Tikkun Collective: Protective Presence

Our friends and partners at St. Stephens are asking us to show up in protective presence as they celebrate the first anniversary of the community of San Marcos officially joining St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Hollywood. There will be a special Oaxacan mass, complete with Youth Orchestra. After that service, there will be a feast of a celebration with tons of delicious Oaxacan food, and capped off with a traditional shot of Mezcal. The organizers of the celebration anticipate 200 to 300 people in attendance, and with current ICE raids threatened against churches, it is a time they would like for us to come be with them.

We have three 2-hour shifts starting from 11:15 until the event ends at 5pm that we need 8 people for each. You can sign up by leaving your name on the sheet above and one of our volunteer coordinators will approve it.

If you haven’t yet joined us and aren’t sure what it’s about, hear from a few of our recent protectors:

“Participating in protective presence was really meaningful for me. Showing up as a visible source of safety for our Christian neighbors felt like a small but real way to use my privilege, and as a little bonus, spending time with other Jews committed to showing up for our community was genuinely nourishing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Last Sunday, my 3-year-old Ezra and I joined our Nefesh “protective presence” group at Grace Lutheran church. When Ezra asked what we were doing, I said that we were helping our neighbors to feel supported and cared for. I love that Nefesh provides such a simple, yet meaningful opportunity for us to be of service to our fellow Angelenos who are especially vulnerable right now.”

When: Sunday, November 30, 11am – 5pm

Where: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6125 Carlos Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028