Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center Rabbi Joshua Grater equates Arizona law to Nazi Germany,

From the ExilePasadena Jewish Temple & Center Rabbi Joshua Grater equates Arizona law to Nazi Germany, says Muslims suffered horrible discrimination after 9-11

And while it has been the Jews in the past, and we should be careful today too for I never totally think we are out of the woods in this regard, and while it was Muslims after 9/11, who suffered horrible discrimination, mostly out of the public sight, today it is illegal immigrants, people who are marginal in our country, hiding in the shadows, unable to live full lives because of their status. And while the scope of this sermon cannot fully address all the necessary components of this status, how it came to be, why folks come to America illegally and what should be done about it, this much I can say: our system is broken, comprehensive immigration reform is absolutely necessary and needed now, and laws like the one just passed in Arizona, SB 1070, are only coming to put an ugly, torn-up, shredded band-aid on a massive domestic policy issue.

Our Torah teaches us that when we set up a community, residents and strangers are to be treated fairly and equally. In fact, this week’s portion, Emor, says, in the section reiterating some aspects of criminal law, “You shall have one standard for stranger and citizen alike: for I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 24:22) We know what it is like as Jews to be the stranger, the outsider, even here in America, as my short historical opening reminded us. Yet, the verse ends, “for I am the Lord your God,” calling us to remember that human beings, all people, citizen and strangers, are children of God, and deserve to be treated as such. I understand that we have borders, we have sovereign nations and rights as citizens, and while we can argue about whether those are healthy or not, I am concerned about the overt racism and ugliness that a law like Arizona just passed is fomenting. Law enforcement will now become border patrol officers; police have the right to pull over anyone who “looks” illegal, which will lead to serious racial profiling; people will be asked to produce their papers, their documents, reminding us Jews what that was like in Germany, and we were citizens of the country. If a mother goes out to get an ice cream for her child, she risks being arrested, deported and separated from her family forever. This is already happening with the current system, as unless you are involved in this issue, you wouldn’t know how many people’s lives have been torn apart and destroyed because of our lack of healthy, respectful and meaningful immigration policy
Sermon on Immigration Reform | Opinion