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Home > Membership > The Voice - April 2025 - Nisan/Iyar 5785

The Voice - April 2025 - Nisan/Iyar 5785

Services this Month

Shabbat Services and Budget Meeting
Friday  |  April 4  | 7:00 pm
 
 
Addressing the Reality and Anxiety of Antisemitism. A Shir Ami Caring Circle Shabbat
The Shir Ami Caring Circle will host a speaker at the April 4 Shabbat. Jackie Nirenberg, the Regional Director for the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) for Central Texas, will speak about the general state of antisemitism, the latest statistics, and findings from ADL's recent study on communicating about antisemitism to non-Jewish audiences. Her presentation will be part of our Shabbat Services.
 
There will be a Budget meeting for all Shir Ami members before services on the 4th. It is very important that all members who are able come to this meeting to review plans for next year.
Second Seder:  Registration is open until April 6th!
Sunday  |  April 13  |  5:30pm
 
 

Join Congregation Shir Ami and Rabbi Rebecca Reice for our Second Night Seder. Enjoy an interactive service, Haggadah readings, and a delicious meal with old and new friends. Open to the Community.
Final date to register is April 6.
Shabbat Morning Services and Bar Mitzvah
Saturday  |  April 26  |  10:00 am
 
 
We come together as the Dashefsky family and Congregation Shir Ami celebrate the simcha of Leo Dashefsky being called to the Torah as Bar Mitzvah. Please join us on this special occasion as this Religious School student passes from childhood to adulthood in our Jewish tradition, and as our Shir Ami family honors this momentous event!
 
Rabbi Reice will lead this special ceremony, along with our regular Saturday morning Shabbat Torah Service. Please click here to register!
Torah Study
 
 
 
Because April is such a busy month Torah study is being postponed until May.
 
Save the Date! May Religious School Shabbat Services
Friday, May 2  |  Services 7:00pm
 

Join us for joyful Shabbat services led by Rabbi Reice and our Religious School Students.

Upcoming Events

Rabbi Reice Office Hours
 
April Office Hours
1 Apr 2025 (3 Nisan) 12 – 6pm
9 Apr 2025 (11 Nisan) 2 – 5pm
10 Apr 2025 (12 Nisan) 2:30 – 5:30pm
15 Apr 2025 (17 Nisan) 12 – 6pm
21 Apr 2025 (23 Nisan) 2:30 – 5:30pm
22 Apr 2025 (24 Nisan) 3 – 6pm
29 Apr 2025 (1 Iyar) 1 – 4pm
30 Apr 2025 (2 Iyar) 2 – 5pm
 
Upcoming Days Off
3 Apr 2025 (5 Nisan)
7 Apr 2025 (9 Nisan) - comp for 3/20
11 Apr 2025 (13 Nisan)
16 Apr 2025 (18 Nisan) - comp for 4/1
17 Apr 2025 (19 Nisan)
18 Apr 2025 (20 Nisan)
23 Apr 2025 (25 Nisan)
25 Apr 2025 (27 Nisan)
28 Apr 2025 (30 Nisan) - comp for 4/8
1 May 2025 (3 Iyar) - comp for 4/15
 
April Office Closing
14 Apr 2025 (16 Nisan) Office Closed - Pesach II
 
During Office hours, Rabbi Reice will be answering the phone, answering emails, and meeting with those folks who have scheduled an appointment (in person, over the phone or a video call). Please feel free to call or email Rabbi Reice during these times. (Of course, contact her, or our President, Cindy Tarsi, immediately for more urgent matters.)
 
Please email our administrator, Rachel McEwen (administrator@shir-ami.com), to schedule an appointment in advance.

Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries in March

Happy Anniversary:
4/03        Dmitriy & Sarah Belyi
4/09        Aaron Roos Kirkpatrick & Poushali Bhattacharjee
4/17        Bonnie & David Cohen
 
Happy Birthday:
4/04        Trystan Stefanowicz
4/04        Julie Cohn
4/05        Sharon Cooper
4/07        Diane Stepakof-Fay
4/09        Adam Belyi
4/09        Andrew Cooper
4/12        Jim Tarsi
4/16        Laurie Simmons
4/25        Gideon Levinsky
4/26        Mary Whitlock
4/27        David Cohen
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
Sunday  |  April 27  |  10:30 am
 

All members are invited to attend the Board of Trustees meetings.  If you would like to attend this meeting, or wish to speak at the meeting, please contact our President, Cindy Tarsi.
Women's Mah Jongg
If you are interested in learning or playing, contact Maxine or Leslie
 
 
The women in our group meet once or twice a month to play Mah Jongg, kibbitz, nosh and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Our members volunteer to host these afternoon games at their homes. Members who would like to make a donation at the end of each game may do so. At the end of the year the group makes a donation to Shir Ami and chooses another worthy Jewish charity.
Happy Bookers Book Club
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2024
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Book: Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo
 
 
 
About the Book
Set in an upper-middle-class Tel Aviv apartment building, this best-selling and acclaimed Israeli novel examines the interconnected lives of its residents, whose turmoils, secrets, unreliable confessions, and problematic decisions reveal a society in the midst of an identity crisis.

1st Floor: Arnon, a tormented retired officer who fought in the First Intifada, confesses to an army friend with a troubled military past how his obsession about his young daughter's safety led him to lose control and put his marriage in peril. 2nd Floor: Hani, "the widow," whose husband travels the world for his lucrative job while she stays at home with their two children, increasingly isolated and unstable. When her brother-in-law suddenly appears at their door begging her to hide him from loan sharks and the police, she agrees in spite of the risk to her family, if only to bring some emotional excitement into her life. Top Floor: Devora, a former judge. Eager to start a new life in her retirement, Devora joins a social movement, desperately tries to reconnect with her estranged son, and falls in love with a man who isn't what he seems. 
 
About the Author
Eshkol Nevo (אשכול נבו) is an Israeli writer who has published five novels, a work of non-fiction, and a collection of short stories. His novel, Homesick, won the Book Publishers Association Gold Prize (2005) and the FFI-Raymond Wallier Prize at the Salon du Livre (Paris, 2008). Eshkol Nevo vividly depicts how the grinding effects of social and political ills play out in the psyche of his flawed yet compelling characters, in often unexpected and explosive ways. Eshkol Nevo grew up in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Detroit. He is the grandson of Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, for whom he was named. He teaches creative writing and thinking at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Tel Aviv University, Sapir College and the Open University of Israel.
 
 
About Happy Bookers
The Happy Bookers book club is open to Shir Ami members. Interested prospective members should contact the Shir Ami Membership Committee.
 
2025 SCHEDULE
1/18: A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
2/22: the little liar by Mitch Albom
3/22: The Best Strangers in the World by Ari Shapiro
4/19: Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo
5/17: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
6/21: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
7/19: City Boy by Herman Wouk
8/23: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
9/20: Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby
10/25: The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
11/22: The Morning After the Revolution by Nellie Bowles
12/20: When Angels Left the Old Country by Sasha Lamb
1/2026: Here All Along by Sarah Hurwitz
 
World Zionist Congress Elections - VOTE!
Voting runs from March 10 - May 4, 2025
Join the Reform Movement in Voting for the Vote Reform Slate (option #3) in this election. Between March 10 and May 4, 2025, American Jews will vote for their delegates to the 39th World Zionist Congress, the “parliament of the Jewish people,” which will convene in Jerusalem in October 2025. Voting in this election is the most powerful opportunity to have your voice heard in Israel, make an impact in Jewish communities worldwide, and stand up for the Zionism in which you believe. Rabbi Reice spoke more about this opportunity on March 7, so feel free to reach out to her with questions.
ARE YOU READY TO VOTE?!

Shir Ami News

Mi Shebeirach

Our Prayers for the Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Healing for those named and any others in need.
 
Please email Rabbi Reice at rreice@shir-ami.com to enter a name on the list or remove a name from the list.
 
