Letter from Minnesota Jewish Clergy Regarding ICE Presence

January 16, 2026

.וַאֲהַבְתֶּם אֶת־הַגֵּר כִּי־גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:19)

As rabbis and cantors across Minnesota, we write out of collective concern for what is happening in our beloved state. No matter how you understand the need for immigration reform and border security, the actions of federal agents in our home are having a devastating impact on the people of our communities. This is a moment that requires us to stand united with our fellow Minnesotans.

We grieve the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good z’l, fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7th in front of her wife and horrified neighbors. We mourn for Renee’s death and the heartbreak her family and loved ones are experiencing.

Alongside our grief is horror: horror that our fellow Minnesotans are terrified to leave their homes and even to answer their doors. Many people are not going to the jobs they rely on to afford their basic needs, or to attend worship services. Parents are scared to send their children to school. Schools, daycare centers and businesses are afraid to open, as ICE makes arrests on their doorsteps. Community members who are eager to help are fearful, in the wake of Renee Good's killing, that they, too, may be targeted, harassed, or even killed. Our tradition repeatedly teaches us to love the stranger, remembering that we too have known the experience of being immigrants in a new land.

And alongside that horror is resolve: resolve to take action - as individuals and as a collective - to bear witness and make a difference. Right now we witness agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wreaking havoc across our state. These actions have no home here. This is not what we know to be good and right as Minnesotans across the political spectrum who protect each other, the stranger in our midst, and our shared human dignity. 

We know this moment is overwhelming and can make us feel helpless in the face of a monumental challenge. Even as we need to ensure our own physical and mental wellbeing, we can’t let our fears stop us from taking the first step of action.  We take strength from the prophet Jeremiah,

אַ֠תָּ֠ה אַל־תִּירָ֞א עַבְדִּ֤י יַֽעֲקֹב֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י אִתְּךָ֖ אָ֑נִי

But you, have no fear, My servant Jacob —declares God— For I am with you. (Jeremiah 46:28)

There are many avenues to stand up to protect our communities and it is incumbent upon all of us to get involved. Stand With Minnesota has organized various ways to get involved and we are here to help you access resources and find paths for action.

We hope that in the days ahead, chesed, kindness, will define the way we interact with each other.  We know that all people are created in the image of God, regardless of immigration status. As we move ahead, we pray for comfort from the grief we are experiencing, courage to witness pain even when it is uncomfortable, and the resolve to take action toward building the world we want to see.  We pray: 

Ribbono Shel Olam,
Protect our cities and our state. Spread a canopy of peace and protection over all those wrongfully targeted by ICE at this moment. Strengthen those who stand beside them.
Grant sound judgment, integrity, and compassion to all who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping our communities safe.
Help us uphold our sacred duty to care for one another, for the stranger and the needy among us. And may our cities and State be a place where people of every background and beliefs know safety, dignity, and peace.

Members of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association and the Minnesota Cantors Association

Rabbi Esther Adler

Rabbi Jill Avrin

Rabbi Barbara Block

Rabbi Michaela Brown

Rabbi Eva Cohen

Rabbi Norman Cohen

Rabbi Barry D. Cytron

Rabbi Alexander Davis

Rabbi Max Davis

Hazzan Joanna Dulkin

Rabbi Shoshana Dworsky

Rabbi Avraham Ettedqui

Cantor Wendi Fried

Rabbi Joey Glick

Rabbi Matt Goldberg

Rabbi Yosi Gordon

Rabbi Jennifer G. Hartman

Cantor Tamar Havilio

Rabbi Justin Held 

Rabbi Rebecca Kamil 

Rabbi Ricky Kamil

Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman

Rabbi Harold J. Kravitz

Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg

Rabbi Lynn Liberman

Rabbi David Locketz

Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm

Rabbi Cathy Nemiroff

Rabbi Avi S. Olitzky

Rabbi Debra Rappaport

Rabbi Heather Renetzky

Rabbi Shalom Resnick Bell

Rabbi Jason Rodich

Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg

Rabbi Sam Schauvaney

Rabbi Jeffrey Schein

Cantor Heather Seid

Rabbi Sammy Seid

Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker

Cantor Rachel Stock Spilker

Rabbi David Steinberg

Rabbi Sharon Stiefel

Cantor Jennifer Strauss-Klein

Rabbi Samantha Thal

Rabbi David B. Thomas

Rabbi Aaron Weininger

Rabbi Michelle Werner

Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman