we send a message to marginalized communities that we stand in solidarity with them and that we won’t back down.
Our people have been persecuted too many times in history for us to do otherwise. I believe that the victims of Miller’s persecution hear us, and that it makes a difference to them.
Faith Williams is a Senior Legislative Associate at the National Council of Jewish Women.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
