Services This Month
Friday Evening Shabbat Services
Friday, February 2 at 7:00 pm
Thanks everyone who joined with us for services led by Rabbi Reice and to celebrate the birthday of Congregation Shir Ami!
Havdalah With Friends
Saturday, February 17 at 6:30 pm
The Thomas family will be hosting a Havdalah dinner this month! This dinner is open to members only and space is limited so please click here to register in advance.
Save the Date! March 1st Shabbat Services
Friday, March 1 at 7:00 pm
Join us for joyful services led by Rabbi Reice following an important congregation meeting and dinner!
Upcoming Events
Rabbi Reice Office Hours
February Office Hours
1 Feb 2024 (22 Shvat) 9:30am – 2pm (Zoom or in-person) 💻 & 👫
7 Feb 2024 (28 Shvat) 8 – 11am (Zoom only) 💻
8 Feb 2024 (29 Shvat) 3 – 6pm (Shalom Austin or Zoom only) 💻 & 👫
13 Feb 2024 (4 Adar I) 9am – 1pm (Zoom only) 💻
14 Feb 2024 (5 Adar I) 1 – 3pm (Zoom only) 💻
21 Feb 2024 (12 Adar I) 12 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
22 Feb 2024 (13 Adar I) 11:30am – 1pm (at Shalom Austin only) 💻 & 👫
28 Feb 2024 (19 Adar I) 1 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
29 Feb 2024 (20 Adar I) 2:30 – 5pm (Zoom or at The Enclave) 💻 & 👫
Days Off
9 Feb 2024 (30 Shvat)
12 Feb 2024 (3 Adar I)
15 Feb 2024 (6 Adar I)
16 Feb 2024 (7 Adar I)
20 Feb 2024 (11 Adar I)
23 Feb 2024 (14 Adar I)
26 Feb 2024 (17 Adar I)
27 Feb 2024 (18 Adar I)
Office Closing
19 Feb 2024 (10 Adar I) Office Closed – Presidents’ Day
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, 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 February
Happy Anniversary:
02/06 Sharon and Andrew Cooper
Happy Birthday:
02/02 Alan Kook
02/03 Lucas Ahmed
02/04 Melanie Williams
02/05 Francesca Sarah Stewart
02/07 Luka Eichenwald
02/07 Leo Eichenwald
02/11 Rob Rose
02/12 Rose Beatrice Ahmed
02/16 Ellen Blair
02/17 Dianne Schlanger
02/20 Tish Dashefsky
02/24 Leora Forstein
02/26 Maddie Teller-Kook
02/26 Hannah Weisbrod
02/03 Lucas Ahmed
02/04 Melanie Williams
02/05 Francesca Sarah Stewart
02/07 Luka Eichenwald
02/07 Leo Eichenwald
02/11 Rob Rose
02/12 Rose Beatrice Ahmed
02/16 Ellen Blair
02/17 Dianne Schlanger
02/20 Tish Dashefsky
02/24 Leora Forstein
02/26 Maddie Teller-Kook
02/26 Hannah Weisbrod
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting Sunday, February 4 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.
Member Meeting and Dinner Friday, March 1, before Shabbat Services
Mark your calendars for a membership meeting and dinner, March 1st, before services.
Your voice is important and we need your input!
All members are strongly encouraged to attend and share their thoughts.
All members are strongly encouraged to attend and share their thoughts.
At this meeting we will be reviewing the constitution, bylaws, and budget for 2024. All of these documents can be viewed ahead of time on the Shir Ami website. Click here to register before 2/29.
Shir Ami T-shirts are Back for a Limited Time!
Shir Ami t-shirts are available for purchase at this time. If you missed the first order opportunity, there is still time to get one. Sizes and quantities are limited so don't wait too long. To find out how you can get your Shir Ami t-shirt contact Eloise Potter and she will arrange to get the shirt to you.
Women's Mah Jongg
If you are interested in learning or playing, contact Maxine or Leslie
Happy Bookers Book Club
Saturday, February 24 at 10:30 a.m.
Book: Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
About the Book
National Best Seller • Time Best Fiction Book of the Year • Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction • Real Simple Best Book of the Year
Two families. One night. A constellation of lives changed forever. An ancient majestic oak stands beneath the stars on Division Street. And under the tree sits Ben Wilf, a retired doctor, and ten-year-old Waldo Shenkman, a brilliant, lonely boy who is pointing out his favorite constellations. Waldo doesn’t realize it but he and Ben have met before. And they will again, and again. Across time and space, and shared destiny. Division Street is full of secrets. … Spanning fifty kaleidoscopic years, on a street—and in a galaxy—where stars collapse and stories collide, two families become bound in ways they never could have imagined.
About the Author
Dani Shapiro is the best-selling author of the memoirs Hourglass; Still Writing; Devotion; and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her short fiction, essays, and journalistic pieces have appeared in publications including, The New Yorker; Granta; Tin House; One Story; Elle; The New York Times Book Review; and the op-ed pages of The New York Times. Dani Shapiro has taught in the writing programs at Columbia, NYU, The New School, and Wesleyan University. She is co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. Dani Shapiro lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut with her family.
About Happy Bookers
The Happy Bookers book club is open to Shir Ami members. Interested prospective members should contact the Shir Ami Membership Committee.
Thanks to everyone who gathered together in January to discuss Bookish People, and a special thanks to Linda and Ron Weiss for hosting the meeting!
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, Jeffrey-George Bogart, 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, Sandy Sherwin, Emory Plum Schlanger, Skylar Stefanowicz, Trystan Stefanowicz, Anthony Tarsi, Cindy Tarsi (Chasye Chana bat Laya Raizel v’Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi), Jim Tarsi, Larry Whitlock, Mary Whitlock, Carole Wood, Dominic Wood, Bonnie Zimmer
Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration
Dell JCC Campus | Sunday, May 19 | 1:00 - 3:00pm
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| Mark your calendars! Shir Ami will be hosting a booth at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration at the Dell JCC in May! And we need ideas and volunteers for our booth! If you have a desire to help plan, please contact Rabbi Reice ASAP before another organization takes your idea! |
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.
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.
Community News
Shalom Austin Adult Jewish Learning
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Dear Community,
We are excited to announce that registration for the spring semester of Shalom Austin Adult Jewish Learning is now OPEN!
Through a series of exciting and varied learning opportunities, engage with local clergy surrounding tough topics and conversations.
To learn more about our offerings and to register, click here.
We look forward to learning with you, beginning on January 22!
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Austin Z3 Conference
Shalom Austin | February 25-26
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The Z3 Project brings together prominent figures from various walks of life, to share their perspectives and to engage in discussions and debates. Our objective is to foster a fresh approach to Jewish engagement in the 21st century. Our mission remains as ambitious as ever – to provide a unique opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together and contribute to the shaping of a stronger bond between the global Jewish community and Israel. |
Empty Nesters Movie Night
Congregation Beth Israel | February 21 | 1:30 - 3:30pm
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| Empty Nesters is an adult group. Dues are 15 per person and Jewish seniors are welcome join. For more info please Dick Karp https://https://www.bethisrael.org/senior-programs.html |
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: BUT IN FEBRUARY 2024, it's going to be at NOON on February 13 at https://zoom.us/my/jfs.ehowitt but usually hosted by Shir Ami via Zoom
Free to attend
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.
Sun, April 28 2024 20 Nisan 5784
