The Elat Chayyim Retreat Center is a place for spiritual contemplation for Jews. During the Labor Day weekend of 2006, the retreat moved from its longtime home in Accord, N.Y., to Falls Village, Conn.

Reform Rabbi Rachel Cowan is executive director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, which uses Torah study, prayer, mindfulness meditation, yoga, and spiritual direction and retreats to nurture deeper spirituality among rabbis, cantors and lay people. Rabbi Cowan is author to a number of books and publications, including Growing Up Yanqui (Viking Juvenile, 1975) and Mixed Blessings (Penguin Books, […]

Stacy Abramson is executive director of Reboot, which seeks to “reboot” Jewish traditions, particularly for young people, through innovation, including salons across the country, journals, books and films. It’s based in New York City.

The Rev. Jaime Soto is Chairman of  Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. The office focuses on a number of church ministries, including the pastoral care of migrants, refugees and travelers. He has commented on the importance of Hispanics to the Catholic Church in the U.S.

David Badillo is associate professor of Latin American and Puerto Rican studies at Lehman College at the City University of New York and author of Latinos and the New Immigrant Church, about the Catholic Church.

The Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ICIR) is an organization formed by California religious leaders to support the rights and fair treatment of immigrants. Rev. Deborah Lee is project director.

In December 2009, the Center for Immigration Studies released results of a poll conducted by Zogby International. Among its findings: Many people of faith want overall immigration reduced, regardless of what their religious leaders are advocating on the issue. The findings drew criticism from the Public Religion Research Institute.

A March 2010 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found broad support across religious groups for comprehensive immigration reform and strong approval for clergy speaking out on the issue.

Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison is the co-author of Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional & Contemporary Sources (Jewish Lights, 2006) and co-founder of Lev Shomea, the first institute to train spiritual directors in the Jewish tradition. A congregational rabbi for 30 years, he is a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia and the G. G. Scholem […]