The Smith College Jewish Community (SCJC) stands in strong opposition to Donald Trump’s executive order banning Muslims and refugees from entering the country. This executive order, signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a haunting reminder of our obligation as Jews to fight for the humanity of other marginalized groups and to open up our arms to all people seeking refuge.
The SCJC is committed to making our organization and our physical space of the Kosher Kitchen (on Paradise Road behind Jordan House) accessible, safe, and welcoming to all students, regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity, or race. In the next few weeks we will be holding sessions in the Kosher Kitchen, open to everyone, where we will be contacting our representatives and strategizing tangible next steps. The first of such meetings will occur at 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2 and will continue every following Tuesday at the same time. Additionally, we will be brainstorming ways that we can be in active solidarity with Muslim students, faculty, and staff on campus.
And of course, every Friday night we celebrate Shabbat as a community. Everyone is always welcome to join us in a space dedicated to being inclusive. We invite any and all ideas for how to grow this resistance and strengthen our solidarity. We will continue to respond to policies put forward by the Trump administration that exacerbate existing inequalities that violate our Jewish values.