September 22, 2022 | 26 Elul 5782 | |
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Included in This Week's Newsletter
High Holidays Info and Registration
Upcoming Sukkot Havdalah Service
Membership and Yizkor Information
Weekly Torah Portion
Class - Voting as a Jewish Value
High Holidays Social Action Project
New Greenwich Jewish News and Stamford New Jewish Voice
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Upcoming Services and Calendar | |
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Some High Holiday Notices
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For those attending virtually, there are two options to get a service book. To purchase a digital version, please click here or if you'd like to borrow a hard copy, please text Evan Salop if you are in the Greenwich area, (914) 438-4094 and Jenny Lake, (203) 395-5687 if you are in the Stamford area no later than Saturday morning, September 24.
- With our first in-person service in three years, we have decided for safety purposes not to have indoor meals. Therefore, following the Rosh Hashanah morning service and the Concluding Yom Kippur service, a small "go to" bag with some holiday foods will be handed out to all who attend.
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Sukkot Havdalah Service
Saturday, October 15th
6:00 PM
At First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich
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Dear friends:
As Rabbi Levy has so eloquently described it, "Havdalah is our weekly invitation to reflect on the meaning of Shabbat and to prepare ourselves for the week to come. What are our hopes for the new week? How has Shabbat, our taste of a better world, prepared us for the unknown future?"
For those who were able to attend the 9/10/2022 Havdalah at the Rouzeau-Cohen home, Rabbi's words ring true. It was an inspiring service and a wonderful community event.
Our next Havdalah service celebrates Sukkot and is on Saturday, 10/15/2022. It will be led by Rabbi Levy who will be accompanied by Guitarist Oren Neiman. We will be back in our home at First Presbyterian Church for the first time in over two years. Since this will be an indoor service, please click here for our current Covid protocols. We hope you can make it!
Thank you!
Jackie Marschall (347) 528-0427 / [email protected]
Marie Orsini Rosen (203) 249-3261 / [email protected]
Co-Presidents
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Parashat Nitzavim
D'var Torah by Rabbi David E. Levy
Parashat Nitzavim states: לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא (Deut. 30:12): the Torah is not in Heaven. The Rabbis of old used this text to articulate a philosophy: that the Torah is static, but the ability to interpret it and find meaning in its words exists among human beings and not divine intervention. The most famous Talmudic debate on this topic is about the Oven of Akhnai where this line is the culminating verse. In that Talmudic debate, the rivers run backwards, trees uproot themselves, and the walls quake. Recently, National Geographic presented new research that suggest that all the events described in that story could have been based on a real historical event.
I share all this to ask: do the stories we learn have more meaning if they are based in objective reality? What role does fiction play in meaning making in our world today?
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High Holidays Information
Registration Is Open!
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COVID safety protocols for High Holidays:
A serious congregational responsibility is to ensure a safe and healthy environment to worship for all of our congregants, guests, choir/musicians, and clergy. To help us do so, we ask everyone to please follow our High Holiday COVID safety protocols. Please click here to be directed to our website to read them.
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High Holidays – Yizkor Service
Shir Ami members are invited to list the names of loved ones whose memory you wish to honor during the Yizkor Service on Wednesday, October 5th. Please let us know if there are changes or no changes to your entry from last year.
If you are a new member or a returning member who is adding additional names to your list, please fill in your information using the form in this link below. For each name, there is an annual minimum donation of $18 per name. Even if you are not able to attend the service, it is a loving gesture to honor their memory.
Yizkor form for Members Only
See our Membership Drive information below if you are considering joining Shir Ami as a new member. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions [email protected]
Please submit this as soon as possible so that we will have enough time to update the Yizkor slides that will be shown during our Yizkor service.
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Voting as a Jewish Value
Tuesday, October 25
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. This first class will focus on how we vote our values on Election Day.
To see the full schedule of classes and topics, please visit our website.
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September 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 18th Celebration.
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September Issue of The New Jewish Voice
Please click here to view the digital version of the UJF Stamford New Jewish voice to see engaging articles and community events
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Shir Ami is Part of an Exhibit | |
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Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County
Art Exhibit: It Happened Here
Ferguson Library
This is an exhibit featuring selected images from the archives of Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County and additional photos from primary sources that explores the theme of belonging and creating community through the lens of individual experiences. How have people engaged with, and contributed to, the broader community?
The story begins in Stamford and Fairfield County in the 1700s and continues through World War I and II, women making history, and individuals who have contributed to the arts and culture.
It is co-sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County and is partially funded by a grant from the Stamford Arts & Culture Commission.
This exhibit was displayed at Ferguson Library on September 18th and it will be going on tour throughout the county, so Shir Ami will get some good PR. Thanks to Lila Croen for catching this exhibit and taking the pictures for us to share in our newsletter!
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So many of you have already filled out your membership forms, thank you so much. Members are able to register for free to our High Holiday Services (see HHD registration above). If you have not yet filled out your membership form, please do so as soon as possible. We look forward to having your participation at Shir Ami for the 2022-23 year! | |
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
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, [email protected]
All are welcome to join our community!
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Shir Ami wishes a Mazel Tov to Suzanne Saperstein (Shir Ami Administrative Assistant) and her husband Larry on the birth of their granddaughter, Harper Sloane Silverberg. | |
Blessings for a Happy Birthday to all of our members with September birthdays:
Judah Axe 9/1
Ralph Evans 9/1
Barbara Salop 9/1
Suzanne Saperstein 9/2
Henry Tischler 9/3
Joel Collamer 9/11
Taylor Ross 9/17
Robert Brand 9/20
Mitchell Brand 9/23
Judith Croen 9/23
Ray Marschall 9/24
Todd Marschall 9/27
Linda Gratt 9/30
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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 [email protected] 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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Social Action TIKVAH Team | |
High Holidays Social Action Project
As we gather for the High Holy Days of our faith, we always wish to consider those less fortunate and in need. Shir Ami will be making contributions to the Supermarketing for Seniors Program in Greenwich and The Freedberg Family Kosher Food Pantry in Stamford. Learn more about each program below.
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If you would like to help Shir Ami make a meaningful difference to these worthy organizations to ensure people have the food they need, please contribute to Shir Ami's Social Action Fund so we can make a collective donation from our congregation. Click here to donate.
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The Supermarketing for Seniors program through which JFS- Greenwich offers free grocery shopping for home-bound Greenwich residents, aged 60 and up. Since 1986, JFS has been providing this unique, non-denominational grocery shopping service for those seniors unable to shop for themselves, with no nearby relatives to help.
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The Freedberg Family Kosher Food Pantry which serves lower Fairfield County communities of Stamford, New Canaan, Darien, Westport, Weston, Wilton, Norwalk and Bridgeport. Through JFS, It providers Kosher food and personal care items, including assistance for pharmacy and transportation, to members of our community experiencing financial difficulties who are unable to afford food and household items for their families.
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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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For a full listing of all local events of Jewish interest visit the websites for:
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CongregationShirAmi.org
203-900-7976
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