October 26, 2023 / 11 Heshvan 5784

November Newsletter

Included in This Newsletter

November Services 10/3 & 10/17

"Town Hall" Meeting Summary

Responding To Crisis In Israel

Weekly D'var Torah

Inspiration From Our Members

Upcoming Classes & Opportunities

Community Music Event

November Blessings & Simchas

Interfaith Blood Drive - 11/4

Havdalah Service And "Town Hall" Recap

Following the Havdalah Service last Saturday evening, we had our first "Town Hall" with Rabbi David. At this one, Rabbi David shared with us the results from the questionnaire members were to complete in August. Our members came through -- we had a nearly 50% response rate, much higher than average participation for a congregation of our size. The results were in the form of a  slide presentation that captured the responses and revealed how we see ourselves and our community, who we are becoming, and what we want to learn. Both during and following the presentation, we had a great conversation, which will be the first of many.

A summary of the questionnaire and the full slide presentation that Rabbi David shared was emailed to members on Tuesday evening with the subject line, "Shir Ami Member Survey Results and Town Hall Presentation".

Responding To The Crisis in Israel

Below is prayer that Rabbi David shared at the Havdalah Service. We continue to pray for the hostages and all innocent people that are in harms way in Israel and Gaza.

Please consider donating to help support the families in Israel who are in need of physical and emotional support as well as relocation needs.

To donate to the UJA-JCC of Greenwich Click here

To donate to UJF of Greater Stamford. Click here

SAFETY AND SECURITY UPDATE

It goes without saying that Jews everywhere, including in our own community, do not feel safe right now.

Member safety and security are a priority for Shir Ami.

Rabbi David and the officers have been in regular touch the past two weeks with the local law enforcement, First Presbyterian Church and the Secure Community Network, the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America.  https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/ While to date there have been no credible threats to local temples and other faith communities, we remain vigilant. And should circumstances change, we will alert our members immediately and provide security at services and other Shir Ami events. 

In 2021, Nancy Heller, Dahni Nisinzweig, Marie Orsini Rosen and Evan Salop took the "Active Shooter training" brought to Shir Ami's attention by the UJA-JCC of Greenwich (with many thanks to its Board co-president and Shir Ami member Margie Black, who brought it to Shir Ami's attention) and provided by the Secure Community Network. Several of us maintain our ties with and continue to receive alerts from the Secure Community Network. You can subscribe for the alerts by visiting: https://mailchi.mp/securecommunitynetwork/scn-daily-update-signup-form?utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023_10_23. 

At Shir Ami, we stand for Israel and we stand for each other and Jews around the world. And at Shir Ami, we also stand for peace and healing.

Lekh Lekha 5784 (2023)

D'var Torah by Rabbi David

Lekhi Lakh – Wresting a Blessing, Becoming a Blessing

It's another "ripped from the headlines" Torah portion. This one introduces Avram (later, Avraham) as spiritual history's first monotheist, and a God who promises both the giving of blessing and becoming a blessing. But Avram quickly learns that blessing doesn't mean ease or instant gratification. With eerie relevance to current events, Torah teaches of blessing through experiences of refugees, kidnappings and battles to redeem captives.

So, what does it mean to be a blessing amidst all this strife? Read more...

Eytan Nisinzweig (38) has autism and he attends services pretty regularly with his parents (Susan and Dahni), grandmother (Lila) and aunt (Judith). During the oneg, after services, you can often find Eytan playing piano, which he is quite good at. Eytan’s verbal communication is limited and quite simple. About 5 years ago, we discovered that by using a specific method called

“Supported Typing” Eytan is able to express himself in a way that had seemed impossible. The method includes giving him backwards pressure on his arm to both slow him down and help connect his brain and body. Eytan was the inspiration for his mom Susan to start a program at Abilis called STeP – Supported Typing Program, where she helps other non-speakers or unreliable speakers and their families to discover a way to communicate. “It’s been remarkable and life changing for us and for so many others!” said Susan.

With so much going on in the world, Susan asked Eytan last week if he would like to write something to share with others about peace. Here is what Eytan typed out.

Peace in the World by Eytan Nisinzweig

I think that peace takes a lot of energy.

Energy that can be used for good things.

Good things that build love, care and blessings.

Blessings of courage and kindness.

Keeping the peace involves dynamic actions and work.

Work that builds the compassion of others.

Having peace is the world’s first desire.

Desires that some people block because of their selfish heart.

Our hearts scream for peace.

Inside peace, and world peace.

Our brothers and sisters are crying for peace.

People are suffering because of governments that are against each other.

We need peace so we could live a quiet moment.

Our souls need kindness to develop in peace.

Our brothers and sisters from Israel & Palestine need our support.

Peace is needed to stop the pain.

Hatred is trying to take over.

But love will remain.

Peace will come when we sit and talk.

I think that love will prevail against hate.

Hate will be defeated.

Peace will triumph.

Click here to read more about their volunteer experience.

If you would like to volunteer for Supermarketing for Seniors contact Melissa Basile-Reolon at mbasilereolon@jfsgreenwich.org or call 203-622-1881 ext. 104

Please click here to register. And for more information about Learning In Retirement, click here.

Trip Ideas: Rabbi David shared during the High Holy Days, two ideas for trips he would love to take with our congregants. He'll only be able to do one of these trips this year and is interested to get feedback to see if there is enough interest to pursue one of these trips. Please email us to let us know of your interest level.

Email us to indicate your interest in either or both of these trips. Please put "Trip Interest" in the subject line.

Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah: This will be an awesome opportunity for those with interest.

Email us to indicate if you're interested in being part of an Adult B-Mitzvah cohort. Please put "Adult B-Mitzvah" in the subject line.

Greenwich Interfaith Blood Drive

November 4, 2023

First Presbyterian Church

Blood donation is the ultimate act of kindness. When you roll up a sleeve, you help ensure blood is available for patients whenever & wherever needed. While we settle back into fall routines after the holidays, book a time to give blood before busy fall schedules ramp up.

Come to First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich (1 West Putnam Avenue) on Saturday, November 4 from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm. Sign up now and use code FPCG or call 800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Contact Barbara Salop if you have any questions: bdsalop@gmail.com or 203-496-1604.

There are two additional places where you can read current and past Divrei Torah and other posts by Rabbi David. Check them out!

1. The Blog on our website gives you a chance to read and re-read the Rabbi's posts.
2. Our Facebook page, has been under utilized for many years, but now, the Rabbi has revitalized it by posting his blog posts there too. If you are a Facebook user, please be sure to "like", "follow" and/or share the Congregation Shir Ami Facebook page.

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