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January 29, 2026 /11 Shevat 5786
February Newsletter
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Included in This Newsletter
Tu B'shevat Dinner and Shabbat - 2/6
D'var Torah from Rabbi David
February Rabbi's Corner
Congregational Learning Survey
Classes and Social Action Projects
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It happens every month: the moon waxes and wanes, marking planetary time quietly above our heads.
It happens every year: three full moons set our course from winter to spring, from concealed to revealed, from bondage to liberation.
Those three full moons now begin. Ready or not, spring is on its way – and I, for one, am ready. Read more...
| | D'var Torah by Rabbi David | | |
Weekly D'var Torah
Parashat Beshallah (5786)
The Bittersweet Fickleness of Faith
Even the most faithful among us have times of forgetting, doubting and disbelieving. Lifelong learning, gratitude and perspective suddenly can fly out the window.
Even the most faithless among us have times of belief that challenge rationalism, atheism and all other -isms. Clutched certainty of disbelief, and with it clarity about how life is, suddenly can fall like a castle of sand.
Our bittersweet fickleness of faith, faithlessness and everything in between is eminently human. What if we lean into them – all of them? Read more...
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2026 Congregational Learning Survey from Rabbi David
Dear Shir Ami Members and Friends – When I began at Shir Ami, I ran a congregational survey that, among other things, asked the community what folks might want to learn. Since then, I've run through the most popular options... so it's time to run another survey.
Please click here for the link.
| | Click here for more information. | | Please click here to find the weekly Zoom link and for recordings of previous sessions. | | |
An EGG-cellent Social Action Project
Schoke Jewish Family Services, which runs the Kosher Food Pantry in Stamford, is asking for help collecting food due to increasing food insecurity and decreasing contributions. They have asked all congregations in the area to contribute regularly. Shir Ami has agreed to contribute $250 monthly for a year, which will be collected from members at each service or gathering. There will be an EGG BOX into which you can place your contribution. Our donation will be used to purchase FRESH EGGS, which are rarely available at the Food Pantry.
Rabbi David has offered to make up any monthly shortfall from his Discretionary Fund. On Shabbat, contributions should be made when you arrive, before services, out of respect for not handling money on Shabbat.
We have already raised $1,288 and paid our $250 commitment for each of October, November, December, January and February 2026. Thanks to those who have already contributed. Your donations are greatly appreciated!
Of course, anyone can make a contribution anytime, on our website's Donations page.
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Moral Mondays At The Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District Court
Area multi-faith leaders have joined the national movement of "Moral Mondays," rallying at courthouses every Monday at noon and pushing back through prayer, teachings and song against the brutality and inhumanity inflicted on our immigrant friends. Moral Mondays were launched by Rev. Dr. William Barber in 2013 as a protest against extreme poverty. Today, Moral Mondays have become a protest against the horrific treatment we all have witnessed throughout the country and at our own local courthouse. Please join multi-faith leaders and community members from as close by as Stamford, Norwalk, Greenwich and New Canaan and as far away as New Haven and New York every Monday at noon at Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District Court, 123 Hoyt Street, Stamford CT 06905. As our own Rabbi David has instructed us, Jews cannot be bystanders.
| Community News and Events | | |
November Issue of
Greenwich Jewish News
Please click here to read the digital version. Please see Shir Ami items on pages 4, 6, 7, 18 and 20.
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December/January Issue of
New Jewish Voice
Please click here to read the latest digital version.
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Blessings for a Happy Birthday to our members with February birthdays:
Larry Polansky - 2/1
Michael Gorski - 2/4
Robert Schwartz - 2/12
Anne Gorski - 2/15
Phil Rosen - 2/17
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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.
If you choose to make a donation, you may do so by visiting 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.
| | 2025-2026 Membership Information | |
We warmly welcome you to renew your membership or to become a member of our Shir Ami community.
Please visit our Membership Page where you can find:
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Membership Letter - from our Shir Ami Officers
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Membership Form - easy-to-fill out online or print
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Membership Policy - details on dues, benefits and more
Contact us at shirami.info@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to speak with an officer or our clergy.
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:
| | If you're only receiving the newsletter monthly and would like to receive it weekly, please click the link above to edit your email preference. | | |
CongregationShirAmi.org
203-900-7976
shirami.info@gmail.com
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