JewishJournal.com March 13, 2014:
While many devout Jews across the United States and elsewhere observed the pre-Purim tradition of fasting on Thursday, March 13, more than 200 Jewish women and men are going without food today for a different cause: immigration reform.
This year, members and supporters of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) have recast the Fast of Esther, a minor fast day named for the Purim story’s heroine, as part of a month-long campaign to urge the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation this year.
The “Fast for Families,” a nationwide campaign that began on March 8 and will culminate with an event in Washington, D.C., on April 9, is being led by a coalition of faith groups, labor unions and other organizations pushing for immigration reform legislation. While the broader campaign mentions Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez as models for their current action — all three men fasted to draw attention to their causes – NCJW is looking to Esther for inspiration.
“We hope to draw on Queen Esther’s courage as we fast to call attention to the importance of just, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform that is sensitive to the needs of women, children, and families,” NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman said in a statement.
For the estimated 11 million immigrants believed to be living in the U.S. without legal status, 2013 saw the Senate pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a path to citizenship. But any hope for immigration reform in 2014 would require that bill to be taken up by the House, which has not yet happened.
Brian Williams from Compton High School comments: “Are you kidding me? Fasting for illegal aliens? If these jews are so concerned then why doesnt Israel want these illegal aliens…oh, I forgot, jewish Israel forces BLACK immigrant women into forced STERILIZATION…why arent these jewish women fasting for immigrant rights in Israel?”
