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The Voice November 2024

Services This Month

Shabbat Services
Friday  |  November 1  | 7:00 pm
 
 
Join us for Shabbat serviecs led by Rabbi Reice! We are expecting to welcome the Shinshinim as special guests on November 1st Shabbat Services: Eyal Butbul and Ariella Goldstein. You are invited to think of questions to ask these Israeli teenagers as we start to get to know them!
T'filah Together
Saturday |  November 9  |  9 am
 
 
Please join us for T'filah Together, Congregation Shir Ami's Tot Shabbat program for families with kiddos up to the age of eight years old. Rabbi Rebecca Reice will lead a Shabbat program specifically geared for kids and their families. This will include age-appropriate songs, prayers, and a PJ Library story. We hope to see you there! Please click here to register!
Morning Shabbat Services
Saturday |  November 9  |  10 am
 
 
Join us for Saturday morning Shabbat services. We need ritual Jewish adults to help to make and maintain the minyan for Torah reading at 10am! Please click here to register!
 
And in addition to bringing a friend or your family along with you, stay for oneg, because we will be celebrating Hebrew Free Loan of Austin's 13th Birthday with a kosher cake after kiddush and motzi!
Save the Date! November Shabbat Services
Friday  |  December 6  |  7:00 pm
 
 
Join us for Shabbat services led by Rabbi Reice.

Upcoming Events

Rabbi Reice Office Hours
 
November Office Hours
4 Nov 2024 (3 Cheshvan) 10am – 12:30pm (Zoom only) 💻
6 Nov 2024 (5 Cheshvan) 1 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
12 Nov 2024 (11 Cheshvan) 11am – 2pm (Zoom only) 💻
12 Nov 2024 (11 Cheshvan) 7 – 8:30pm (Zoom only) 💻
13 Nov 2024 (12 Cheshvan) 3 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
20 Nov 2024 (19 Cheshvan) 1 – 4:30pm 💻 & 👫
21 Nov 2024 (20 Cheshvan) 2:30 – 5pm (Zoom only) 💻
25 Nov 2024 (24 Cheshvan) 11am – 5pm (Zoom only) 💻
 
November Days Off
5 Nov 2024 (4 Cheshvan) - comp for 10/16
7 Nov 2024 (6 Cheshvan) - comp for 10/28
15 Nov 2024 (14 Cheshvan) - comp for 10/30
18 Nov 2024 (17 Cheshvan) - comp for 11/4
19 Nov 2024 (18 Cheshvan) - comp for 11/6
22 Nov 2024 (21 Cheshvan) - comp for 11/12
26 Nov 2024 (25 Cheshvan) - comp for 11/13
27 Nov 2024 (26 Cheshvan) - comp for 11/20
 
November Office Closings
11 Nov 2024 (10 Cheshvan) Office Closed - Veterans' Day
28 Nov 2024 (27 Cheshvan) Office Closed - Thanksgiving
29 Nov 2024 (28 Cheshvan) Office Closed - Thanksgiving Friday
 
 
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 November

Happy Anniversary:
11/08    Laura Soos & Wes Eichenwald
11/10    Julie & Chuck Cohn
11/15    Amy Schorr & Rob Rose
11/17    Eloise & John Potter
11/17    Hettie & Bob Schultz
 
Happy Birthday:
11/05    Gail McMahon
11/05    Ethan Belyi
11/09    Kenneth Friedman
11/11    Brady Wilgoren
11/14    Charlotte Cohn
11/16    Mike Bogart
11/17    Joanna Bitner
11/18    Mookie Weisbrod
11/23    Esther Friedman
11/26    Nancy Tack
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
Sunday  |  November 10  |  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, Alan Kook, at alankook.atx@gmail.com.
HHD Canned Food Drive, Thank you!
 
 
Joan Maniere from the Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service Food Pantry sends gratitude and recognition to Shir Ami members who donated over 20 bags of food and soup over the holidays!
 
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, November 23, 2024
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Book: The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, by Sarit Yishai-Levi
Hosts: Leslie and Steven Schwartz
 
 
 
About the Book
 
A #1 International Bestseller, now a Netflix Series, a dazzling story about mothers and daughters, secrets and betrayals, and a binding curse. Finalist, Book Club category, 2016 National Jewish Book Awards.
 
Gabriela's mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there's more to her mother than painted nails and lips.
 
Desperate to understand their relationship, Gabriela pieces together the stories of her family's previous generations―from Great-Grandmother Mercada the renowned healer, to Grandma Rosa who cleaned houses for the English, to Luna who had the nicest legs in Jerusalem. As she uncovers shocking secrets, forbidden romances, and the family curse that links the women together, Gabriela must face a past and present far more complex than she ever imagined. Set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, the dark days of World War II, and the swinging '70s, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change.
 
About the Author
 
Sarit Yishai-Levi was born in Jerusalem in 1947 to a Sephardic family that has lived there for seven generations. Before turning to journalism, she acted in theater and film for several years. Sarit Yishai-Levi has published four non-fiction books. The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (2016), was her first novel. Sarit Yishai-Levi writes about women, especially the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. Other novels: Isha Me-Ever la Yem (2019), and The Woman Beyond the Sea (2023), all translated from the Hebrew. She is the credited artist of Miss Jerusalem (2013) by Mier Shalev, available in Hebrew only.
 
About Happy Bookers
The Happy Bookers book club is open to Shir Ami members. Interested prospective members should contact the Shir Ami Membership Committee.

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, Pamela Caulder-Fine, Glen Fine, Leora Forstein, Janet Friedman, Linda Friedman, Lynn Gelber, Carol Goldmark, Robin Gordon, Juliet Clare Grabish, Pearl Kopita, Ron Kopita, Gail Lary, Peter Lary, Rabbi Mark Levin, William Lenz, Eric Maginniss, Nikki Maza, Geri Meyers, Thelma Mickelson, Carol Moon, Kay Moore, Dominae Petrosini, Emory Plum Schlanger, Skylar Stefanowicz, Trystan Stefanowicz, Anthony Tarsi, Cindy Tarsi (Chasye Chana bat Laya Raizel v’Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi), Jim Tarsi, Esther Thomas, Dominic Wood, Bonnie Zimmer
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!
Holiday Gift Wrapping
December 7, 8 & 22  |  8:00am
 


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

Austin Jewish Film Festival
October 31 - November 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This film festival will feature world and Texas premier films, have in-person filmmaker programs, and a free short film program. Click here for more details!
8th-12th Grade Havdallah and Party
Saturday  |  November 9  |  7:00pm  |  Agudas Achim
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hadassah Gift Bazaar
Sunday  |  December 15  |  10:00am  |  Shalom Austin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 hosted by Shir Ami 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, January 15 2025 15 Tevet 5785