Rabbi Erin Hirsh, a Glenside resident, was quoted by The Philadelphia Inquirer in an article titled “Philly-region demonstrators join national ‘Hands Off!’ anti-Trump protest“.
The rally, which was held around noon on Saturday, March 5, was a response to economic anxieties and drew thousands to Center City’s Independence Hall to protest the Trump administration’s actions involving education, federal funding, DEI rollbacks, among others.
“Everything the Trump administration is doing is morally offensive and indifferent to human life,” Rabbi Hirsh said. “The administration is just not thinking of the citizens as people and is not fulfilling the social contract to care.”
Rabbi Hirsh serves as Executive Director and Education Director of Or Hadash in Fort Washington. She was a signee of an open letter published in January urging Governor Josh Shapiro to “fully and fairly” fund public schools.
The “Hands Off!” protest in Philadelphia was one among several hundred across the country and were organized by the “50501″ group (50 protests, 50 states, one movement), The Inquirer said.
The 50501 group says it wants the administration to “uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach.”
In related news, Pam Albright and Randy Libros of Cheltenham Township were among those who spoke about concerns over the Trump administration’s enforcement actions against immigrants during Thursday night’s meeting in Lower Merion Township, according to WHYY.
“In our neighborhood, we were really heartbroken to find out that a lot of kids … were talking about how they were afraid their parents were going to get deported,” Albright said. “I don’t like to hear that kind of trauma that our kids are experiencing. So I want us to be able to protect our neighbors and friends who are vital members of our community.”
Libros said he and other neighbors ran a Know Your Rights Training recently for immigrant community members, WHYY reported.
“We’ve been really concerned about what’s going on and where we’re seeing, even in just the recent days and weeks, people who were here legally have been snatched up and deported,” he said.
Montgomery County commissioners Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder both said they would consider legislation related to a Welcoming Act to protect the county’s immigrant residents.
“We have 100,000 people in Montgomery County who are foreign-born and immigrants, and they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors, they’re my parents, right?” Makhija said. “They’re essential to everything that is great about our county and what we appreciate here. So we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we adequately represent and serve them as well as any other residents. So you have that assurance from me, and thank you for organizing with your neighbors.”
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Photo: Or Hadash