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WE WELCOME THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS WHO HAVE JOINED OUR TEMPLEBETH SHALOM FAMILY JUST THIS SUMMER: Rachel Kleiner, fiancé of Jay Filderman
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Parasha Shoftim
4 Elul 5764
August 20-21, 2004
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
-Socrates
Thus week we begin the month of Elul, the month preceding the High Holy Days. With the coming of Elul we begin the arduous work of preparation for Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur; for now is the time to begin our daily evaluation of our lives. Traditional Jewish ritual provides a framework for our self-examination. Throughout the month of Elul, the daily morning minyan includes recitation of Psalm 27 and the shofar is sounded each day. The shofar sounding is designed to awaken us from the lethargy of our normal routine into a renewed awareness of who we are and where we are going. The shofar also calls us to repentance and to a sincere turning of our lives to that which we hope to be rather than who we are now. The shofar is a clarion call to the Jewish people to prepare for the Days of Awe, the days on which we will stand in awe before the Holy One asking forgiveness and seeking the strength we need to live better lives.
Psalm 27 is a statement of faith that we are not alone in our turning, that God is with us in our journey toward a better life for ourselves and those we love. The Psalm begins “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, whom shall I dread?” We all face challenges of various sorts in our lives but the message of Psalm 27 is that we do not face them alone. God is there for us if we would but turn to Adonai. Elul gives us the opportunity to seek new solutions to those issues that prevent us from living the life that God granted to us to its full potential. Elul gives us not only an opportunity to prepare for our awesome encounter with God on the High Holy Days, but to prepare for the life that will follow. With the coming of Elul, we begin the examination of our lives and with that examination begin the process of re-creation culminating on the anniversary of Creation on Rosh Hashannah. May God grant each of us the will to engage in this sometimes difficult act, the wisdom to draw lessons from it and the strength to do the hard work of teshuvah, turning toward something better for our lives.
Rabbi Freedman
Back To Top Friday Night Shabbat Services
Rabbi Alan Freedman leads Shabbat Services each Friday night in the Community Hall of the DJCC. Cantorial Soloist Abby Gostein leads the congregation in prayer through music. Each service is followed by an Oneg.
Babysitting is available for Shabbat evening services every Friday night (does not include Tot Shabbat service times). No need to make a reservation.
Saturday Morning Torah Study
Rabbi Freedman leads Shabbat morning Torah Study twice each month. The next Torah Study sessions will be held on Saturday September 4th in the library located on the 2nd floor of the Education Building of the DJCC.
| Beginning Friday July 9th and running through August 27th, Erev Shabbat services will be held at 6:30 p.m. The Erev Shabbat service on the first Friday of each month will still be held at 7:45 p.m. |
Upcoming Services
Friday, August 20
6:30 PM - Shabbat evening service led by Rachael McNamara
Friday, August 27
6:00 PM - Shabbat Sing along led by Abby Gostein
6:30 PM - Shabbat evening service led by Rabbi Freedman; Baby naming for Cecelia Rose daughter of Tiffany and Michael Bilbe
Friday, September 3
5:30 p.m. - Tot Shabbat
7:45 p.m. - Shabbat evening service led by Rabbi FreedmanFriday, September 10
7:45 PM - Shabbat evening service led by Rabbi Freedman; Temple Beth Shalom Officers and Board Members will be installed.
Friday, September 11
8:00 p.m. - Selichot Service; led by Rabbi Freedman; Location to be announced
Wednesday, September 15
7:45 PM - Shabbat evening service led by Rabbi Freedman; Temple Beth Shalom Officers and Board Members will be installed.
Thursday, September 16
10:00 AM - Rosh Hashanah Morning Service led by Rabbi Freedman
11:00 AM - Children's Service
4:00 PM - Shalomites' Service
5:45 PM - Tashlich led by Rabbi Freedman
Friday, September 17
6:30 PM - Family Service led by Rabbi Freedman
Friday, September 24
7:30 PM - Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Services led by Rabbi Freedman
Saturday, September 25
9:00 AM - Shalomites' Yom Kippur Service led by Rabbi Freedman
10:00 AM - Yom Kippur Morning Service led by Rabbi Freedman
11:00 AM - Children's Service
3:00 PM - Yom Kippur Afternoon Service led by Rabbi Freedman
4:30 PM - Yiskor Service led by Rabbi Freedman
5:30 PM - Yom Kippur Closing Service led by Rabbi Freedman
6:30 PM - (approximately) Break the Fast
Additional Pre-Shabbat Services "SHABBAT SING-ALONGS"announced
LOVE TO SING old favorite Jewish songs and learn new ones? Join Cantorial Soloist, Abby Gostein, and the TBS community for a fun-filled SHABBAT SING-ALONG (only love of music is required).
