A resource for following up on the ICE activity in Minneapolis, MN, in early 2026
A message from Beverly Socher-Lerner, Executive Director & Founder of Makom Community:
Dear Makom Community Grownups,
Thank you to those who reached out to ask for support in how to talk to your kids about what’s going on in Minneapolis and are concerned about what Philly could look like with increased ICE activity. In a way that always astounds me, the Jewish Wisdom we’re studying with your kids is spot on in this case, like always. I want to offer a few scripts for opening this conversation with your kids and invite you to join us at Makom on Monday, March 16th, to hear about some local organizations that are helpers and to be part of a conversation about how we can all find ways to be helpers.
Save the date: We’ll have a family program on Monday, March 16th, at 5:00 PM for you to meet and learn about some of the helpers in our community and think as a family about how you might like to help, too.
We’re in the midst of a unit with our K-4 learners studying Megilat Rut, which poignantly tells the story of Rut, the first convert to Judaism, who experiences being a stranger in a strange land in a few ways throughout her story. In Ruth’s narrative, she lives through great hardship and is treated with kindness. Ultimately, she’s the ancestor of King David and unlocks great redemptive potential in our Jewish story. Our collective Jewish wisdom teaches us that kindness to gerim (marginalized strangers) is the path to redemption for this world. And our 5th-7th grade learners are in the midst of a unit on leadership and challenging authority– sometimes it’s hard not to laugh about how always relevant our learning is!
And then we find ourselves asking, how are we now engaging with folks in our community who feel like strangers? Are we showing up for them in the ways that we can? How might we learn ways to show up for our neighbors here in Philadelphia who are living in fear of ICE harassment or detention? Here are some sample conversations and public library resources to help you as you begin (or continue) the conversation with your kiddos.
Scripts: This is much more about your and your child’s distress tolerance than age. I’ll make some general age recommendations here, and I want to acknowledge how personal the choice is of what to share! And regardless of the age of your kiddo(s), you might pick and choose from each of these below to blend together something that sounds right to you.
For kids not ready to hear about ICE activity:
I feel stressed about the news! I want to make sure all our neighbors know we care about them. Let’s grab a few extras at the grocery store for the Little Free Pantry. If I seem stressed, it’s the news. Ugh! I want you to know it’s not you, and you don’t need to do anything to fix it.
For kids ready to hear a little bit (5-6 years old):
I love living in this neighborhood with so many kinds of wonderful neighbors from all over the world. I’m concerned that Donald Trump is going to make it harder/scarier for our neighbors from other parts of the world. I want to make sure our neighbors know we care about them, so our family is going to read some books from the library about immigration, so we understand more about our neighbors. (See below for book recs!)
For kids 6-8 years old:
This neighborhood is amazing! I love that we live near and go to school with folks of so many skin colors, who speak so many different languages. It’s beautiful! I want to share with you that our current president doesn’t see the world quite like that. He is scared of people who are different and thinks they don’t deserve to be here. There is a group of people called ICE, who work for the government, who are ready to help send people out of the United States and make us a less colorful, interesting place. What questions do you have about that?
[Listen and answer only the questions actually asked. Remember, it’s ok to say that you want to think about a question and get back to them later!]
For kids 8-10 years old:
What are you hearing about the news these days? There are so many things going on in this world I wish you didn’t need to hear about! And you can count on me to help you make sense of it, as best as I can.
[LISTEN] What do you wonder about that? Anything that’s stressing you out?
Respond to what you heard, directly, succinctly, and calmly. If you’re not in a space where you can do that, name that you need some time to process and schedule a time to come back to it. That might sound like this:
Oh. It’s so hard that you’re worrying about your friends at school and whether their parents will be home when they get there. I want to think about that a bit and make sure I know how I can support you. Can we talk more after dinner tonight?
[RESPONSE] Thank you so much for sharing with me that you’re hearing about your friends at school being worried about ICE scooping up their parents. I’m worried about that, too. Let’s invite that friend over for a playdate, and I’ll ask their parents about how we can be here for them.
For kids 10+ years old:
Ugh, the world is stressing me out! You too? We knew this president and administration were racist and motivated by hate, but they are really acting on it. There are news stories about them making plans to deport record numbers of our immigrant neighbors. That’s not okay with me. I want you to know that our family is connected to neighbors who are ready to help. We want Philly to be a place where immigrants from all over can come to make a better life for themselves and their families. Things in Minneapolis have been really hard and stressful, and ICE has even killed two people who were protesting ICE actions there. Have you heard about that? Do you want to hear more? I’m always available if you have questions. Our family is going to do what we can by making sure our block is ready to communicate with each other and show up for our neighbors if ICE comes knocking.
Suggested Resources from the Free Library of Philadelphia Thanks, Naomi! (My spouse and one of our children’s librarians at the Central Library)
3+ years old:
A Kids’ Book about Immigration (Good general intro. Can be used as young as 3, does have some abstract concepts, nothing scary)
5+ years old:
The Home We Make (Picture book. From a child’s point of view. Story of escaping violence, no violent imagery.)
6+ years old:
What is a Refugee? (General introduction with more depth than the first book on this list.)
10-14 years old:
Migrations: Open Hearts, Open Borders (Capsule collection of illustrated postcards from artists who wished to express their support for migrants and refugees)
As always, I’m here to take a walk, hop on the phone, or grab a cup of coffee if you need more support in preparing for or debriefing from these conversations with your kids. Community is meant to hold us through deeply challenging moments like these, and our well of Jewish Wisdom is here to sustain us, too.
In strength and connection,
Beverly Socher-Lerner