The Times of Israel Daily Briefing Bonus episode [SPONSORED]: Identity/Crisis - America Betrays the Stranger
Feb 9, 2026
A meditation on Emma Lazarus’s poem and how its meaning shifted from welcome to provocation. A critique of rising cruelty toward immigrants and state violence, including police tactics and silence from major institutions. A comparison of democratic failures in the U.S. and Israel and a call to define belonging by compassion rather than exclusion.
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Poem As Shared Moral Symbol
- Emma Lazarus's poem became a shared American and Jewish symbol of welcome and immigrant gratitude.
- Yehuda Kurtzer links that legacy to Jewish responsibility toward the stranger as a moral touchstone.
Jews Targeted For Welcoming Immigrants
- Kurtzer recounts how white nationalist, nativist movements targeted Jewish support for immigrants.
- He describes Charlottesville and the Tree of Life shooter as examples linking anti-immigrant and antisemitic violence.
Cruelty Normalized As Policy Tool
- Kurtzer argues contemporary policy normalizes deliberate cruelty toward immigrants as a political tactic.
- He traces this from rhetoric to institutionalized practices under recent administrations.
