BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:45@agudatachim.com DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE:20220408 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE:20220410 DTSTAMP:20220330T212640Z URL:https://www.agudatachim.com/events/hias-refugee-shabbat/ SUMMARY:HIAS Refugee Shabbat DESCRIPTION:Congregation Agudat Achim in Niskayuna will host a HIAS Refugee Shabbat on Friday and Saturday\, April 8 and 9.\n\n \;\n\nThis weeken d is part of a larger annual recognition in which congregations around the world dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers\, lear n more about their needs\, and understand how individuals and congregation s can help meet those needs.\n\n \;\n\nOn Friday evening via Zoom\, th ree refugees will share their experiences\, including what life was like i n their home countries\, why they chose to emigrate to the United States\, challenges they faced along the way\, how they were assisted in the settl ement process\, and actions that local residents can take to help in this process. This will take place immediately following the afternoon service that begins at 5:30 pm. Both the afternoon service\, which lasts for about 30 minutes\, and refugee conversation will use the same Zoom link.\n\n&nb sp\;\n\nOn Saturday\, Dan Butterworth\, executive director of RISSE in Alb any\, will speak in person to members of the congregation about the work t hat RISSE (Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus) is doing to h elp refugees and recent immigrants build sustainable\, independent lives t hrough language and literacy instruction. He also will share how RISSE is providing support services for living and working in the United States. Th is will take place during the Sabbath morning service\, which begins at 9: 15 am.\n\n \;\n\nThe number of Ukrainian refugees has increased the to tal number of refugees worldwide to more than 40 million. Stephen Schechte r\, who heads up the congregation’s Social Action Committee\, which is c oordinating this event\, noted that “when numbers reach such heights\, i t is easy to forget that each refugee is a human being with a powerful sto ry to tell. Perhaps by listening to\, and learning from\, the stories that will be shared on April 8 and 9\, we can take one small step toward Tikku n Olam\, or repairing the world\, in our small corner of it.”\n\n \; \n\nFor more information on how congregants can support refugees in this p rocess\, click here. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agudatachim.com/wp-content/uploads/2 022/03/refugee-shabbat-2021-670x3651-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20220313T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR