Services This Month
Friday Evening Shabbat Services, Special Q&A
Friday, November 3 at 7:00 pm
Join us as Rabbi Reice leads our joyous Shabbat services. Services will include a special "Ask the Rabbi" Session. In place of a sermon on Friday, November 3, Rabbi Reice will hold an open, but time-limited Q&A session, so think about what you want to ask and bring your questions for Rabbi Reice to services at 7pm.
Save the Date! December 1st Shabbat Services
Friday, December 1 at 7:00 pm
Join us for joyful services led by Rabbi Reice!
Upcoming Events
Rabbi Reice Office Hours
November Office Hours (At Shir Ami, until otherwise noted)
1 Nov 2023 (17 Cheshvan) 11am – 2pm (Zoom only) 💻
2 Nov 2023 (18 Cheshvan) 11am – 2pm (Zoom only) 💻
9 Nov 2023 (25 Cheshvan) 9:30am – 3:30pm (Zoom only) 💻
14 Nov 2023 (1 Kislev) 9am – 1pm (Shalom Austin or Zoom only) 💻 & 👫
15 Nov 2023 (2 Kislev) 2 – 4pm (Zoom only) 💻
28 Nov 2023 (15 Kislev) 3:15-7:15pm 👫
29 Nov 2023 (16 Kislev) 2 – 4pm (Zoom only) 💻
Days Off
6 Nov 2023 (22 Cheshvan)
10 Nov 2023 (26 Cheshvan)
16 Nov 2023 (3 Kislev)
17 Nov 2023 (4 Kislev)
20 Nov 2023 (7 Kislev) – comp for 10/9/23
21 Nov 2023 (8 Kislev)
22 Nov 2023 (9 Kislev)
27 Nov 2023 (14 Kislev)
30 Nov 2023 (17 Kislev)
Office Closings
23 Nov 2023 (10 Kislev) Office Closed – Thanksgiving
24 Nov 2023 (11 Kislev) Office Closed – Thanksgiving
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, Alan Kook, 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 November
Happy Anniversary:
Laura Soos & Wes Eichenwald, November 8
Julie & Chuck Cohn, November 10
Amy Schorr & Rob Rose, November 15
Eloise & John Potter, November 17
Hettie & Bob Schultz, November 17
Julie & Chuck Cohn, November 10
Amy Schorr & Rob Rose, November 15
Eloise & John Potter, November 17
Hettie & Bob Schultz, November 17
Happy Birthday:
Caryl Mauk, November 3
Kenneth Friedman, November 9
Brady Wilgoren, November 11
Charlotte Cohn, November 14
Mike Bogart, November 16
Joanna Bitner, November 17
Mookie Weisbrod, November 18
Esther Friedman, November 23
Nancy Tack, November 26
Kenneth Friedman, November 9
Brady Wilgoren, November 11
Charlotte Cohn, November 14
Mike Bogart, November 16
Joanna Bitner, November 17
Mookie Weisbrod, November 18
Esther Friedman, November 23
Nancy Tack, November 26
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting Sunday, November 5 at 11:15 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, Alan Kook, at president@shir-ami.com.
Happy Bookers Book Club
Saturday, November 18 at 10:30 am
Like to read? Like stimulating discussion? Happy Bookers welcomes all Shir Ami members.
Interested? Contact Shir Ami Administrator, administrator@shir-ami.com, and the Happy Bookers will be in touch.
Date: Saturday, November 18 @ 10:30 a,m
Book: Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart (319 pgs.)
About the Book
New York Times Best Seller • “A perfect novel for these times and all times, the single textual artifact from the pandemic era I would place in a time capsule as a representation of all that is good and true and beautiful about literature.”—Molly Young, The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
In the rolling hills of upstate New York, a group of friends and friends-of-friends gathers in a country house to wait out the pandemic. Over the next six months, new friendships and romances will take hold, while old betrayals will emerge, forcing each character to reevaluate whom they love and what matters most. Both elegiac and very, very funny, Our Country Friends is the most ambitious book yet by the author of the beloved bestseller Super Sad True Love Story.
