as i think of the situation at the southern border of the usa, i understand the fear of many in our country who say that we cannot take in an infinite number of refugees who are fleeing horrific conditions in their own countries. some of us are afraid that those who make their way across the border will take jobs away from those already here. others believe that our economy will not withstand the demands made on it by immigrants who are destitute. so often, i hear the complaint that we simply cannot take on the needs of every person who seeks asylum here. then there are those who decry the effect on what they perceive to be our culture, those who see their vision of a white-dominated english-speaking society being destroyed by an influx of large numbers of brown, spanish-speaking invaders. a few days ago i heard a couple of trump supporters who were being interviewed on television as they cheered his positions that they believed would return us to an earlier time like the 1950s when "everyone knew their place," meaning that those who were white and born in this country were in control and people of color were subservient to that white majority.
we are being forced to choose between two americas: the one that maintains the dominance of a shrinking white majority and the one that believes that we ought to welcome those who come to us for the protection and support that they cannot find in their own lands. will we be the america of emma lazarus' poem, "the new colossus" that, like the statue of liberty, "glows world-wide welcome?" will we say, "send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me," or will we be a nation that turns its back on the needs of "[the] tired, [the] poor, [the] huddled masses yearning to breath free?" we live in the richest country in the world. we are a nation of immigrants. we must live up to our ideals and the beliefs on which the country was founded. our declaration of independence says that "all . . . are created equal, . . . endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." surely, we cannot suppose that those rights are only granted to native-born americans if all are created equal.
our national character is being tested. though granting asylum to those seeking to escape persecution, crime, poverty, and corruption in other lands may put a strain on our economy, in the long run our country will be strengthened by our compassion for others and our willingness to act on that compassion. may we be who we say we are, the "mother of exiles." may we not be fearful of those come from other cultures, speaking a language other than english. may we continue to be enriched culturally and economically by those who come seeking sanctuary. shalom.
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