Bill Bitner, Ralph Burdett, Rene Castiglione, Pamela Caulder-Fine, Ron Christopher, Glen Fine, Leora Forstein, Janet Friedman, Linda Friedman, Lynn Gelber, Carol Goldmark, Juliet Clare Grabish, Gail Lary, Peter Lary, Rabbi Mark Levin, William Lenz, John Liberty, Eric Maginniss, Nikki Maza, Geri Meyers, Dorie Mickelson, Carol Moon, Kay Moore, Dominae Petrosini, Emory Plum Schlanger, Harriet Schorr, James Smallwood, Skylar Stefanowicz, Trystan Stefanowicz, Cindy Tarsi (Chasye Chana bat Laya Raizel v’Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi), Jim Tarsi, Esther Thomas, Laura Wildeman, Carole Wood, Dale Wood, Dominic Wood, Bonnie Zimmer
Seven Days of Creation for 7 Weeks of the Omer
Tuesdays, April 15 - May 27  |  7:00 pm
 
 

Rabbi Reice will be teaching during the first week of this series of Zoom learning sessions. The seven-week Omer period begins on the second night of Passover and continues until the eve of Shavuot. During our class each week, a Rabbi for 30 minutes (or a pair of rabbis for an hour) will present a teaching connecting each of the seven weeks of the Omer to its corresponding day of the Seven Days of Creation. Participation is free!
The Caring Circle - Care to Get Involved?
 
 

Lending a helping hand to members in times of stress is a vital part of any congregation. Kind and caring Shir Ami members volunteer in this group to help provide support to other Shir Ami congregants in times of life's challenges such as illness, death, divorce, and birth. Specific activities include helping to secure a minyan for a memorial or shiva service, sending notes to members on the loss of a loved one, arranging transportation for a member to attend services or other Shir Ami events, and providing meals, sending cards, visiting, or calling congregants during times of illness or post-hospitalization.
 
If you are experiencing any of these challenges and wish to be contacted by the Caring Circle, please contact Rabbi Reice. If you wish to be a more active Caring Circle volunteer, please contact Sara Goodman at CaringCircle@Shir-Ami.com. All are welcome!

Shir Ami and Drive a Senior Northwest – Partners in Supporting our Older Adults

Volunteer Drivers Needed
Please consider becoming a volunteer driver for the Drive a Senior Northwest program. By offering to drive someone just one or two short trips a month, you will be an unbelievable help to our many older adults still living at home in the northwest Austin/Cedar Park/Leander area. Driving an older adult is incredibly rewarding and very much appreciated. Please go online to driveaseniornorthwest.org to read about the program, then print a volunteer form, fill it out, and mail it in. Or ask Sara Goodman (sgoodman123@gmail.com) for more information about the program.
Services to Adults 60+
If you or a loved one is 60+ and needs help to stay in your/their home, Drive A Senior Northwest is here for you. Services include rides to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, community activities, etc. as well as minor home repair, telephone reassurance, and a twice monthly senior day out. Contact Drive a Senior Northwest at driveaseniornorthwest.org or (512) 250-5021.

Community News

Free Virtual Film Showing
April 18 - May 4
 
Celebrating the season of freedom, we're pleased to bring you the classic film Live and Become as our AJFF365 event this month. The film is first and foremost a great drama, but it also explores a number of interesting themes—freedom (especially the escape from famine and poverty), identity, acceptance, the treatment of migrants, and so much more that is still very timely. For those celebrating Easter, there are also interesting ideas of redemption and rebirth.
Continuing the theme of freedom, we're making this film FREE to our audience to stream from tomorrow, April 18 through May 5th.  Please share this event with your friends and family who reside in Texas.
Austin Jewish Song Circle
 
A local group is organizing to come together in person to learn new and traditional Jewish songs, discuss the meanings and contexts behind their texts, and sing together. Although many of the songs we learn will be in Hebrew (and some in other Jewish languages), no prior language knowledge is necessary - all songs will be shared with translation and transliteration.
 
They are currently planning to meet for about 90 minutes, 2-3 times a month.
 
They will generally meet in central Austin but members of the group can volunteer their homes for meeting places.
 
