A little over a year ago, more than 100 Chicago area Jewish clergy published an open letter expressing alarm at the Trump administration’s weaponization of antisemitism to justify escalating attacks on American democracy, including the detention of immigrants and the revocation of their legal status without due process. A year later, some of us rabbis write in opposition to a rights violation close to home in the Midwest: the unconstitutional and unjust detention of Salah Sarsour.
Salah is a legal permanent resident of Wisconsin and a grandfather of nine American grandchildren. He has lived in the country for over 30 years, serves as the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights. On March 30, Salah was abducted by a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He has been held in Indiana’s Clay County Jail ever since.
Despite the administration’s cynical attempts to justify an immigration crackdown, we will not allow American Jews’ legitimate fear of antisemitism to be exploited in ways fundamentally opposed to our values. We remember that many of our families came to this country as immigrants seeking refuge from violence. And regardless of whether or not one agrees with Salah’s political opinions, everyone who believes in democracy should be concerned when free speech is met with arrests and deportations.
While in ICE detention, Salah’s basic rights have been continually violated. His attorneys have reported that he has lost 30 pounds and developed severe abdominal pain because the facility refuses to monitor his blood glucose level to safely manage his diabetes. Devastatingly, Salah’s case is not unique and has led to dire consequences. At least 51 people have died in ICE detention centers since 2025 due to inhumane conditions and medical neglect.
When Salah asked for an adequate diet to stabilize his blood sugar levels at the Indiana jail, he was told he could purchase barbecue pork rinds from the commissary — a food that he cannot eat as a practicing Muslim. Jail guards refused to provide Salah with a prayer rug and Quran and instead gave him a Hindu prayer book when he requested the items.
Salah only was given a Quran when his lawyers intervened. The facility offers no prayer services for Muslims, who are encouraged to join Christian prayer services instead. And when Salah does pray, he’s been interrupted by guards who mock his faith. These violations of Salah’s religious rights sicken us.
As Jews, we believe that every person is an entire universe created b’tselem Elohim — in God’s image. We grieve each person ripped cruelly and unconstitutionally from their family by ICE raids, and each universe destroyed. We will not allow Salah or anyone else to be illegally detained in our name.
We call on our government to free Salah Sarsour and return him to his community in Milwaukee.
Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, Hyde Park
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Evanston
Rabbi David Eber, Naperville
Rabbi Ike Serotta, Highland Park
Sordid Save A Lot saga
There are many of us who saw this coming.
When people die, it’s a tragedy, particularly for their family and friends. The survivors deserve our sympathy and respect as they mourn their loss.
That said, the death of Yellow Banana’s founder represents yet another troubling chapter in the long and disappointing saga of this ill-conceived venture. From the outset, residents raised legitimate concerns about a rushed process that brought substandard Save A Lot operations into our community while diverting $13.5 million in tax increment financing funding that otherwise could have benefited local schools and neighborhood priorities.
Throughout the approval process, community meetings prominently featured representatives, including an African American gentleman, apparently to assuage the concerns about representation, whose credentials (Ivy League-educated lawyers) and involvement were emphasized as evidence of the company’s stability and commitment. If the business was truly built on a strong leadership foundation, succession and continuity should not now place the enterprise at risk of defaulting on its obligations to the city of Chicago.
Unfortunately, what residents were promised and what has ultimately been delivered appear to be two very different things. The community was assured that this project would be a transformative investment. Instead, we have witnessed repeated setbacks, uncertainty and now questions about the company’s ability to fulfill the commitments made in exchange for substantial public subsidies.
Those who championed this deal, including public officials who aggressively advocated — begged— for it, owe the community an honest accounting of how we arrived at this point. The taxpayers, residents and students whose resources were committed to this project deserve transparency, accountability and answers.
Timothy “Tim” Thomas Jr., Auburn Gresham
Father-son World Cup journey
My son Michael and I have been to four FIFA World Cups, starting at Soldier Field: Germany-Belgium, Round of 16, June 24, 1994. Michael was 4 years old.
The game was marred by an egregious no-call that should have given Belgium a penalty kick. Germany walked away with a questionable 3-2 victory.
Next stop: France 1998. Many Parisians had fled the city out of fear of football hooligans. Not until France’s victory over Italy, four weeks into the tournament, did the French fly the tricolore, spurring Les Bleus to win their first World Cup.
That July 4, we zipped to Lyon to witness Croatia’s stunning 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Germany. Croatia would go on to place third in its first World Cup. For Germany, it was a national disgrace.
The highlight of Germany 2006 was Ghana-USA in Nuremberg, both sides vying to advance. With the game tied 1-1, Ghana converted a terrible penalty call to win 2-1.
Later, Michael and I stood in the adjacent Nazi Party Rally Grounds, exactly where Adolf Hitler addressed masses of supporters. It was uplifting to see the federal flag being flown for the first time since the war by a new generation of Germans.