Friday, August 27
Friday, September 10
Friday, October 22
Times will still be 30 minutes before services begin on those dates. Hope to see you there!
Happily It Is That Time of Year Again: Yom Kippur Break the Fast
Harriet Goldman is chairing the Break The Fast for TBS this year. She will need HELP in preparing food and with telephone calls. The menu will be simple: Kugel, Tuna salad, egg salad, herring, fruit salad, cream cheeses, Challah, bagels and finger deserts, coffee and drinks. TBS will set up and clean up. Just lend us a hand for the goodies and we can save some money. We need to know quantities, so please RSVP to Harriet Goldman at 990-7015 or Email to lmgoldman@aol.com . Let her know if you are planning to attend and if you can prepare some of the above. Thanks so much. Looking forward to hearing from EVERYONE.
Shabbat Services Ushers and Greeters Needed!
Volunteers are needed to serve as greeters/ushers at the Friday night services. Interested members can contact BJ Sonstein by e-mail at bjsonsten@sbcglobal.net or call her at 288-8818.
CALLING ALL TBS SINGERS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS!!
Musical participation by congregants adds so much to the spirit and beauty of our services.
Please consider joining with your voice or other instrument(s) to do a piece or several pieces for High Holidays this year.
If you are interested and have not yet contacted Abby Gostein, please do so by email music@bethshalomaustin.org or phone 343-8434
Here is the rehearsal schedule for musical participation in High Holidays. If times do not work for you and you still want to participate, we can certainly work something out together. If you do not have much time to rehearse, please tell me something(s) you would like to play/lead that you've done in the past that you'd like to "rerun."
The rehearsals for High Holidays are to learn/relearn/practice some pieces for small or large groups to sing/play from the bimah, as well as to learn some pieces that I was hoping you would help me to (vocally) lead the congregation from your seats amongst the crowds.
High Holiday rehearsals:
Tue, Aug 17
Tue, Aug 24
Tue, Sept 9
Tue, Sept 14
ALL REHEARSALS ARE PLANNED FOR 7:30 pm and to last 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Rosh Hashana services are Sept 15, 7:30 pm and Sept 16, 10 am.
Yom Kippur services are Sept 24, 7:30pm and Sept 25 starting at 10am and continuing throughout most of the day.
Opportunity For MUSICAL KIDS at Beth Shalom
Our Cantorial Soloist, Abby Gostein, is trying to find youth (teens, on down) who sing or play an instrument, who might be interested in singing/playing a song during High Holy Day services.
In particular, she would love to have a group perform "The Last Butterfly," a poem by Pavel Friedman, a boy who died in a concentration camp, which was later set to music.
This would be sung on Yom Kippur in the afternoon service, a little before the Torah service would begin.
If you are interested please contact her at music@bethshalomaustin.org. She will send out music / MP3's / CD's ahead of time for the kids to learn.
The kids will rehearse Thurs, Sept. 9 at 6:30 at Abby's home, 8111 Greenslope Dr, Austin.
RITUAL COMMITTEE
Ritual Committee Seeks New Members
Ritual Committee welcomes all members who wish to help in planning for the Jewish rituals and services of TBS. Interested and want to discuss it please phone 272 5235 or e-mail hservetnick@austin.rr.com.
After the last two vastly productive years the Ritual committee still needs your guidance to help develop and (if necessary) modify the religious aspect of our fast growing congregation.
Please contact Harold Servetnick hservetnick@austin.rr.com if you wish to continue to serve on this committee. As in the past - meetings will be held only when necessary and agendas will cover pertinent items.
IMPORTANT FUTURE CONGREGATIONAL EVENTS
HOLD THE DATE!
Temple Beth Shalom GalaGala Event Honoring Dee & Don Coplin
October 3, 2004
Driskill Hotel
WANTED: SILENT AUCTION ITEMS
In conjunction with the TBS Benefit-Gala honoring Dee and Don Coplin, there will be a Silent Auction. Think about what you might contribute. Do you own or work for a business that might provide an item or a gift certificate? Are you in a profession that can donate a service? What about tickets that you won't be using for a UT game, the Opera, Ballet or Symphony? Or what about hosting another couple for an event to which you have 4 tickets and picking-up dinner for the group before the show? Do you have a condo or time-share you might want to share? So many possibilities....
Please phone Andie Allen (454-8403) or Lis Chozick (327-0996). We will be happy to provide the necessary forms and answer any questions. We need your help to make this important aspect of our fund raising a success!