Each session, will start with a niggun (wordless melody) before learning the main song that will be the focus of learning. The group will review the song, spend some time digging into the text, and examine other related texts or songs. Expect to sing things through several times to internalize the music - this is also a great opportunity to develop harmonies!
 
Song / source sheets, as well as some snacks will be provided. They recommend bringing a pencil to make notes and a water bottle. While the group will focus on singing, if you have an acoustic musical instrument and are comfortable playing along, feel free to bring that as well! (They will not be able to provide musical notation or chords; all songs will be taught by ear.)
 
Contact esther.j.garcia@gmail.com with your questions
Meaningful Months
 
Rabbi Reice will be participating in both the Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron events, representing our congregation. Click here to register for any of the events above!
Upcoming Study of Jewish ATX
 
Under the auspices of Shalom Austin, Brandeis University is requesting contact lists for members, donors, and/or participants of Jewish congregations in our area. They will use them as the basis for drawing a random sample of survey participants.
 
Brandeis University has a comprehensive privacy policy that governs the collection and use of this data, which will not be shared outside of the research team. The research team also includes NORC at the University of Chicago and the UNH Survey Center, which have partnered with Brandeis in conducting this study.
 
The Purpose of the Study
-Identify opportunities for increased engagement (e.g., new geographies)
-Identify critical social service needs (e.g., mental health)
-Understand barriers to participation for high-priority groups (e.g., microgrant program)
-Provide details about the characteristics and interests of those groups
-Engage larger community in strategic goal setting (e.g., targeted initiatives)
-Priority subgroups, content areas, and geographic regions
-Shift narrative to a more contemporary and inclusive view of Jewish engagement and community
-Understand behaviors and attitudes that form complex Jewish identity
-Index of Jewish engagement
-Springboard for follow-up research
-Interviews, focus groups, targeted surveys
 
What information will be on the list?
The research team is asking for names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for adult members and affiliates. (No information on children will be given.)
 
Shir Ami has agreed to share our membership list with the Brandeis University research team. We have spoken with them directly and feel confident that they will protect the confidentiality of our data. If, however, you do not wish us to share your contact information please click here to have your name and information removed from the list. You must opt out by 4/7/25.
Hadassah Passover Recipe Exchange
Sunday  |  April 6  |  6:00pm
 
 
Secure Community Network Launches Recurring Seasonal 10-Minute Weather Safety Webinar Series
 
 
The Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, today announced a new, recurring series of weather-related preparedness webinars aimed at helping Jewish institutions and community members proactively prepare for seasonal weather events. The series kicks off with two comprehensive spring weather safety webinars, available immediately for community members to view at their convenience.
 
The first two webinars, "10-Minute Weather Safety Series: Spring Weather" and “10-Minute Weather Safety Series — Hurricanes and Floods,” provide critical information on recognizing and responding to severe weather events including tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, flash floods, and riverine flooding. Viewers will learn important safety strategies such as understanding weather alerts, emergency preparedness best practices, and how to protect themselves and their communities effectively during spring weather emergencies.
 
"The goal of this webinar series is to empower Jewish communities to employ timely, actionable preparedness steps to protect their institutions and homes against seasonal weather-related incidents," said Secure Community Network National Director & CEO Michael Masters. "As we have seen recently across the country — from wildfires in the Carolinas and California to hurricanes across the South — weather-related incidents can be rapid, unexpected, devastating crises that put lives in danger and turn communities upside down. Taking a proactive approach to safety significantly mitigates risks and protects communities from the worst in moments of crisis.”
 
Community members and organizations will have the opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer session with SCN’s Emergency Preparedness Program Director Murray Snow on 02 April. As part of SCN’s best-practice, all-hazards approach to safety, security, and resiliency, these live question-and-answer sessions will follow each seasonal webinar offering.
 
SCN urges all community institutions and members to participate in this educational initiative and enhance their preparedness for seasonal weather-related challenges. To access the webinar and register for the upcoming Q&A session, click here or visit SecureCommunityNetwork.Org.
Yom Hashoah Speaker at the Georgetown Public Library
April 27  |  3-5pm
 
 
This presentation, tailored for all ages, shares a message that is both timeless and urgent in today’s world. Attendance is free!
 
