Sanctuary Or Shalom

Our Guiding Vision

Sanctuary Or Shalom is a congregation-wide effort to support immigrants under threat in our community and to assist in their efforts to create a better life for themselves and their communities. The immigrant’s struggle does not end once they cross the border. Supporting the community goals and actions of immigrants is part of Or Shalom’s ongoing antiracist work.

Contact Leslie at sanctuary@orshalomsf.org to get involved.

The Faith in Action Bay Area Newly Arrived Immigrant Families Committee proposals are simple and cost-effective, and based on their lived experience and months of research. Please email your supervisors and Mayor Lurie. If your supervisor is not listed, they already supported the resolution. Please email and thank them. 

Demands of Faith in Action Bay Area’s Newly Arrived Families Committee:

1. We call on the Department of Homelessness to guarantee shelter space or a hotel voucher the same day that any family with children arrives at a City Access Point.
2. We call on the Department of Homelessness to expedite the movement of families from shelters into more permanent housing, with an online public dashboard where families and the public can monitor the waiting list and movement of families into permanent housing.

We partner with Faith in Action Bay Area to support newly arrived immigrants. Given the city’s current inability to provide shelter and other basic needs for newly arrived immigrant families, Faith in Action has many efforts underway to ensure that families get food and shelter.

• Several newly arrived immigrant families have teamed with SFUSD educators to form an action team that is working with the city to improve SF’s available resources when a family first arrives.
• Faith in Action congregations are providing food for newly arrived immigrants to fill in meals that the shelters or schools don’t provide (or if families are temporarily put up in hotels). Or Shalom is currently asking Or Shalom groups or committees to volunteer to provide a meal (or meals) for 1 or more families one time during an assigned month. Individuals are also welcome to participate. Guidelines and more info here.
• Frozen food is also welcome! We have freezer space available!
• A temporary housing program is currently being organized for newly arrived families who cannot gain access to either hotel vouchers or shelters.
• For guidelines about preparing and delivering food, see this page.
• To find out more or to get involved in any of the above items, please contact sanctuary@orshalomsf.org

Our work has been guided by trusted partners. Here are our partners and some of the resources and activities their work has engendered:

Truah’s Mikdash work helped shape our conception of the New Jewish Sanctuary Movement. It continues to help provide us with Jewish grounding for the work we do. This guide was especially helpful. 

HIAS (originally Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) works for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety, and freedom. Some of our sanctuary actions have come through HIAS, and we participate in the yearly HIAS refugee shabbat.

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI) offers Interfaith Vigils, which Or Shalom participates in and regularly sponsors; Friends Afuera (pairing volunteers outside detention with detainees, exchanging letters and providing commissary funds); and provides advocacy and other actions opportunities. Through our Friends Afuera work, we have helped release immigrants from detention and supported their legal defense. 

Faith in Action Bay Area, a multi-racial, multi-lingual, intergenerational, and cross-class organization that is led by those most affected by injustice, including immigrants, building shared leadership who take action to uphold the dignity of all people and transform unjust systems. FIABA, led by immigrants, and including several Or Shalom members, recently helped pass a vacancy tax in SF and are working on its effective implementation, as well as state housing protection laws. The family Or Shalom accompanies comes to us through our Faith in Action connections.

Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, partners with the California Domestic Workers Coalition. Or Shalom is currently working with these organizations on the implementation of a groundbreaking ‘portable benefits’ program to provide domestic workers a single account that their multiple employers can all contribute funds to for the sick leave required by the city of San Francisco. Sign this pledge to participate in the new program (and learn more about it).