Opportunities for Action – Resources from "Immigrants & Refugees" Event
We provided a one-pager at the “Immigrants & Refugees: A Jewish Call to Action” event. Here are the action steps we made available.
1. Call/Write Your Congressperson and Senators. Make Your Voice Heard.
Check here to see who represents your district in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego
2700 Adams Ave., Suite 102, San Diego, CA 92116 Local office: (619) 280-5353
Washington office: (202) 225-2040
Contact via email: www.susandavis.house.gov/contact
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine
El Cajon: 1611 N. Magnolia Ave., No. 310, El Cajon, CA 92020 Temecula: 41000 Main St., Temecula, CA 92590
All local offices: (619) 448-5201
Washington office: (202) 225-5672
Contact via email: www.hunter.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista
1800 Thibodo Road, No. 310, Vista, CA 92081 Local office: (760) 599-5000
Washington office: (202) 225-3906
Contact via email: www.issa.house.gov/contact
Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego
4350 Executive Drive, Suite 105, San Diego, CA 92121 Local office: (858) 455-5550
Washington office: (202) 225-0508
Contact via email: www.scottpeters.house.gov/contact
Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego
333 F St., Suite A, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Local office: (619) 422-5963
Washington office: (202) 225-8045
Contact via email: www.vargas.house.gov/contact
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Local Office: 880 Front Street, Suite 4236, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-9712
Washington Office: 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-3841
Contact via email: www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Senator Kamala Harris
Local Office: 600 B Street, Suite 2240, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239 – 3884
Washington Office: 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-3553
Contact via email: www.harris.senate.gov/content/contact-senator
2. Deploy Technology to Leverage Your Impact.
Read the Indivisible Guide
Want to learn how to really make your voice heard to your elected officials? The Indivisible Guide was written by congressional staffers who learned the best methods for convincing your Member of Congress. The guide has become a popular resource and even allows you to find local “Indivisible Groups” in your communities. www.indivisibleguide.com
Share Your Activism
Social media is a critical tool in inspiring others to get involved. When you write a postcard, share it on Instagram/Facebook! Your friends will see how easy and fun it is to get involved.
Call, Call, and Call Again
The best method of contacting your elected officials is not signing petitions… it’s calling. There are lots of online resources that will provide you with the scripts and phone calls necessary to take action. Consider 5calls.org or DailyAction.org (which sends you a text each day with an action).

3. Give to Organizations that Help Immigrants and Refugees.
HIAS
hias.org
HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.
Anti-Defamation League San Diego
sandiego.adl.org
The San Diego office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) addresses and resolves discrimination complaints, acts of anti-Semitism, hate crimes, and civil rights violations. The ADL is a voice for vulnerable populations, builds crucial relationships between organized communities and educates law enforcement and institutions about security.
International Rescue Committee
rescue.org
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) supports refugees in conflict zones throughout the world as well as refugees resettling in cities across the US. The IRC launched its first-ever emergency appeal focused only on aiding refugees already in the US. The IRC ensures clients are provided with a solid foundation to successfully integrate into American society.
ACLU of San Diego & Imperials Counties
aclusandiego.org
The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties fights for individual rights and fundamental freedoms for all through education, litigation, and policy advocacy. The ACLU fights recent measures to ensure that people are not detained and deported without due process and that Muslim immigrants are provided equal opportunity to immigrate to this country.
International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is besieged by calls for legal assistance in light of the President’s executive order. IRAP ensures that services and legal protections go to those most in need. Utilizing grassroots networks, IRAP identifies the most at-risk refugees, including LGBTQI individuals, religious minorities, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, children with medical emergencies, and interpreters targeted in retaliation for working with the US and NATO.
Jewish Family Service
jfssd.org
JFS offers resettlement services to newly arriving refugees and asylees from around the world. Today, their Refugee Resettlement department case-manages approximately 45 people each month. In the past year, JFS has resettled more than 240 political refugees in San Diego.
Heart4Refugees
hearts4refugees.org
Heart4Refugees eases Syrian refugees’ resettlement. Funds raised provide families with subsidized rent and household items. They also offer an afterschool program, therapy resources for those who have suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, mentorship for college students, and help finding employment opportunities.
4. Advocate for State and Local Initiatives.
Two Pieces of Legislation
SB 54: California Values Act: To prevent the use of state and local public resources to aid federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in deportation action.
SB 6: Due Process for All: To fund legal representation for noncitizens facing deportation.
Advocacy Tactics when Communicating with an Elected Official
- Explain why an issue matters to you. Share personal stories.
- Explain why the issue should to matter the elected official. Perhaps it affects the economy, his or her district specifically, his or her constituents directly, etc.
- Make a specific ask. “I want you to support this bill,” or “I want you to fund this item in the budget.”

Stacie and Jeff Cook understand commitment. They live it.
Black, Jewish and Queer. These three identities weave the fabric of who I am, but it took a long time to believe that they could exist together.
Lee and Toni Leichtag established the Leichtag Foundation in 1991 following the sale of their business. Lee and Toni were lifelong entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and for supporting talent. They believed that only with big risk comes big reward. Both born to families in poverty, Toni to a single mother, they strongly believed in helping those most in need and most vulnerable in our community. While they supported many causes, their strongest support was for young children and the elderly, two demographics who particularly lack voice in our society.
Lifelong Baltimoreans, Rabbi George and Alison Wielechowski and their sons, 11-year-old Lennon and 9-year-old Gideon, are more than pursuing the good life in Southern California. Having moved to San Diego more than three years ago, they are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
You would think that as the executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, Fernando Zweifach López Jr., who uses the pronoun they, has done all the coming out they possibly can. A queer, non-binary individual who has worked for many years on civil rights issues, López also speaks openly and often about their father’s family, Mexican-American migrant workers who tilled the fields of rural California.