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December 1, 2022 | 7 Kislev 5783
December Newsletter
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Included in This Newsletter
Shabbat Service Tomorrow Night - 12/2
Chanukah Live! Pot Luck Registration -12/17
This Week's Torah Portion - Rabbi Levy
Upcoming Classes
Civil Rights Trip Information
Updated Community News
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Upcoming Services and Calendar | |
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Chanukah Live!
Saturday, December 17th
6:30 PM
First Presbyterian Church
in Greenwich
Our Potluck Dinner Is Back!
We will be adhering to safety protocols
(read below).
Come enjoy candle lighting, music, singing, dancing, learning, and lots of delicious food!
Safety Protocols:
~ All participants must do a home COVID test on the 16th before attending;
~ Servers only will be dishing out the food, and they will be wearing masks;
~ All guests must wear masks when coming up to the buffet table;
~ We will spread tables apart and not crowd the tables.
Our Social Action Chanukah Project This Year Is To Support Dignity Grows.
This project supplies toiletries and personal care products for people in need, as these essential items are not covered by grants or found in food pantries. They provide assistance to individuals by providing a pre-packaged, one month’s supply ($18 per Dignity Pack). Our member, Margie Black spearheaded this helpful program at UJA-JCC Greenwich. Donations can be made when you register using the button below.
Please click below to register, sign up for food, and volunteer.
We hope you can join us in person, but if you are not able to, we are now offering livestream for all services. Please click here for the link (it will be updated for each service).
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Parashat Vayetse
D'var Torah by Rabbi David E. Levy
One of my favorite podcasts these days is "Wisdom from the Top with Guy Roz", where he interviews CEO's about their experience running companies. A question he always asks is: Do you think you were born a leader or did you learn to become one? That question about the nature of leadership is deep within our parashah this week, as Jonathan Sacks reflects on why Jacob becomes Israel and the namesake for our people.
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Asking Big Questions: Rosh Chodesh for
Women and Men
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How Do You Think About God?
Tuesday, December 6th
7:30 PM via Zoom
Why are we here? What does community look like? How do we find meaning? The best questions often don’t have concrete answers, but we enrich ourselves by struggling with the questions. We look forward to unpacking these questions together!
To see the full schedule of classes and topics, please visit our website.
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The Story of Chanukah and Religious Extremism
Tuesday, December 13th
7:30 PM via Zoom
We live every day by the Gregorian calendar. In this monthly class taught by Rabbi Levy, we will consider what the Jewish calendar has to teach us about how we live in the world. Each time we gather, we’ll unpack our Jewish calendar to find meaning in every day life.
To see the full schedule of classes and topics, please visit our website.
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Would You Be Interested?...
Shir Ami Civil Rights Trip With
Rabbi Levy
April 13-16, 2023
The Civil Rights movement in the US brought the Black and Jewish community together over shared values and with great courage. Rabbi Levy has a special historical and spiritual interest in this history and has led many congregations on a "Civil Rights Trip" in the South. He has offered to bring this journey to Shir Ami this spring. A minimum of 20 individuals is needed; costs vary depending on the number of attendees. Click here for the itinerary.
In Rabbi's own words: I have been lucky enough to travel to the American South so many times over the past decade to walk in the footsteps of Dr. King and experience the Civil Rights movement from the perspective of people who not only lived through it, but continue to live with it. We go to meet living textbooks, who share their stories and how their stories intersect with our own American Story. Our journey begins with the story of Leo Frank, who was lynched because of a horrible combination of anti-Semitism and racism, which sparked the rebirth of the KKK in America. We then travel to Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham to hear from people who lived through the struggles of the time, and end with a beacon of hope: Ebenezer Baptist Church where Senator Warnock is the head reverend. This is a rare opportunity to experience history with your heads and your hearts, and engage with the continuing challenges of racism in America.
Email us if you're interested in receiving the registration form or if you have questions.
The deadline to register is Monday, January 16th.
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Social Action TIKVAH Team | |
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See our Social Action Chanukah Project supporting Dignity Grows in the above information about Chanukah Live!
If you would like to donate, but are not attending Chanukah Live!, please go to the donation page on our website to donate in $18 increments and indicate that it is for Dignity Grows.
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Ukraine Continues to Need Support
We are all horrified at what is happening in Ukraine to all the people, and although other news can surface to take its place in the headlines, they continue to need our unwavering support.
Should you wish to send assistance to Ukrainians in need, please visit the Social Action Page on our website for suggestions of organizations to send to.
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TIKVAH - Touching Individuals with Kindness, Vision, and Hope
- Opportunities to support and volunteer to help immigrants and those in need.
- Ways we can each help combat racism.
- Shopping for Seniors with JFS.
- Dignity Grows supplies essential toiletries to people in need.
- and more worthwhile activities...
Recruit some Shir Ami friends to participate in one of these projects with you!
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November Issue of Greenwich Jewish News
Please click here to read the digital version. Check out the wonderful articles about Shir Ami including one about our High Holiday Social Action donations.
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November Issue of New Jewish Voice
Please click here to read the latest digital version.
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Blessings for a Happy Birthday to all of our members with December birthdays:
Karen Meisel - 12/18
Larry Nadel - 12/29
Stanley Gratt - 12/31
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In our weekly Blessing and Simchas, we invite members to offer congratulations on a special event in someone’s life, blessings for healing, or to remember a loved one.
Submit your listing including your name, the occasion and the recipient's name/s to shirami.info@gmail.com with the subject line, "Blessings and Simchas". In order to appear in the next week's newsletter, the entry must be received by 9:00 AM on Monday morning.
You are not required to make a donation but if you chose to, you may do so on our website's donation page or by mailing a check to Congregation Shir Ami, 1273 East Putnam Avenue, P.O. Box 312, Riverside, CT 06870-9998.
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The Benefits Of Membership | |
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For those of you who are not yet Members but are considering joining Shir Ami, we warmly welcome you!
Being a Member of Shir Ami, allows you to
- practice our faith together and learn from the Torah and each other
- help shape our community
- support Shir Ami's mission
- find inspiration in our diverse offerings
- participate in rituals and events reserved for members
- have access to our wonderful clergy
- recognize our loved ones who have passed during our Yizkor service each year
This is the time of year when many choose to join a congregation. If that is you, we hope you will join Congregation Shir Ami. The Membership Policy has details on dues, benefits, events, life-cycle and pastoral care and general involvement in congregational life and can be found here And if you already are a member, it's a good time to revisit the policy and refresh your memory on why you joined.
If you are interested and would like to know more, please look for membership information which can be found on our website's membership page.
Contact us if you have any questions or would like to speak with an officer or our clergy, shirami.info@gmail.com
All are welcome to join our community!
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For a full listing of all local events of Jewish interest visit the websites for:
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If you're only receiving the newsletter monthly and would like to receive it weekly, please click the link about to edit your email preference. | | |
CongregationShirAmi.org
203-900-7976
shirami.info@gmail.com
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