Magic City Market Meet Up
December 6 @ 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Did you know that there is a new market at Vulcan Park? Recently Margaret, Bethany and Dani went to do some “research” on the Magic City Market Place and discovered games, food and views galore! We invite you to meet us at the Magic City Market Place Sunday December 6th from 2:30 – 4:00; a chance to safely socialize and enjoy all our city has to offer!
Learn more about the market place here!
“Our Ancestors, They Call to US:”
A conversation with Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein
December 7 @ 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
We welcome back (virtually) Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, Rabbinic Scholar and Public Affairs Advisor at the Jewish Federations of North America. Rabbi Rothstein visited our community earlier this Fall when he came to honor ancestors at the 57th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. Rabbi Rothstein was raised in a multi-racial Orthodox family in Monsey, NY and will engage us in story and song around his trip to Alabama. This event is part of Temple Beth El’s Tirdof Series, focused on Civil Rights Past and Present, and is held in partnership with the Birmingham JCRC.
Advance registration is required. Click here to register!
“The New Jewish Canon”:
A Conversation about Contemporary Judaism
December 8 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have been a period of mass production and proliferation of Jewish ideas, and have witnessed major changes in Jewish life and stimulated major debates. Join this class to talk about the book, “The New Jewish Canon,” which came out this year in July. This book offers a conceptual roadmap to make sense of some of this rapid change. The New Jewish Canon is an entry point for the Jewish intellectual and communal zeitgeist of the contemporary period and the recent past, canonizing our most important ideas and debates of the past two generations; and just as importantly, stimulating debate and scholarship about what is yet to come. Join Rebbetzin Bethany with your lunch on zoom to talk about some of these debates. Register here for the zoom link.
The Tikkun Middot Project
December 8 @ 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
The Tikkun Middot Project is an innovative, national program to promote character development through mindful engagement with the Jewish Mussar tradition. Beth El is participating by building a small group that will meet to study, discuss, and practice character-forming techniques. Created by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, the purpose of the program is to bring positive communal change by helping individuals acknowledge and reduce negative behavioural patterns. The course will help you be more skillful at navigating challenging situations by building up your wisdom and compassion. Beginning November 17th, Rebbitzen Bethany will be leading a group through this program using a curriculum created by Rabbi David Jaffe.
Participants will meet once a month for two hours over the course of nine months. In between sessions, participants will check in with a chavruta (study partner) at least once, to study relevant material and check-in for approximately 30-45 minutes. During each unit participants will learn about an action and a focus phrase they can use to help them work on the character trait for that month. Registration is required and the group will close after the first session so that we can build intimacy as a group.
Zoom registration can be found here!
The State of Antisemitism in America: Understanding the Alarming Numbers
December 10 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join the JCRC and BHEC as AJC’s Dov Wilker shares and discusses the results of their recent groundbreaking survey on the state of antisemitism in America. The survey finds anxiety among American Jews and a disturbing lack of awareness among the general public of the severity of antisemitism in the United States.
Julie Silver in Concert (House of Learning)
December 10 @ 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Julie Silver is one of the most beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence and her megawatt smile for over twenty-five years. On the first night of Chanukah, Temple Beth El, in partnership with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, will virtually host Julie Silver for a special concert. This is part of our House of Learning Series, focused on intellectual stimulation and cultural programming, and registration will be on a sliding scale based on membership status.
Zoom information coming soon. Reach out to mnorman@templebeth-el.net with questions. Register by 12/7 to receive a jelly donut drop off at no extra cost! Register here!
Chanukah Bingo Night Dinner & Raffle
December 12 @ 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Havdalah & Menorah Lighting, Eight Games of Bingo & A Raffle, Dinner by David Aaron – $20 Pre-ordered & Prepaid by December 7th
Parking Lot Party ~ Enjoy from your car or bring a chair and distance under the stars with your Chanukah themed mask! Dinner & Bingo Card delivered to your car by servers wearing masks & gloves. Raffle Tickets filled out for you upon payment!
Zoom Party ~ Participate in all the events from the comfort of your home. Pick-up your Dinner & Bingo Card from David – Noon to 3:00 pm on Friday. Individual Bingo Cards also available by mail. Raffle winner does not have to be present.
Pay by Check to KI mailed to 3100 Overton Road, Birmingham, AL 35223
Collat Jewish Family Services Bereavement Group
The meetings will be led by Gail Schuster, and the group will determine the frequency and meeting times.
For more information and to register for the Zoom meeting, please contact Gail Schuster at gail@cjfs.org or at 205-879-3438.
Financial Assistance Available
for Jewish Community Members
Thanks to a grant from the Greatest Needs Fund of the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s COVID Relief Campaign, Collat Jewish Family Services is offering financial assistance to Jewish community members who are facing financial insecurity because of job loss, caring for family or other issues. Confidential assistance is available to members of the Birmingham Jewish community who need help with rent or mortgage payments, utilities, prescription costs or other needs. To learn more, please email CJFS Clinical Director Marcy Morgenbesser LICSW, marcy@cjfsbham.org or call 205.879.3438.
