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Services This Month

Friday Evening Shabbat Services: Religious School Shabbat!
Friday, May 5 at 7:00 pm
 
 
Join us for a meaningful and joyful Religious School Shabbat! At Religious School Shabbat, our children will take part in leading services. This special Shabbat event will follow the Budget and Annual Meetings.
T'filah Together
Saturday, May 13 at 9:00 am
 
 

Please join us for T’filah Together, Shir Ami's version of Tot Shabbat, now on Saturday mornings!
Services are geared towards families with children ages 8 years and younger, but all are welcome!
 
This will include age-appropriate songs, prayers, and a PJ Library story.
We hope to see you there!
Saturday Morning Shabbat Plus Choir Performance and Luncheon
Saturday, May 13 at 10:00 am
 

Please join us for Shabbat morning services led by Rabbi Reice! We plan to hold the ritual of the reading the Torah, if we have a minyan!
 
The Shir Ami choir will be performing at this service and holding a luncheon, open to all members, afterward please click here to RSVP for the luncheon by May 10.
Save the Date! June 2 Friday Evening Shabbat Services
Friday, June 2 at 7:00 pm
 
 
Save the date for Services on June 2nd! We will be blessing our graduating high school seniors. Please contact Rabbi Reice to be included.

Upcoming Events

Rabbi Reice Office Hours
 
May Office Hours (At Shir Ami, until otherwise noted)
3 May 2023 (12 Iyar) 1 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
4 May 2023 (13 Iyar) 1 – 3:30pm (Zoom Only) 💻
8 May 2023 (17 Iyar) 2:00 – 5:30pm 💻 & 👫
9 May 2023 (18 Iyar) 11 – 12:30pm (Shalom Austin Only) 👫
10 May 2023 (19 Iyar) 9 – 10am (Shalom Austin Only) 👫
15 May 2023 (24 Iyar) 10:30am – 12:30pm (Shalom Austin Only) 👫
17 May 2023 (26 Iyar) 1:30 – 5:30pm 💻 & 👫
30 May 2023 (10 Sivan) 10am – 4pm (Zoom only) 💻
 
Days Off
1 May 2023 (10 Iyar)
2 May 2023 (11 Iyar)
11 May 2023 (20 Iyar)
12 May 2023 (21 Iyar)
18 May 2023 (27 Iyar)
19 May 2023 (28 Iyar)
25 May 2023 (5 Sivan)
26 May 2023 (6 Sivan)
31 May 2023 (11 Sivan)
1 June 2023 (12 Sivan)
 
Office Closings
25 May 2023 (5 Sivan) Office Closed - Erev Shavuot
26 May 2023 (6 Sivan) Office Closed - Shavuot
29 May 2023 (9 Sivan) Office Closed - Memorial Day

Vacation
22 May 2023 (2 Sivan)
 
During Office hours, Rabbi Reice will be answering the phone, answering emails, and meeting with those 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, Eloise Potter, 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 April

Happy Anniversary:
Dottie Elliott and John Liberty, May 7
Pamela Caulder-Fine and Glen Fine, May 15
Chris and Rick Grabish, May 20
Leslie and Steve Schwartz, May
27
 
Happy Birthday:
Zev Gisser, May 6
Leslie Schwartz, May 11
Sheila Berstein, May 14
Sarah Ahmed, May 16
AJ Green, May 16
Irene Beattie, May 23
Ron Weiss, May 28
Annual Member Meeting
Friday, May 5 at 5:45 pm | Shir Ami
 

The Annual Budget Meeting followed immediately by the Annual Members Meeting for Congregation Shir Ami will be held on Friday, May 5th at 6:00PM, just prior to Shabbat Services. Dinner will begin at 5:45pm. Meetings and dinner will be held in the Fellowship Hall.
 
If you will be attending dinner please register by clicking the link in the email that was sent out to all members.
 
A quorum is required for business to be conducted and we ask all members in good standing, as of Record Date: April 5th, to please attend. All votes by proxy must be received at Administrator@shir-ami.com by May 5th at 12pm (noon). Please click the button below to vote by proxy if you will be unable to attend:
 
 
At this year’s meetings, we will vote on the amended version of the Constitution, the Budget, and the Board of Trustees Slate of Officers, all of these documents can be reviewed by clicking here.
We very much look forward to seeing you on May 5th!
Shir Ami Choir at Shabbat Services and Member Luncheon
Saturday | May 13 | 10:00 am
 

Join us for a light Kiddush luncheon, compliments of Shir Ami and the choir, after Shabbat morning services on Saturday, May 13 at 10am. Please click here to RSVP by by May 10th so that we can be sure to have a bagel for you! All members are welcome!
 
