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As Jews, our history is one of upheaval, woven of countless migrations and border-crossings; a repeated cycle of wandering and settling, exile and homecoming. We were born the moment when Abraham and Sarah answered God’s call, choosing to leave their homeland and step into a blessing-still-unfolding. In so many times and so many places, we knew that to remain would mean death—physical, cultural and spiritual destruction. And so we left. Because we traveled, we have endured. From the Egyptian Empire to the Soviet Empire, we Jews have survived and thrived not by building walls, but by crossing borders. Propelled by fear, sustained by hope, we have fled for our lives, and built our futures anew.
Today, there are thousands of people seeking asylum in New York City who share our stories of migration. What do we as Jewish New Yorkers owe our newest neighbors? Over the course of three chapters, you will meet three people who are building their lives anew: Yeni, Zahra, and Blair. Each chapter begins with their firsthand accounts of migration. In each account, you will hear the particular vulnerabilities and external circumstances that have shaped their experiences. You will encounter beauty, humanity, and perhaps even God at work in the world as you read their words. You will also serve as witness to their respective journeys, each of which is still in progress. Their accounts serve as a starting point for Jewish theological and ethical reflection on the crisis facing asylum seekers today in New York City.
The texts I share from Jewish tradition are not meant to serve as a comprehensive or exhaustive overview of Jewish law, literature, and history. Rather, they are pieces woven together that are responsive to Yeni, Zahra, and Blair’s experiences. The theologies and ethical lessons which emerge from each account are informed and sharpened by the scholarship of theologians and ethicists from many different faith traditions and backgrounds. This dissertation marks the beginning of a lifelong pursuit: the construction of relevant, meaningful Jewish ethics and theology that are grounded in lived experience and bring together traditional Jewish texts and history with liberative theologies and ethics from a multitude of voices and traditions. Such ethics and theology point us toward a more just future for all communities.