Dane Frieburg, “The History of Jewish Sanctuary”
Mentor: Rachel Buff, History
Poster #10

The main purpose of this research project is to look more closely at the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s, with a focus on Jewish engagement. New Jewish Agenda, an organization dedicated to expressing a left Jewish perspective on a variety of issues, including questions of Israel/Palestine, worked to bring Jewish organizations and congregations into the work of sheltering Central American refugees from the US-backed “Dirty Wars.” This research is relevant today at a time when antisemitism is on the rise and immigration remains a contentious political issue. This is especially true as media and historical representations of the sanctuary movement remain relatively dominated by Christian churches, with actions of other faith communities and political organizations often being overlooked. The methodology of research is currently focused on left leaning Jewish magazines and major newspapers that were active between the 1970’s and 1990’s. It will have a particular focus on New Jewish Agenda, which was a progressive Jewish organization active in the 1980’s and 1990’s, that organized Jewish temples to help support the sanctuary movement. In addition to looking at magazines, it will also examine letters, public records, and legislative documents, to ensure that people have access to clear and concise information on Jewish-American history.