In Washington, as the United Nations and President Obama prepare to host summits next week to discuss the refugee crisis, faith and human rights groups gathered to press the United States to do more:

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe (Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, Virginia): Like followers of other religious traditions, Jews have a sacred obligation to help the refugee. We read in Leviticus, “The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Meanwhile, the White House announced that it will strive to take in 110,000 refugees from around the world in the coming year, a nearly 30 percent increase from the 85,000 allowed in the previous fiscal year. Officials said that refugees would continue to be subject to a rigorous screening process that typically lasts more than a year.