About the Author
Gary Shteyngart was born in Leningrad in 1972 and came to the United States seven years later. His debut novel, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. His second novel, Absurdistan, was named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, and a Best Book of the Year by Time, The Washington Post Book World, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. Gary Shteyngart has been selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ, and Travel + Leisure and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in New York City.
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, LeRoy Bitner, Ralph Burdett, Darin Burdman, Pamela Caulder-Fine, Susan Chisum, Marcelina Cisneros, Charlotte Cohn, Lisa Coopersmith, Anne Ditlefsen-Smallwood, Glen Fine, Janet Friedman, Linda Friedman, Lynn Gelber, Carol Goldmark, Robin Gordon, Juliet Clare Grabish, Pearl Kopita, Kate Koons, Bill Kurtz, Rabbi Mark Levin, William Lenz, John Maes, Kay Moore, Wendy Pravda, Emory Plum Schlanger, Skylar Stefanowicz, Trystan Stefanowicz, Anthony Tarsi, Cindy Tarsi (Chasye Chana bat Laya Raizel v’Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi), Jim Tarsi, Larry Whitlock, Carole Wood, Dominic Wood, Bonnie Zimmer
Shir Ami T-shirts Order Today!
Available until November 8
Congregation Shir Ami t-shirts are until November 8th! Click here to order!
Caring Circle Presents: Self Care Series
Self Care Ice Cream Party, November 7, 7 p.m. - 8:30 pm
Both events center around self-care, which becomes difficult as an adult. Sit and chat with friends about ways to stay in control and live in the moment, while connecting with your Jewish roots and your community.
The goal of these events is to address the following four questions in a relaxed, open environment:
1. What is self care?
2. Why is it Jewish?
3. What are we doing right now to care for ourselves?
4. What could we be doing for self care that is more Jewish, more effective, and better for us?
The goal of these events is to address the following four questions in a relaxed, open environment:
1. What is self care?
2. Why is it Jewish?
3. What are we doing right now to care for ourselves?
4. What could we be doing for self care that is more Jewish, more effective, and better for us?
Members of Shir Ami can register for one or both events by logging into the website, opening the Calendar, and clicking on each event.
Havdalah With Shir Ami and Upcoming Shabbat Dinner
November 10, 6:30pm
Thank you everyone who came out for our Havdalah gathering in October! (Photos below.) We look forward to seeing everyone on November 10th as we gather for a Shabbat Dinner at 6:30 pm.
We currently have one family hosting this month so space is limited. Click here to register!
If you would also like to host please contact Rachel, administrator@shir-ami.com.
Rabbi Discussion
November 12, 2-3:15pm, Room 110
What is God's name and what are God's pronouns? An Educational Discussion led by Rabbi Reice November 12 at 2pm-3:15pm in Room 110, registration is open to the community: free to members, non-member $18. Click here to register!
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.
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.
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 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!
Community News
Adult Jewish Learning Series
November 6, 7:00pm
Rabbi Reice will be leading a class entitled, "Bircat HaMinim – The Blessing of the Heretics Across Time." Click here for more information
This is a Shalom Austin community event with an $18 charge. We would like to ensure that this cost is not a barrier to anyone who is interested in attending. Scholarships are available to cover this charge. Please contact Rabbi Reice (rabbi@shir-ami.com) for more information.
Learning Opportunity for Preschool-age Children
Austin Hadassah is about to launch L’dor V’dor Learners – a program for families with pre-school aged kids to learn about the Jewish holidays every month. Check out the flier for details. Hadassah members are free, but a nominal charge for supplies is requested at registration for those who are not Hadassah member yet.
Call for Vendors
The local Hadassah chapter is gearing up for the annual holiday gift bazaar in December. If you would like ot be a vendor please click on the image above to register for the event.
Free JCC Membership
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Get a FREE JCC Membership With Renew Active
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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. |
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
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.
Sat, July 27 2024 21 Tammuz 5784
