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Please register by February 3. We invite you to arrive by 10:00 am to hear Bojana’s remarks. Register at the Temple Beth El website: https://www.tbemadison.org/event/blockstein2024

Bojana Zorić Martinez, director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs and Wisconsin state refugee coordinator, will deliver this year’s Blockstein Memorial Lecture during brunch. Bojana will be describing her personal refugee experience and commitment to helping refugees and immigrants build their new lives in the United States and how that impacts her current role as the head of refugee and related programs in Wisconsin.

9:30 am brunch begins
10:00 am remarks from Bojana Zorić Martinez

Bojana Zorić Martinez currently serves in two critical roles, one as the director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and the other as the Wisconsin state refugee coordinator (SRC) representing the interests of the state’s refugee resettlement before local and federal partners with whom she regularly communicates and coordinates service provision. She also serves on the Executive Board of the State Coordinators of Refugee Resettlement (SCORR), the national association of state refugee coordinators, administrators, and managers.

Bojana has been serving in the SRC role for seven years. She started her career in refugee work at Jewish Family Services in Milwaukee in 2000, where she worked on helping refugees who came to Wisconsin from the former Soviet Union, former Yugoslavia, and other places from around the world. Bojana then continued to build her educational and professional career in leadership, organizational development, and management. She holds a BA in Professional Communication and an MS in Management. Bojana has extensive knowledge and experience working in refugee resettlement, and as a former refugee herself, she is grateful for the opportunity to lead and help shape the programs she once advanced from. She believes that her success lies in effective collaboration with federal and local partners across different programs for benefit of refugees and other vulnerable populations.

Remembering the social activism and public service record of Liesl M. Blockstein, Temple Beth El and Jewish Social Services annually co-sponsor this lecture honoring the accomplishments of a Wisconsin woman who has made a significant impact on our community and our state.

How does it feel to be a Jew at a time of increasing personal trauma and uncertainty?

Come join us and have an opportunity to express feelings and interchange ideas in a supportive and friendly atmosphere. Dr. Fred Stein will facilitate this group, along with JSS social workers. We will meet in the conference room at our main office, 6434 Enterprise Ln.

JSS is cosponsoring this event with Catholic Multicultural Center, Dane County Office of Immigration Affairs, League of Women Voters, Literacy Network, and Open Doors for Refugees.

Join us to learn about all levels of government in the US, meet state and local government officials, ask questions, and enjoy great food! A wonderful opportunity to provide resources and education to our immigrant community in Madison. Kids welcome!

Co-hosted with Temple Beth El, this is one of a series of multicultural community dinners highlighting the cuisines and cultures of JSS refugee and asylum chefs. The goal of this project, according to Kai Mishlove, executive director of JSS, is to provide a pathway to employment for JSS clients as well as building bridges between local ethnic communities, decreasing antisemitism and racism and generally building cross-cultural understanding. Please join us!

This meal will feature Afghan cuisine from Chef Bahkt Mohammad. The meal will be Halal and Kosher-style, meaning no pork will be served, and dairy and meat will not be cooked or served together. This event is supported by the Jewish Federation of Madison and the Cheryl Rosen Weston Fund.