October 29, 2026/ 18 Cheshvan 5786

Included in This Newsletter

Shabbat Service - 11/6

Weekly D'var Torah

Adult Learning

Interfaith Blood Drive - 10/31

December Book Club - 12/9

Spotlight Calendar


Members and guests are always welcome to attend our Shir Ami services, classes and special events (fees may apply)



October


Soul Spa: Paths of Peace (virtual)

Saturdays, October 31

10:00am



November


Shir Ami Board Meeting (virtual)

Monday, November 2

7:00 PM


Shabbat Service

Friday, November 6

7:00 PM


Soul Spa: Paths of Peace (virtual)

Saturdays, November 7, 14, 21 and 28

10:00am


Shema-nic Journeys: Hearing and Healing the Soul (virtual)

Tuesdays, November 3 and 17

7:00 PM


Shabbat Service (virtual)

Friday, November 20

7:00 PM


December


Shema-nic Journeys: Hearing and Healing the Soul (virtual)

Tuesdays, December 1, 15 and 29

7:00 PM


Chanukah Shabbat

Friday, December 4

Details to follow


Soul Spa: Paths of Peace (virtual)

Saturdays, December 5, 12, 19 and 26

10:00am


Shir Ami Book Club

Wednesday, December 9

6:30 PM


Shabbat Service

Friday, December 18

7:00 PM

Details to follow

Contact Us:


Email Address

shirami.info@gmail.com.


Website

www.congregationshirami.org


Donations and Payments

congregationshirami.org/donate.html


Mailing Address

1273 E. Putnam Ave

​PO Box 312

Riverside, CT 06878

Shabbat Service

Friday, November 6

7:00 PM


Celebrate the Shabbat heralding the upcoming Jewish month of Kislev, miracle month of Hanukkah (can you believe it?). If we have a minyan, we'll also have a Torah experience about spiritual "love at first sight." 


Please bring something to share for the Oneg.

2026-2027 Calendar is available on our website

Click here

To Make Donations or Payments:


To make donations or register for classes or events, please visit our website's donation page.


congregationshirami.org/donate.html

Rabbi's D'var Torah

Feminism, Balance and Including the Excluded

Parashat Vayera 5787 (2026)


Odds are good that you consider yourself to be eminently rational. You believe yourself to have deeply considered perspectives, taking into account everything and everyone that matters.


Odds are even better, however, that you don't – at least not always – and that the costs can run high in unintended consequences. 


True balance – in mind, heart, relationships and groups – means including the excluded.

Read more...

Shir Ami Classes

Please Note:  THE START DATE OF THE SHEMA CLASS HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR TWO WEEKS. IT WILL BEGIN ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd. 


Sorry for any inconvenience.


Shir Ami's Book Club is an intimate gathering over food and conversation that explores extraordinary modern writers and cutting-edge perspectives on Jewish life. Together we dive deep into belonging and identity, ethics and culture, loss and love.


​Our next selection is As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz, former speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama.


We welcome anyone who missed our first gathering. Members only, though. No Zoom option.


Facilitated by Wendy Nadel and Joan Green.


“If you want to understand the situation American Jews find themselves in right now, stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.”  ~ Dara Horn

Social Action

Interfaith Blood Drive

Saturday, October 31

8:00 AM - 1:30 PM

First Presbyterian Church


Blood donations seems an abstraction until loved ones and friends (e.g., Lynette Lyon & Steve Soule, z’l), were ill, needing several transfusions a week. Without a safe and reliable blood supply, they would not have lived as long and as well as they did. 


In Judaism, donating blood fulfills several mitzvot:


• Pikuach Nefesh (Saving a Life - Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) teaches: "Whoever saves

one life, it is as if they saved the entire world."

• Chesed (Kindness): Helping strangers in need follows the Torah's commandment to

"love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).

• Lo Ta'amod Al Dam Re'echa (Do Not Stand Idly by the Blood of Your Neighbor):

We can't ignore when someone's life is in danger (Leviticus 19:16); donating blood

is essential when lives depend on a safe blood supply.


By donating blood, you can exemplify the highest ideals of Jewish ethics — preserving life, acting with kindness, and caring for others. Shir Ami has been involved in this blood drive for over 15 years - keep it going and show our faith in action.  


Sign up to give at rcblood.org/donate using code: FPCG or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Community News and Events

September Issue of

Greenwich Jewish News


Please click here to read the digital version.

October Issue of

New Jewish Voice


Please click here to read the latest digital version.

Blessings and Simchas

Blessings for a Happy Birthday to our members with November birthdays:


Peggy Sturman - 11/2

Ronnie Polansky - 11/10

Ronny Kaplan - 11/27

Jackie Marschall - 11/29


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. 

2026-27 Membership Information

We warmly welcome you to renew your membership or become a new member of our Shir Ami community.


Please visit our Membership Page where you can find:

  • Renewal Membership Letter - from our Shir Ami Officers
  • New Membership Letter - from our Shir Ami Officers
  • Membership Form - easy to fill out online or print
  • 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!

Other Community Websites

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CongregationShirAmi.org
203-900-7976
shirami.info@gmail.com
 
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