Tell Governor Rauner - Stop the Hate, Make IL Welcoming to Syrian Refugees


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On Wednesday, we joined together with our partners at CAIR-Chicago, MAS-Chicago, American Muslims for Palestine, AFSC, CIOGC and Arab-American Action Network to demand Governor Rauner reverse his ban on Syrian refugees. See below for instructions on how to take action!
Governor Rauner - Reverse Your Ban on Syrian Refugees This Chanukkah


Dear friends,

My name is Eli Massey - I'm a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago and of Syrian Jewish descent. My ancestors emigrated from Aleppo, Syria in the early 20th century.

Aleppo once had a thriving Jewish community dating back to biblical times. During the Spanish Inquisition, they took in Jewish exiles. In gratitude, these Jews began a tradition of lighting an additional candle during Chanukkah.

Today, millions of Syrians are seeking refuge from violence.

That's why it was so despicable in November 2015 when Governor Rauner announced that Illinois would "temporarily suspend accepting new Syrian refugees."

He hasn't retracted the statement since.

Rauner's statement fed directly into an increasingly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant climate. He legitimized baseless fears of Syrian refugees and he stoked hatred toward Muslim and Arab communities.

How many more Syrian refugees would we have saved if we had a governor who showed leadership in making Illinois welcoming instead of putting up political roadblocks?

Join me! Contact Governor Rauner each day of Chanukkah - on his website, by phone and through Twitter - to demand that he publicly retract his announced ban, open the door wide for Syrian refugees and invest heavily in resettlement services.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION BELOW AND SHARE WIDELY!

Chanukkah begins tomorrow, Saturday 12/24, and ends on Sunday, 01/01. Every day of Chanukkah:

1) Post on his website at this link (feel free to personalize this template!): Governor Rauner - I am writing to demand that you retract your announced ban on Syrian refugees from November 2015 and commit to investing resources in refugee resettlement. The need to resettle Syrian refugees has never been greater. Your statements contributed to a toxic, anti-refugee environment that slowed resettlement and encouraged hatred toward Arab and Muslim communities. Illinois deserves better.

2) Deliver the same message over the phone: Call his Springfield office at 217-782-0244 (leave a message if nobody is there, or just make sure to call back during office hours)!

3) If you're on Twitter, here is a sample tweet you can use each day from 12/24 to 1/1: [email protected] take back your ban on Syrian refugees in Illinois and invest more resources for refugee resettlement. #ILWelcomesRefugees

Please report on any interaction you have at this link!

Go ahead - just start calling today, too! Thank you for your support and please share widely!

Eli Massey
Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago

P.S.: Check out the coverage of Wednesday's action in the Chicago Tribune, on WBEZ's Worldview and in the Jewish Forward.


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