Our favorite Cup, South Africa 2010, got off to a bumpy start. Fans had to be in country to get their tickets. We waited hours for the printing machines to work.
Later, a 90-minute drive to Rustenburg turned into a four-hour ordeal because the authorities insisted on collecting the tolls, backing up traffic for miles. Happily, the USA tied England 1-1, thanks to a flub by England’s goalkeeper.
South Africans were so proud to be the first African nation to host the Cup. Everywhere we went, from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), to Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope (where I was nearly attacked by a baboon), Shakira’s joyous song rang out: “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”
Our World Cup odyssey ended with the winner-take-all match between the USA and Algeria. With the game scoreless in the 91st minute, Landon Donovan tapped in a rebound to give the USA a 1-0 victory. Hallelujah!
Michael and I will be in Philadelphia June 27 to see Croatia and Ghana battle it out. The journey continues.
Robert Cassidy, Chicago-based journalist and former U.S. Soccer Federation referee
Late Mayor Daley was on point with potential Bears move
Back in the 1970s, Mayor Richard J. Daley had the right idea. When the Bears threatened to move to Arlington Heights, da mayor said they could not call themselves the Chicago Bears if they left the city.
He was right then, and he is right now.
If the team wants to move to the suburbs, fine. But then they should be called Arlington Heights Bears, the Schaumburg Bears or whatever else fits.
And if they move to Hammond, Indiana, and build a stadium on a former toxic waste dump with the biggest oil refinery in the Midwest as the next-door neighbor, then they should call themselves the Hammond Bears.
Just don’t call them Chicago.
Mike Royko laughed at Daley and said lots of businesses outside the city use the Chicago name. Maybe so. But the Bears are not a plumbing company, a trucking firm or a warehouse on the Indiana state line. They are supposed to represent Chicago.
Today, the team wants taxpayers to help pay for stadium dreams while the owners count their money. Richard J. Daley would have had a simple answer for that: “Like hell.”
For once, I find myself siding with da late mayor instead of Royko.
Walter Wallace, former Chicagoan, Springfield, Vermont
Potential Hammond Bears stadium site is unsightly
The voluminous discussions of a potential Hammond, Indiana, relocation of the Bears rarely touch on one of the potential locations near Wolf Lake. I drove through that area last weekend, returning to Chicago via I-90, and can tell you one thing: that area is UGLY.
It is basically an industrial wasteland, long since abandoned by its once-thriving industries. The route past Wolf Lake is noteworthy for its electric power lines, railroad tracks and shuttered plants. TV producers are going to have a hard time finding attractive filming areas like Chicago’s lakefront and skyscrapers or Arlington Heights’ manicured areas.
The notoriously polluted Wolf Lake was long rumored to be a favorite mobster dumping ground for dead bodies. One of the possible sites for a Bear’s stadium there is a golf course built on top of a slag heap! If the move to Indiana comes to pass, perhaps the Bears could rename themselves the Hammond Heavies or the Hammond Heaps; the latter has a nice alliteration to it.
Charles Berg, Hyde Park/Kenwood
Yearning for the past after Obama Center visit
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Obama Presidential Center. The center provides photos, videos, audio clips and models to remind us of Barack Obama’s rise from modest beginnings to spokesman for the free world. Each exhibit is an excellent reminder of what a leader should, and can, be — a role model of respect and decorum.
How refreshing it was to hear Obama’s inspiring words (“There’s not a Black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America”). How heartrending it was to see his humanity when responding to school shootings and other senseless violence. How uplifting it was to relive the moments 20 years ago when he rose in public and into the White House.
You may not agree with his political ideas. You may not support his social policies. But after reliving Mr. Obama’s life and career at the center, you will have to admit that you were never ashamed of him as a man and as our president. You were never embarrassed by his words or actions.
How I miss those days.
Sheryl Galaher, Palos Park
Stacey’s sharp humor
When asked about Michael Jordan’s 1990 historic, career-high 69 point effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Stacey King said one of the funniest things in Chicago sports history, “I’ll always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score 70 points.” RIP, Stacey. Keep them laughing in heaven.
Lou Ritten, La Grange
Telling stories
Thanks to local bard Joe Goodkin for his insightful op-ed on the buzz surrounding Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie “The Odyssey.”
As Goodkin highlights, the Homeric bards were not the original creators of the stories they told. Classicist Emily Wilson acknowledges their process at the beginning of her 2017 translation of the “Odyssey” when she equates the Homeric interpretation of ancient stories with our own contemporary practices: “Tell the old story for our modern times. Find the beginning.”
Let’s keep telling these stories in all the ways and for all the reasons that people have done so for millennia!
Nava R. Cohen, West Ridge
The Sun-Times will publish select letters from our readers on their thoughts on America’s 250th birthday and what this milestone means to them. Submissions of no more than 375 words should be sent to letters@suntimes.com.