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Sparked by the war in Ukraine, a West Virginia interfaith ministry is renewing its efforts to bring refugees to the Mountain State. The process is overwhelming, with mountains of red tape to cut through.
By Caleb Guedes-Reed
When a Jewish congregation in Charleston, West Virginia, moved its daily services online at the onset of the pandemic, the rabbi was not sure what to expect. To Rabbi Victor Urecki’s complete surprise, the congregation’s membership grew.
“People from Illinois, Texas, California and Florida are logging on every night to be a part of our community,” says Urecki, who has been the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jacob in Charleston for the past 35 years. “These are people who moved away and people’s children who have moved away but never found a temple or synagogue that felt like home. This is their home.”