Sunday, February 2, 2020
The Jewish Mental Health Initiative 2020 is a collaboration of every Birmingham Jewish organization and congregation, funded by the Birmingham Jewish Foundation and CJFS.
Jewish Mental Health Initiative Weekend Wraps Up Today
This weekend, Collat Jewish Family Services continued its year-long Jewish Mental Health Initiative , with mental health awareness programs at Temple Emanu-El, Temple Beth-El and Knesseth Israel Congregation. The weekend’s final program, “The Thing About Normal” with Rabbi Yossi Friedman, is scheduled for 9:30-11:30 am today at Chabad of Alabama.

The year of programs, partially funded by the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, is designed to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, as well as connecting individuals and families with resources where they can find help.

SPACE IS LIMITED for this special opportunity
Young Professionals Civil Rights Trip Planned
The Birmingham Jewish Federation and The Levite Jewish Community Center invite you to come along on a memorable young professionals Civil Rights Trip to Montgomery, AL. The trip will include admission to The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial, lunch, and transportation.

Speakers scheduled are T. Marie King, a Birmingham native, activist, speaker, trainer and community consultant, and Dr. Josh Parshall, the Director of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) History Department.

The trip has been generously underwritten by Hilary and Scott Gewant and Teri Aronov, along with The BJF and the LJCC. Register online by February 10 to reserve your space. Click for more info and to register
Each summer between 10-20 Birmingham children receive scholarship grants to attend our area’s Jewish camps
Summer Camp Scholarship Deadline Approaching
The kids are counting - just 126 days until camp! Jewish summer camps are among the most effective building blocks in connecting our young people to the Jewish community for the long haul. Each summer, Birmingham Jewish Foundation funds, in conjunction with Collat Jewish Family Services (CJFS), our synagogues, and Jewish Children’s Regional Services (JCRS), provide need-based scholarships to help our kids go to our region’s not-for-profit Jewish camps. In addition, the Goldring Foundation offers a $1500 incentive grant to Alabama campers going to a Jewish overnight summer camp. Deadlines for scholarships are fast approaching. If you would like to contribute much needed money for camp scholarships, contact Sally Friedman .

Upcoming YBIB Events:
Super Bowl Party - Feb. 2 at 5:00 pm
Game Night - Feb. 13 at 7:30 pm
Shabbat Ruach Service & Dinner - Feb. 21 at 5:30 pm
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Turnout for YBIB Event Huge
A few weeks ago, 50 You Belong in Birmingham (YBIB) participants got together for an afternoon of candle making, snacks and community. The program started off with everyone mingling with new and old friends while enjoying yummy food. Then the workshop began, which included picking out candle containers and scents and then measuring and pouring the scented wax into the selected containers. We learned about the process of making the candle as well as how to care for the candle after it is finished setting. The candle making workshop was a huge success and everyone got to leave with their own personalized candle!
 
It has been great to see everyone coming to these Birmingham Jewish Federation YBIB events, and we look forward to seeing many more new and familiar faces at the upcoming events. If you have any questions, would like to be added to our mailing list or would like more details on the upcoming programs, contact YBIB . You Belong In Birmingham (YBIB) aims to bring together young Jewish adults in their 20s and 30s to network with one another and connect them more deeply with our Jewish community.
Rabbi Bowman joined Operation Lifeshield at the time of it’s founding in 2006. As Executive Director of the organization, Bowman raises funds and awareness globally, supervises an international network of volunteer pro-Israel activists, and is responsible for Operation Lifeshield activities in Israel. 
Operation Lifeshield to Visit B'ham
The community is invited as The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foundation welcome Rabbi Shmuel Bowman of Operation Lifeshield, to speak about his organization and Israeli security concerns. Operation Lifeshield is the only NGO (non-governmental organization) dedicated to providing protective shelters to Israeli citizens. It was founded as a grassroots response to the Second Lebanon War in 2006, as a practical way to save lives. The above-ground, fully-accessible, quickly deployable protective shelters were recommended by the Israel Defense Forces as a needed solution that was sorely lacking in public spaces and schools. Lifeshield shelters provide essential peace-of-mind, comfort and sense of security on a day-to-day basis - especially to children, as shelters are placed near classrooms and playgrounds. 

Our community has supported Operation Lifeshield since 2010, through The BJF's Israel World Jewry Bureau (IWJB). IWJB is a dedicated committee of The BJF that reviews grants and allocates funds to support World Jewry. Funding for IWJB comes from The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Birmingham Jewish Foundation.
Rabbi Bowman will be speaking in Birmingham on Wednesday, February 25 at 9:30 am in the LJCC Board Room. For more information, including how to contribute to The BJF towards IWJB, contact Florina Newcomb
Upcoming Community Events

Falafel Sunday
Sunday, February 2 from 12:00-2:00 pm at Chabad of Alabama. All you can eat Falafel, Pita, and Israeli Salads Buffet.

Jaffa Institute Visits BJF
Wednesday, February 5 at 8:00 am in the LJCC Board Room. Yechiel Marcus with the Jaffa Institute will be speaking to our community about their programming. The Jaffa Institute is a recipient of the BJF’s Israel World Jewry Bureau funds, and serves disadvantaged children and the elderly in Jaffa, Israel. 

Birmingham Holocaust Education Center Cabaret
Saturday, February 8, 7:30 pm at Virginia Samford Theatre. Cabaret , benefiting the BHEC. Tickets are $100. To purchase, click here and select "Get Tickets", then scroll to special BHEC event listed. The BHEC is grateful for this partnership with VST and having been given the opportunity to share Holocaust educational information printed in the programs for each showing of Cabaret .

Birmingham Hadassah Book Launch
Sunday, February 9 at 1:00 pm at Thank You Books, 5502 Crestwood Blvd. Join Birmingham Hadassah for a book launch! Inspiring, accomplished, and bestselling author Zoe Fishman will be discussing themes such as family, grief, and addiction as they are portrayed in her latest novel "Invisible as Air." The event will be held at Birmingham's newest independent bookstore Thank You Books. Suggested donation: $18. Contact Jennifer Cordover with questions

Rosh Hashanah L'Ilanot Seder and Dinner
Sunday, February 9 at 6:00 pm at Knesseth Israel Congregation. Adults $18, Children 12 & U $10; Family max $72. Please RSVP and pay by Monday, February 3rd. Register here

Persian Shabbat
Friday, February 21 at Chabad of Alabama. Join us for festive Shabbat dinner with Persian cuisine by Chef Josh Haynes. Register here

The Birmingham Jewish Federation & Foundation Present Dr. Deborah Lipstadt
Wednesday March 4 at 7:00 pm at Birmingham Southern College: Munger Hall. Deborah Lipstadt is a leading Holocaust and antisemitism expert. She is the professor of Holocaust Studies at Emory University and has published and taught about the Holocaust for close to 40 years. The author of six books and numerous articles, she is probably most widely known because of the libel lawsuit brought against her (1996) by David Irving for having called him a Holocaust denier. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and tickets are required. For more information please call 205-803-1521. Reserve seats

It's time to join Temple Circles - Small Groups!
If you want to meet people with similar interests, but were not sure how to begin, then Temple Emanu-El's Temple Circles are for YOU! This is a great way to build meaningful friendships and do something of interest in a small, informal setting in our Jewish community. If you’re interested in finding out more about Temple Circles, contact Marilynn Rothstein at  marilynn@earlmar.com , 954.709.7789 or Monika Singletary, monika@ourtemple.org , 205.933.8037.