Congregation Beth Torah will host a lineup of speakers as part of its “Welcoming the Stranger – Immigration Justice: Jewish Values in Action” series from February to July.
The series is open to all community members. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
Due to the prevalence of immigration in national and local discourse, this speaker series was suggested to and approved by Beth Torah’s Social Justice Committee and Education Committee. The intent of the series is to couple Jewish theology and ethical teachings with what is happening currently regarding immigration, not to debate.
In addition to speakers, attendees of the series will have two opportunities to witness a naturalization ceremony as well as a session of immigration court.
The series will progress as follows:
Feb. 27: Beth Torah Rabbi Emeritus Mark Levin
Rabbi Levin will draw on Torah and rabbinic tradition, exploring why immigration is not a peripheral political issue but a core Jewish moral concern rooted in the collective story of displacement, vulnerability and responsibility.
Mar. 13: Jewish Vocational Service Executive Director Hillary Singer
Singer will join Beth Torah during the HIAS Annual Global Refugee Shabbat to speak about how JVS, one of the primary refugee settlement organizations in Kansas City, faces current challenges. She will speak on what welcome looks like beyond arrival, bearing witness to immigration courts and enforcement practices and how congregations can respond with presence, learning and action.
Mar. 18: Naturalization ceremony with Karen Arnold-Burger
Arnold-Burger will lead attendees to witness a naturalization ceremony at the Johnson County Community College. Federal District Judge Julie Robinson will preside.
Apr. 10: Asylum Seekers Volunteer Attorney Kevin Hill
Hill will speak on the topic, “You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt,” exploring the relation of Passover to immigration and asylum seeking. He will discuss the asylum process, legal barriers to freedom, prolonged detention and delayed due process.
Apr. 21: Immigration court
Attendees will be present for a session at an immigration court. Identification is required, and security checks will occur.
May 8: ACLU of Kansas Executive Director Micah Kubic
Kubic will discuss “Law, Covenant and Human Dignity” ahead of Shavuot. This session will examine civil liberties and immigration enforcement, due process and constitutional protections, warrantless detention and erosion of legal norms.
May 27: Naturalization ceremony with Karen Arnold-Burger
Arnold-Burger will lead attendees to witness a naturalization ceremony at the Johnson County Community College. Federal District Judge Amy Mitchell will preside.
June 12: Suzanne Gladney of the Missouri Migrant Farm Worker Assistant Fund
Gladney will discuss “Rooted in the Land, Sustained by Workers” and the dignity of labor. This session will focus on the realities facing migrant farm workers, including sudden revocation of work authorization without warning, fear of warrantless detention, inability to safely travel or return once leaving and the impacts on food systems, rural communities and families.
June 22: Immigration court
Attendees will be present for a session at an immigration court. Identification is required, and security checks will occur.
July 17: Grandview Park Presbyterian Church Pastor Rick Behrens
Pastor Behrens will share stories of inspiration and challenge from 30 years of multicultural/bilingual ministry in the Central Avenue neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas and discuss how people can welcome the stranger into their communal, familial, economic and institutional lives.
More information is available by emailing ; additional programming details will be shared over the course of the series.