Partner Programs and Seminars:
 
International K-12 Educators Seminar: The International Educators’ Seminar in June 2025 offers a unique opportunity for K-12 educators to learn, experience, and gain insights into the educational system in Israel. This highly subsidized seminar provides a platform to explore enriching, meaningful, and long-lasting global connections. To receive info, please email P2G WG Academia and Education Coordinator, Shiri Ehrlich.
 
Other Programs and Opportunities:
 
Routes2Roots: Hungarian Heritage Exploration - For those of Hungarian heritage in our P2G WG communities who are interested in pursuing this free-of-charge family research, contact Noemi Nemeth, P2G Budapest Coordinator.
 
Medical Students Externship at the Galilee Medical Center: The P2G Medical Committee announces an immersive month-long experience for medical students to get a close-up look at Israel’s health system, its rigorous medical standards and quality medical care, the diverse culture of northern Israel, and more. During the Externship, students will have the opportunity to take part in rounds, participate in ward activities, attend lectures and receive informal instruction at the Galilee Medical Center (GMC). The medical center will work with each student to tailor the dates of the externship to the  student’s availability as well as their learning objectives. For more information, contact P2G Assistant Director Avital Ben Dror.
 
 
Chesed Circle is returning in the Spring!
 
Chesed (kindness) Circle is a five-class learning series for preschoolers (ages 3-5) and their caregivers rooted in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), a core tenet of Judaism. Each class offers participants meaningful learning and hands-on opportunities centered on acts of chesed (kindness) toward each other and our world. Classes take place on Sunday mornings at the Dell JCC. Only one registration is needed per family (siblings welcome). There is a discounted rate for returning families.
Register here!
https://hebrewfreeloanofaustin.org/Interest Free Loans for Camp
 
We all know the importance that a Jewish Summer Camp experience can have on the formulation of a child’s Jewish identity. I wanted to share with you the news that Hebrew Free Loan of Austin is providing no interest loans of up to $2500 to families seeking assistance in sending children or grandchildren to Jewish Summer Camp.  In addition, HFLA is not requiring a guarantor for such loans.  Paid back over the course of the year, this can a be an easy way for families to essentially save for camp all year long.
Jewish Family Services Caregiver Support Groups
Family Caregiver Support Group: This is an ongoing group and meets the first and third Thursday of each month. It is a safe place for family members caring for adult loved ones to discuss the stresses, challenges, and rewards of caregiving. To register, click here
Digital Mood & Mindfulness with Jewish Family Service
 
Do you feel distracted? Hurried? Preoccupied? This personal development workshop will teach mindfulness techniques that can help participants to be more present and aware in daily life. Mindfulness has the power to improve relationships, increase self-control, boost productivity and can lessen depression and anxiety.
Join Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service’s professionally-facilitated workshop to develop mindfulness skills and discuss common experiences together.
Second Tuesday of each month at 11AM via Zoom
Free to attend
For more information and to register to receive the link, please contact Emma Howitt, LPC-S, LCDC at emma.howitt@shalomaustin.org.

Volunteer for Shalom Austin JFS Food Pantry

The Client Choice Shalom Austin JFS Food Pantry is always looking to engage volunteers in food drives, packing food bags, and making deliveries. Anyone interested in getting involved in any capacity, can email Joan Eisenberg Maniere at joan.maniere@shalomaustin.org.
Also, if you know of any community members who are facing food insecurity, please have them contact Joan, and she can get them enrolled into the program.

Interest Free Loans

Hebrew Free Loan of Austin provides short-term financial support for members of the Austin Jewish community through interest-free loans that springboard you to your next step in life. Could you or someone you know use a hand-up with an interest free loan? Loans can be made available within a week or even same day in emergencies! Contact info@hfla.org or visit https://hebrewfreeloanofaustin.org.
Wed, April 30 2025 2 Iyar 5785