Two weeks ago, Rabbi Marc Israel penned a letter to his loved ones just in case he didn’t make it back alive from protesting ICE in Minneapolis.
The Rockville rabbi was among more than 600 clergy members who gathered on Jan. 23 to demand that ICE leave the city and support residents against federal immigration enforcement actions, answering a call from the Multifaith Antiracism, Change & Healing.
The clergy all-call comes in response to federal officers’ presence in cities across the United States, part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort. In January, two 37-year-old Minneapolis residents — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were fatally shot by ICE agents, as well as six other people in 2026 thus far.
“We’re living in a moment where we are watching federal troops act in ways that have been deemed illegal by several courts, with brazenness and, now, deadliness,” said Israel. “That is not the America I recognize, … so I felt the pull to be there.”
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, rabbi emeritus of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, felt that same pull toward Minneapolis.
“This is a national moment that calls on all people of faith and conscience to raise our voice, to both bear witness and be in a place to potentially make a difference and to learn and bring back the lessons from our Minnesota siblings,” Dobb said.
“We came at the call of local organizers who were resisting the ICE invasion of their city, the attacks on Somali and Latino Minnesotans, on anyone who dared to demand human decency,” Rabbi Scott Perlo of Adat Shalom wrote in an email through Jews United for Justice.
Protest signs in hand, Israel, Perlo and Dobb joined hundreds of fellow faith leaders nationwide in the streets of southern Minneapolis, which is home to a large immigrant population.
“I took part in walking the streets in south Minneapolis, just to be there in case there was any ICE action, to be able to record it,” Israel said.
He noted that that wasn’t a problem, as Vice President JD Vance met with business leaders, federal immigration enforcement officers and local law enforcement in the area the day prior.
“Also, just to witness and see what’s going on there, where grocery stores have to keep their doors locked and only let people in one at a time in order to provide a safe space for people to be able to shop and not have ICE come in,” Israel said.
Hundreds of business owners in Minnesota closed entirely to protest the ICE presence, according to BBC News.
(Courtesy of Rabbi Marc Israel)
The D.C.-area rabbis ran into colleagues from various religions, all united for one cause.
“We live our best lives and also do best for the Jews, so to speak, when we deeply connect with our neighbors across faith traditions,” Dobb said. “My advocacy and friendships and work … all entail regular coordination and deep connection with people of all faiths.”
“The two things that stood out the most were the fear and the love,” Israel said. “Everybody was in a state of fear — not fear for themselves, but fear for their neighbors. But we also witnessed incredible acts of love, of mutual aid societies that are supporting immigrant communities, of people who [were] standing at street corners [and] bus stops. It was pretty darn cold there.”
The following morning, on Jan. 24, Israel attended a demonstration at the Minneapolis airport to protest flights carrying immigrants detained by federal immigration enforcement.
“ICE is often not detaining people in Minneapolis, but going straight to the airport and flying them to Texas,” Israel said. “This has included people who work at the airport.”
Israel, the rabbi at Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville, said he was concerned for his safety — federal agents have a history of attacking those who try to film or document their activity.
But he chose to show up anyway.
“I felt like it was a risk,” Israel said. “In fact, one of the things they asked us to do, if, God forbid, something would have happened, … was to write a letter to explain to our loved ones why we went. So I had prepared that letter.”
He likened the protests to military service, knowing that he’s actively putting himself in harm’s way to stand up for his beliefs.
“I believe that an America that protects civil rights, an America that is governed by laws and follows due process, is something that is worth fighting for,” Israel said. “We’re fighting for our country out on the battlefield. You know that that is a risk, but you do it because you believe in protecting our country.”
This activism relates to Jewish values and text, according to the rabbis.
“There are many issues that it’s easy to look in the Torah and see multiple perspectives,” Israel said. “One issue that does not is the need to protect the stranger; that is as clear as can be. It is repeated 36 different times in different ways and is the heart of what it means to be Jewish.”
A week before traveling to Minneapolis, Perlo testified in Rockville before the Montgomery County Council in support of a bill to end the county’s collaboration with ICE. The rabbi quoted Leviticus: “When an immigrant lives with you in your land, do not abuse them.”
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who also protested in Minneapolis, said activism is effective in numbers.
“I think it was really profoundly impactful already seeing the administration backtrack and have to change its narrative about what’s happening and speak the truth,” Pesner said.
He spoke to the fact that last week, Gregory Bovino was removed from his “commander at large” role for the U.S. Border Patrol and will return to his former job in El Centro, California. “It’s moving in the right direction,” Pesner said. “We want to see major reforms on ICE and Homeland Security.”
The work wasn’t done after the protest in Minneapolis. Dobb, Israel, Pesner and Rabbi Amelia Wolf of Congregation Etz Hayim and others from the D.C. area were among the more than 80 clergy members with Faith in Action who gathered for a prayer protest against funding for ICE and the United States Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 29 at the Capitol.
The local Jewish community also has anti-ICE demonstrations scheduled in February.
