All Cops Are Bastards

A group of rabbis were arrested on Thursday evening while protesting outside of 26 Federal Plaza, a Lower Manhattan immigration courthouse where a number of immigrants detained by ICE are being held.

The demonstration, named “Jews Demand: ICE Out!,” drew hundreds of New Yorkers who condemned the federal agency, and was led by a swath of rabbis who denounced ICE through a Jewish lens.

“G-d takes the side of immigrants. And G-d demands that we do the same,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

The protest was organized by T’ruah and another progressive Jewish group, Bend the Arc. The two groups previously staged a protest outside ICE headquarters in Washington D.C. in February, when public outcry against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics was at a high.

The latest protest comes as the intensity of opposition has receded even as the agency continues to arrest and move to deport migrants at a rapid clip. It was notable for including a wide range of Jewish organizations that do not always work together, particularly as debates over Israel have divided Jewish progressives.

“I would say that I think it’s representative of a cross of different parts of the community, different denominations, folks who have, I would say, differences in other political views but are able to really be together here today,” said Jamie Beran, Bend the Arc’s CEO, in an interview.

Organizations represented by rallygoers on Thursday included the Workers’ Circle, the Jewish Labor Committee, New York Jewish Agenda, HIAS and Zioness, among others.

Many speakers called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass the New York for All Act, which would ban local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal agents such as ICE.

In addition to Jacobs, the rabbis who spoke included Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim; Hilly Haber of Central Synagogue; Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism; Ellen Lippmann, formerly of Kolot Chaiyenu; and Roly Matalon of B’nai Jeshurun.

A dozen clergy, including 10 rabbis and two reverends, were arrested after blocking traffic in front of 26 Federal Plaza. The rabbis included two — Fort Tryon Jewish Center’s Guy Austrian and Congregation Beth Elohim’s Stephanie Kolin — who currently work in synagogues.

Phylisa Wisdom, the executive director of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, made an appearance at the protest, as did the progressive congressional candidate Brad Lander.