Join us for a special Shabbat service as we show our love to those fleeing persecution. We will hear from two CMI members, Cliff and True Wolff, who will share their experiences working with our JCARR families.
During this service we will have an opportunity to say the mi shebeirach, a prayer of healing, read the kaddish list, and recite the mourner’s kaddish. If you wish to add additional names to the mi shebeirach or kaddish list, please email Sarah Legassey by 12pm on Friday.
CMI has a long history of showing love for and welcoming the stranger. In the 1980’s our community helped settle Russian refugee families and today we are a proud member of JCARR helping to establish homes and provide support for refugee families from around the world, including Syria and Iraq. We are also a proud Sanctuary Congregation and support immigration reform.
On February 3rd we will join with hundreds of communities across the country to participate in HIAS’s Refugee Shabbat. Founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, HIAS has touched the life of nearly every Jewish family in America and now welcomes all who have fled persecution.
Cliff and True met in a Linguistics class at Indiana University. They share an interest in language and culture and have used their academic study to inform their work with refugees. True has also drawn upon her invaluable experience as an ESL teacher.True and Cliff believe that one way to build understanding between different cultures and religions is to foster close relationships between families. They have assisted newcomers for over forty years and maintain warm friendships with many people they first knew as newly arrived refugees.They believe strongly in the importance of this work and feel that they get at least as much as they give in the process. Their three adult children share these beliefs and will undoubtedly pass them on to the next generation. Cliff and True have volunteered for JCARR since its beginning; Cliff mainly as a driving instructor and True mainly as an ESL teacher.