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DREAM On

Today on Tablet, Matthew Hiltzik on the story of Joseph and the DREAM Act

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December 07, 2012
Bolivian Diego Mariaca(C), his mother Ingrid Vaca(R), and brother Gustavo Mariaca(L) fill out paperwork under the “Dream Act” Aug. 15, 2012 at the National Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C. In June US President Barack Obama announced that hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people known as “Dreamers” could apply for deferred action and work permits in the wake of the historic DHS decision that will protect them from deportation.(AFP/Getty)
Bolivian Diego Mariaca(C), his mother Ingrid Vaca(R), and brother Gustavo Mariaca(L) fill out paperwork under the “Dream Act” Aug. 15, 2012 at the National Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C. In June US President Barack Obama announced that hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people known as “Dreamers” could apply for deferred action and work permits in the wake of the historic DHS decision that will protect them from deportation.(AFP/Getty)

Today on Tablet, Matthew Hiltzik has important thoughts on Joseph, his story and his name, and how the biblical story applies to the national conversation about immigration.

Recently, as I started reviewing Vayeshev in advance of reading it at services this Saturday, a realization struck me: Joseph wasn’t simply Western civilization’s original dreamer. He was also the original DREAMer: a young person who like many modern DREAMers was sent to a new country against his will, performs important household work to survive, is trusted with everything in his employer’s home, but is left powerless to fight baseless charges and is imprisoned, only to use his own talents to find his way back. As I studied the story, the comparison became more obvious—as did the obligation I came to realize it placed on me and my fellow Jews.

Be sure to read the rest here.

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