Synagogue And Church Unite To Offer Sanctuary To Immigrant Mom

Araceli Velasquez and her family Image by Ric Urrutia

By Nathan Guttman August 23, 2017

A Denver, Colorado synagogue and church are joining forces to help an immigrant from El Salvador who fears her life will be in danger if deported back to her homeland.

Temple Micah and the Park Hill United Methodist Church are holding a joint interfaith prayer service Wednesday welcoming Araceli Velasquez and her family to take sanctuary in the church. Velasquez came to the United States in 2010 seeking asylum because of the violence she encountered in El Salvador. Her request was eventually denied.

While in Denver, she married and had three children, all are American citizens. If deported, Velasquez will be forced to separate from her children and could face threats to her life in El Salvador.

“As Jews we are obligated to create a world that is just, compassionate and peaceful,” said Rabbi Adam Morris of Temple Micah in a press release issued by American Friends of Service Committee which helped organize the sanctuary. “Our current historical moment – in which people like Araceli have their families, safety and well-being devalued or endangered – compels us to act.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO