May 14, 2026 / 27 Iyar 5786

Included in This Newsletter

Shir Ami Annual Meeting - 5/20

D'var Torah from Rabbi David

Thank You from Nancy Heller

JFS Greenwich Packing & Caring - 5/17

Online Shavuot Yizkor - 5/23

Shabbat Service - 6/5

Weekly D'var Torah

Parashat Bamidbar (5786)

I intend my weekly Torah writings to be about more than the Torah portion. I tend to see in nearly every portion both the flow of spirit and community far more than myself, and universal values that transcend any particular time, place and context.

But right now, for personal reasons I see Torah reflecting back at me my own situation. – and in particular my own personal wilderness, what I might learn there, and how I might redeem it. 

Even so, I sense that my present experience isn't much different than most everyone's at one time or another. As for me, perhaps also for you. Read more...

Roger and I would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of love and support that we received from our Shir Ami Family before, during, and after my Bat Mitzvah on May 2. It was a deeply meaningful and joyous experience for me and stress-free, because of the Shir Ami Village that schlepped supplies and ritual items and took care of set-up, clean-up, sound, and online access. We’d like to thank the core team of Jenny Lake, Jackie Marschall, Fran Pribish, Marie Orsini Rosen, Dahni Nisinzweig, and Rick Mason.

We wanted to take this opportunity to share a picture of the beautiful challah board, knife, and cover that I received as gifts from the congregation. The gifts were selected with love and care and will remind us of this special time and community, when we use them at Shabbat for many years to come. We want to offer a special thank you to Rabbi David for being my teacher and spiritual guide and for partnering with me to create a service that was meaningful and met my desired timing.

JFS Greenwich: Packing & Caring    

May 17, 2026

11:00 AM



"Please join us on Sunday morning, May 17, to gather in direct support of the many families who have recently resettled in our community, served by JFS Immigration Support Services. We will be packing boxes of non-perishable food to help to meet an essential need - access to nutritious food is critical during this transition period, and these items will supplement their households as they work toward stability. This support will make a meaningful difference for these families as they begin to rebuild their lives here." Melissa Basile-Reolon, Volunteer Coordinator, JFS.

Let us help the stranger, as our Torah mentions 36 times!

On Sunday morning, May 17, we will meet at 11:00 am at JFS (67 Holly Hill Lane, Greenwich) to pack items into boxes and enjoy each other’s company! Please RSVP to Ronny (ronnykaplan@snet.net or 203.249.0602) if you can come.

April Issue of

Greenwich Jewish News

Please click here to read the digital version. See page 7 for a Passover article by Rabbi David.

April Issue of

New Jewish Voice

Please click here to read the latest digital version.

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. 

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.