Gala Tribute Book
This October, as we honor Dee & Don Coplin, we invite all TBS congregants to share any special thoughts in our tribute book. A Double Chai ($36) tribute enables you to submit about three sentences ( 205 characters) a Chai Five ($90) enables you to express your wishes in 485 characters. For more information about tributes, please contact Traci Grossfeld at tgrossfeld@austin.rr.com or 266-4890.
Also, if you'd like to join our ad team, we could use your help recruiting ads from area retailers and businesses to be included in the event program/tribute book. Ads run from $50 (business card size) - $425 (outside back cover). Please contact Traci Grossfeldtgrossfeld@austin.rr.com or Lori Weinbachlori_weinbach@dell.com for more information.
Gala Car Raffle: Win a Mini-Cooper!!
As part of the Gala fund raising effort, TBS is selling tickets for a raffle for a Mini-Cooper automobile. Only 400 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $100 each. The drawing will take place at the Gala on October 3, and the winner does not need to be present. If 320 tickets or more are sold, the winner can take the car or a cash payment of $ 16,000. If less than 320 tickets are sold, the winner will receive 40% of the money collected.
We need your help in selling the tickets. Tickets are available at the Temple office. You can get tickets there that you can sell to friends and business acquaintances. Posters are displayed with information inserts at the JCC. The car will be displayed at the JCC on Aug. 28-29 and Sept. 11-12. If you would like to sell tickets at the JCC on those dates, please call Charles Wolchansky at 346-6656.
We hope you will help us sell the 400 tickets. The chances of winning are far better than the lottery!!
The Adult Education Committee of Temple Beth Shalom is preparing it's calendar of program for the upcoming year. If you are interested in being a part of this dynamic group of indivdulals please contact Shelley Fleishman at SWKFLEISH@aol.com.
One of the new programs the Adult Education Committee wants to begin is a Women's Book Group devoted to Jewish literature and content. If you are interested in participating in a monthly book discussion of the newest in Jewish reading (fiction and non-fiction), please join us for our first meeting on August 26 at 7:30 PM at Shelley Fleishman's. At this meeting we will choose our first book and decide the format for the monthly meetings. To RSVP or for more information contact Shelley at SWKFLEISH@aol.com.
SHALOMITES (a Chavarah for families with children ages five and under)
Join us for our final summer-hours Tot Shabbat on September 3 @ 5:30pm.
And, plan to observe the High Holy Days with us this year. Rosh Hashana day at 4 p.m. and Yom Kippur day at 9 a.m. Non-members welcome!
VOLUNTEER COORDINATION COMMITTEE
TBS Historian Needed
Do you love taking photos, scrapbooking or journaling? Then, WOW, DO WE NEED YOU! The TBS family needs a "family scrapbook," a record of the life and events of our temple. If you are interested in becoming one of our historians, or in volunteering in other ways, please contact Joan Edelstein at 340-0330 or at red42750@aol.com.
Sisterhood Planning Meeting
Sunday August 22, 10:30am -
Noon
at the home of Gay Thompson
Beat the heat and help us get ready for another great year! We'll set some goals, and rough in some dates for our annual events. Bring your smile and lots of ideas! This meeting is especially for outgoing and incoming Sisterhood Board members, but anyone interested in getting more involved with Sisterhood is welcome. Please RSVP to Gay at gay_thompson@yahoo.com or 454-3044.
Sisterhood Officer and Board Member
Installation
Friday August 27,
6:30pm
Please join us for Shabbat Services Friday August 27, when we will install our new Officers and Board Members. We will also recognize the outgoing Officers and Board Members who founded our Sisterhood.
Nominations
The Nominating Committee is nearly finished with the slate of new Officers. The slate will be sent to all members for voting by email very shortly. If you would like to be considered for a position on the Board and haven't been contacted by the Nominating Committee, please contact Sharon Cohan at sacohan1@aol.com or 342-0885. We encourage new members to apply! And if you are not yet a member of Sisterhood it's not too late!
Friday Night Onegs
Oneg organization for the past year has gone extremely well thanks to Harriet Goodman and all of our monthly volunteers. In continuation of this much appreciated service that Sisterhood provides to the Temple, we are looking for another Hospitality Chairperson and Monthly Oneg Chairs for December and June.
The role of the Hospitality Chairperson is to maintain the master Oneg schedule in an Excel spreedsheet, (all data for the past year has been entered and is up to date), provide an updated call list and instructions to the monthly chairpersons, and to be the focal point for ordering oneg supplies.
