Temple Habonim to hold refugee Shabbat on March 20

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Congregations around the country will hold Shabbat events that support refugees and asylum seekers as part of National Refugee Shabbat 5780, March 20-21. This is the second annual National Refugee Shabbat organized by HIAS, the 139-year-old Jewish Refugee Aid agency. 

Many of the more than 400 HIAS “Welcome Campaign” congregations, including Temple Habonim, in Barrington, will have special prayers and speakers.  The March 20 evening service at Habonim will feature guest speaker Tatyana Tsangarakis-Almeida, the director of Dorcas International’s Citizenship & Immigration Services Program. 

Tsangarakis-Almeida will discuss how Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, a nonprofit organization that helps settle refugees in the state, also assists thousands of individuals annually with a wide variety of immigration matters.  In 2019, Dorcas International welcomed 96 new refugees and continued to help 970 refugees from years past.

Dorcas’ Citizenship & Immigration Services Program provides more free and low-cost immigration legal services than any other organization in Rhode Island.  It serves over 6,000 economically disadvantaged foreign-born residents each year and is responsible for outreach to immigrant and refugee communities throughout the state. 

Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Rd., Barrington, invites the public to attend its Refugee Shabbat service, at 7:30 p.m. on March 20.  

ELIZABETH BAKST is a member of Temple Habonim.

Temple Habonim, refugee, Docas