On Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10-11:30 a.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service and program in solidarity with the HIAS Refugee Shabbat initiative. The events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

The service will be led by Eva Cohen, Or Emet’s ritual leader and a Humanistic rabbi in training. 

Casa Alitas

After the service, Dana Mach, strategic partnerships officer for the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), will speak about her work with Proyecto Mariposa (Project Butterfly) in Tucson, Arizona. The organization works in close partnership with Casa Alitas, a welcome center that provides temporary shelter for people who are making their way to resettlement locations. 

CVT supports individuals and families who are seeking asylum in the U.S. after fleeing torture and persecution in their home countries. Mach helps to build and maintain partnerships with funders, government agencies and programmatic partners. 

A Minnesota native, Mach holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She enjoys traveling in her work with CVT to programs around the world.

Those who cannot attend the program in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective. For more information, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.