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HIAS Refugee Shabbat Guest Speaker: Gilberto Calderin
March 14, Kiddush Talk
We are honored to welcome Gilberto Calderin as our guest speaker for HIAS Refugee Shabbat. This annual observance invites our community to reflect on Jewish values of welcoming the stranger and to stand in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers.
Gilberto Calderin is the Director of Advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition. A proud Cuban immigrant raised in Miami, he came to the United States at a young age with his family in search of freedom and opportunity. His own immigration story continues to shape his commitment to advancing policies that support immigrant and refugee communities.
Drawing on his personal journey and professional experience, Gil will reflect on how lived experience informs his advocacy work today and on the enduring importance of immigration to American society. In a challenging moment for immigrant communities, his remarks will lift up the contributions immigrants make and the values that have long defined the United States as a place of refuge and opportunity.
Gilberto Calderin is the Director of Advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition. Most recently, he led state and federal advocacy efforts at Ascentria Care Alliance, where he focused on advancing policies to support refugees and immigrant families. Prior to that, he served as an Immigration Specialist in the Office of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, where he assisted families, businesses, universities, and nonprofit organizations in navigating the complexities of the U.S. immigration system and advocated for timely resolutions to urgent immigration cases.
A proud Cuban immigrant raised in Miami, Gilberto is deeply grounded in his own immigration story, having left Cuba at a young age with his family in search of freedom and opportunity. That journey continues to shape his commitment to building a more welcoming, just, and fair immigration system.
He holds a Master of Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in International and Global Studies from Brandeis University. He is also an alumnus of the Rappaport Public Policy Fellowship, through which he served at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants.
Gilberto was inspired to join MIRA by his belief that, as the federal government continues to fall short in protecting immigrant communities, more must be done at the state level to ensure Massachusetts remains a welcoming Commonwealth.
Outside of work, he enjoys hiking New Hampshire’s White Mountains and taking long walks with his dog, Wally.
Refugee Shabbat is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals in the United States and worldwide to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers. People seeking asylum are being turned away at borders around the world. The number of forcibly displaced people is rapidly growing, and the climate crisis exacerbates the effects of violence, conflict, and economic instability on already vulnerable populations. This is a critical moment for all of us to reaffirm and redouble our support for refugees, asylum seekers, and those forcibly displaced, as well as an opportunity to step back, reflect, and celebrate the work we have already done. Come learn about TBZ’s important work with refugees and asylum seekers.