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
Sunday, May 25 at 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, Eloise Potter, at congregation@shir-ami.com.
Happy Bookers Book Club
Saturday, May 20 at 10:30 am
 
 
Time: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: The Kaplan home
Book The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
 
 
About the Book
The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
#1 New York Times Bestseller. A profound exploration of faith by a man of profound faith.
What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared?

 
In Mitch Albom's profound new novel of hope and faith, a group of ten shipwrecked passengers is adrift in a raft after a deadly luxury yacht explosion. They struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. “Thank the Lord we found you,” a passenger says. “I am the Lord,” the man whispers. And he says he can save them only if they all believe in him. So begins Mitch Albom's most fascinating novel yet. Strongly Recommended: Reading a synopsis of Albom’s Finding Chika, his first nonfiction title in over a decade and the book immediately preceding The Stranger in the Lifeboat will give you important perspective on this book.
 
About the Author

Mitch Albom is an internationally renowned and best-selling author, sports journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, have been published in 49 territories and in 47 languages around the world, and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed television movies. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the inspirational stories and themes that weave through his books, plays, and films.
 
Mitch Albom was born on May 23, 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey, the middle of three children to Rhoda and Ira Albom. He grew up wanting to be a cartoonist before switching to music, teaching himself to play piano. Mitch Albom holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and an MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, paying his tuition partly by working as a piano player.  He lives with his wife Janine in Detroit and has founded nine charities in the metropolitan Detroit area.
Grief Support
May 4 - June 6, Tues, 7-8:30 pm
 
 
Meeting at Shir Ami, faciliatated by Rabbi Reice with a counselor from JFS. Registration and details available by emailing jfs@ShalomAustin.org
 
Film Screening and Panel with Rabbi Reice
May 24, 7:00 pm
 
 
Shir Ami is co-sponsoring this special event and Rabbi Reice will be participating in a panel after the movie. Tickets can be bought in advance (with a discount!) by clicking here.
 
Save the Date!
July 22, 4:00 pm
 
 
 

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.
 
Mona Bailey, Jodie Billings, Sam Billings, Bill Bitner, LeRoy Bitner, Kirsten Block, Darin Burdman, Keith Byrd, Maple Cohn, Lisa Coopersmith, Anne Ditlefsen-Smallwood, Sandra Dietz, Julie Eaton, Glen Fine, Lynn Gelber, Carol Goldmark, Juliet Clare Grabish, Yarrow Halstead, Barry Henthorn, Jo Ella Henthorn, Pam Henthorn, Tom Henthorn, Molly Jacobi, Bill Kurtz, Liana Lawrence, William Lenz, Rabbi Mark Levin, Kay Moore, ​Jeanette November, Skylar Stefanowicz, Trystan Stefanowicz, Cindy Tarsi (Chasye Chana bat Laya Raizel v’Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi), Jim Tarsi, Miles Ward, Julian Ward, Carole Wood, Bonnie Zimmer

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.

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 volunteers in this group 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, 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 Caring Circle volunteer, please contact Sara Goodman at CaringCircle@Shir-Ami.com. All are welcome!

Community News

Free JCC Membership
 
 
Get a FREE JCC Membership With Renew Active

The JCC is the fitness center at Shalom Austin.
 
Renew Active and Medicare One Pass will pay for your JCC membership! The JCC has partnered with UnitedHealthcare to offer Medicare insurance-covered memberships for seniors (65+) through a program called Renew Active.

To get started, email membership@shalomaustin.org or call 512-735-8001 with your Renew Active ID and phone number.
Coffee with Congregations
 
 
This is a community outreach opportunity for your non-affliated friends to meet Rabbi Reice and other Jewish educators in the area. Be sure to let your friends know!
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
Tuesday, May 9 at 11 am
Via Zoom
 
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? Contact info@hfla.org or visit https://hebrewfreeloanofaustin.org.
Operation Todah Texas
 
For more information about how to participate, please visit https://www.shir-ami.com/operationtodahtexas
Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784