Wayne Dosick    By Wayne Dosick       List of honorees         Louis Rose Society         Jewishsightseeing home  San Diego Jewish Times  home

Rabbinic Insights: Yearning to Breathe Free

San Diego Jewish Times, June 2, 2006

By Rabbi Wayne Dosick

If the United States of America did not have open doors, my grandparents could not have come, and most likely, I would not be here, in this "land of the free."

If the United States of America did not have open doors, my grandparents would have remained in Ukraine and Poland, my parents, and then I, might have been born there, and we all would have been fodder for Hitler’s hell.

Yes, there were quotas and restrictions; yes, there were qualifications and requirements; and yes, there were eventually tests for citizenship, but, for the most part, America was an open gateway for those who wished to come here, seeking political, religious, cultural, and economic freedom and opportunity. Perhaps the streets were not paved with gold, but it was a "golden land," a place where the American dream could be lived and fulfilled. From poor, uneducated immigrants who worked hard and were deeply committed to a better life for their children and their children's children, in but a generation or two, we have entered into the highest levels of accomplishment and recognition.

The Johnson Act of 1922-23 ended the open door policy, set strict quotas, and essentially shattered the dream for so many that wanted to come. The invitation inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" was suddenly revoked.

How many, we wonder and grieve, might have been saved from the destruction in Europe had America's gates been more open and her arms more welcoming?

And now, many, many others, in whom the same yearning for freedom and opportunity burns, want to come. And how does our beloved country respond?

Build a wall. Keep them out!

Irony of ironies. Israel builds a wall to keep out those who wish to destroy her, and America strenuously objects. Now, America wants to build a wall to keep out those who wish to come to build up the country and to be built by it, and many — far too many — cheer. Irony of ironies. Never, never, oh American leaders, let us hear a negative word about Israel’s wall. Never, never let us hear an objection to a country that wishes to keep out suicide bombers who come to annihilate her.

Why does America wish to keep out those who want to come? Why is America building a wall?

Obviously, the United States has something to offer that so very many want. And, it is almost silly to say — but it is so correct: this country was built by immigrants. Shall we say that there is a lid on our melting pot? Shall we say that we are content as we are? Shall we now isolate ourselves from the skills, and the talents, and the cultural richness that so many will bring and continue to weave into the fabric of our country?

Some say that the so-called "illegal immigrants" — and granted, millions are here illegally — will put a drain on our social system. They will demand health care, public education for their children, welfare. And in many ways, that is probably true.

Others argue that there should be some kind of "guest worker" program to allow many to come — in the words of our (forgive me, oh Jewish Republicans) less than astute president — "to do jobs that Americans won't do." Outrageous! For the president of the United States to suggest that there are jobs that "American won't do" is a full-out admission that our society has failed. Our grandparents washed floors and toilets in order to make a better life for their children. There is no job in America — no job — that is beneath anyone who needs a job, who needs to feed his or her family. If there are "jobs that Americans won't do," it is the failure of the system that feeds and houses them in their laziness. We are not talking here about those whose physical or mental condition precludes them from working. We are talking about able-bodied men and women who can work, and who do not. Fix the system, Mr. President. Do not, do not, accept it, and casually dismiss Americans who "won't do a job."

So, how to recover and renew the American commitment to open the doors of this great country to all who want to come, to all who seek political and religious freedom and economic opportunity? It’s really easy. Just go back to the pre-1923 system.

Do you want to come here? Welcome.

But, please know that we have some requirements. You must come in through an immigration site so that you can register your presence. You must be physically healthy. You must have a sponsor here — family, or friend, or employer who will guarantee that you will have a place to sleep and food to eat until you can be on your own.

Don't have a sponsor? Then, let your religious, or national, or cultural group set up the social service system that will encourage and support you and be your safety net. In some instances "faith based initiatives" surely have their place.

We Jews did that with HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a network of settlement houses. So did the Polish and the Irish and the Germans, and the other "minorities” who came; and in more recent times, so did the Asians.

In these times, America may have to add a few more requirements. Our major cities — where we know you would like to live — are overburdened right now with the need to repair and rebuild infrastructure, and schools, and hospitals.

But, we have a lot of empty land in Wyoming, and Montana, Nebraska and Idaho. Given modern realities, we no longer have to wait for a critical mass of people to live somewhere before business, housing, schools, and social services can come. We can plunk down all of that, create all the necessities for viable living and a thriving economy, and then put people there to make that economy thrive.

Want proof? Just look at the empty pastoral lands right around here in neighboring counties that have become towns and cities almost overnight.

So, we are going to call on the multi-national corporations — all of your good friends, Mr. President — to plunk down villages, towns and cities in Wyoming, and Montana, and Nebraska, and Idaho. And we are going to say to the immigrants who come here, "We know that you probably would like to live in our lovely but overcrowded urban areas. And we know that you might have family and friends there. But, if you would like to come here and become part of our country, and, eventually, a citizen of our country, then for the first number of years of your sojourn here (1, 2, 5, 10 — whatever number of years will make the most sense to the planners) you need to live in Montana, or Wyoming, or Idaho, or Nebraska. There is a full infrastructure there; you will be able to find a job that pays good money. You will be able to find a place to live and good schools for your children, and doctors, and hospitals, and places of worship, and community centers, and post offices, and social services. You will have stores, and beauty parlors, and restaurants, and auto repair shops, and you will be able to buy Levis and Nikes and Coca-Cola, and you can sit and have a coffee at Starbucks.

Want to come here legally and be welcomed? At first, your working and living situation may not be your ideal, but you will surely have the freedom and the economic opportunity that you are seeking, and, before long, you will have choice and the mobility to live wherever you like. And new immigrants will take your place in Wyoming and Montana.

Impossible? Absolutely not. Just take a look at Israel's absorption centers, where the country knows that the immigrants need and have a place until they fully integrate into the society. Israel's absorption centers are certainly different than the plan proposed here, but they are not a luxury; they are a necessity for a country that opens its doors. It can be the same here in the United States.

The plan surely needs "tweaking," but, then, I'm not an urban planner, a social scientist, a politician, or a president. I'm just a person who knows the glory of my grandparents being welcomed into the United States; who knows the responsibility of the United States to those who seek freedom and liberty; who knows that a wall to keep people out is not the solution. I'm just a person who still wants his country to be a haven for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. I'm just a person who wants human decency, dignity, and opportunity for everyone who wants it.

Let's return to our roots. Let's re-set this beloved country of ours on the right path — the path of openness, and welcome to all who come to our shores and yearn to join the fabric of our being.

Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Ph.D., the spiritual guide of the Elijah Minyan, an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego and the Director of the 17: Spiritually Healing Children's Emotional Wounds. He is the award-winning author of six critically acclaimed books, including Golden Rules; Living Judaism; and Soul Judaism: Dancing with God into a New Era.