As a sanctuary congregation, we will join with congregations throughout the U.S. to observe the annual HIAS Refugee Shabbat and to reaffirm our active support for immigrant people. We are honored to welcome as Kabbalat Shabbat speakers, Kateryna Holub and Oleksandr Zemliachenko, who fled Ukraine, and came to California to rebuild their lives and to heal. Both computer scientists, they have fascinating stories to tell us about their lives in Ukraine before the war, and the efforts of Ukrainian immigrants in California. They will share rare insights into the strategies by which the Ukrainians in their home country are fighting for freedom from invading Russian forces. 
Since May 2022, members of our Social Action Committee, in partnership with St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church and the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, have been accompanying the couple, as they search for work, housing, community and belonging in their new country.

7:15 pm: Oneg following the service sponsored by Social Action Committee.

Refugee Shabbat, which will take place on February 3-4, 2023, is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals in the United States and around the world to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers. The fastest-growing European refugee crisis since World War II is still ongoing. People seeking asylum are being turned away at borders around the world. And this year, for the first time ever, the total number of displaced persons globally is over 100 million. This is a critical moment for all of us to reaffirm and redouble our support for refugees and asylum seekers.