The role of a Monthly Oneg Chairperson is to find hosts for each Oneg during their month, provide them with instructions, be the contact person for that month, and keep the Hospitality Chairperson informed of the schedule for their volunteers. Once all the chairpersons have been identified, we will hold a single meeting to get organized.
If you are able to volunteer in either of these areas, please contact Gay Thompson at gay_thompson@yahoo.com or 454-3044.
Thank you to the following people who have already volunteered:
July
Lisa Goodman
August Gay
Thompson
September Gay Thompson
October
BJ Sonstein
November Carol
Dochen
December -
January Shannon Sherwood
February Karol Deitch
March Barbara
Robin
April Patti Bridwell
May
Lucy Katz
June -
July -
August -
If you would like more information about joining Sisterhood, please contact our membership chair, Lisa Goodman, at 918-1423 or lisagoodman37@aol.com.
GENERAL FUND
In honor of the yarzheit observance of Meyer Efron and Lillian Laves
Pacey and Myra LavesIn honor of the yarzheit observance of Mollie Brand
Keith and Mary Lewis
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Mazel Tov to the following Temple Beth Shalom adult members who are celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries for the week of August 18 - August 25 .
Birthdays
August 23 Courtney Newmark August 23 Jason Whitley
Anniversaries
August 20 Lis and Fred Chozick August 20 Babette and Robert Laibovitz August 21 Marcia and Allan Kohm August 21 Sandy and Marvin Schrager August 23 Suzanne and Mark Albert Please contact admin@bethshalomaustin.org if you have any corrections or if you have been inadvertently left off the list.
Other Simchas
There were no simchas submitted for publication this week.
Please contact newsletter@bethshalomaustin.org if you have any corrections or if you have major Simchas to be listed here.
The following Yarzheits are being observed by members of our congregation for the week of August 16 - August 23. If you have Yarzheits that should be observed this week, but they are not listed here, they may not be listed in the congregation's computer database. Please contact Lisa at admin@bethshalomaustin..org for any additions or corrections.
|
Yarzheits | |
| August 16 | Isidore Bendriem - Father of Lydia Servetnick |
| August 16 |
Eugene Hilsenrath - Brother of Pearl Kentor |
| August 16 |
Rhea Weintraub Salam - Mother of William Salam |
| August 21 | Shirley Katz - Mother of Lynn Katz |
| August 21 | Leonard Friedel - Father of Lynne Gellman |
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "J" and THE COMMUNITY
Upcoming JCAA Open House
August 29 from 11 am to 3 pm the JCAA is hosting an Open House for you to Meet Your Austin Jewish Congregations as well as other Jewish community organizations that will be present in the Community Hall at the Dell Jewish Community Campus. This is your opportunity to meet representatives from each of the organizations, hear the clergy, and receive special incentives to join.
During the Open House the JCAA will be waiving the registration fee (a savings of up to $150 on a family Membership) for new Members to the J. Anyone who joins a congregation or other organization during the Open House will receive a certificate to take A Tapestry of Jewish Learning Class in January.
“An important mission of the JCAA is to facilitate collaboration within the Jewish community and we view this event as one more way we can help inspire Jewish journeys. Whether currently affiliated with a synagogue or simply interested in learning more about Jewish organizations in Austin, we hope everyone will come to the Open House,” commented Paul Saper, President of the JCAA and member of Temple Beth Shalom.
For a schedule of the clergy and topics, please contact JCAA Director of Jewish Education, Aliza Orent at aliza.orent@jcaaonline.org or 735-8030.
SHARE! Your Heart and Home: Jewish Host Families Needed
HOST FAMILIES are needed to host international high school exchange students for the upcoming 2004/2005-fall semester or academic school year. Students speak English; have spending money, and medical insurance. Families are able to review student applications and select the student they feel will best match their family and provide a bed, meals, and a caring environment. The students, from over 30 different countries, are hoping to arrive in AUGUST for enrollment in their new American high school. For more information please phone Yvette Coffman at the SHARE! Southwest Office at 1-800-941-3738.
Through the Stained Glass: Religion and the
Media
Aug. 16-17, at Congregation Agudas Achim
Rabbi Freedman encourages TBS members to attend this exciting conference, one of the primary focuses of which will be to examine the current state of religious coverage in the media, giving particular attention to the problems created by the burgeoning media influence of conservative Christian evangelicals. By bringing together prominent representatives from national and local media sources, the conference will offer perspectives from journalists who actually report on these issues. The conference will equip participants with information and skills to critically evaluate religious coverage in various forms of modern media. For more information, please follow the following link http://www.tfn.org/conference/prospectus.php .
Kadima get together for first time in 2004
Kadima will have its first meeting/get together on Sunday, August 29, from 3 pm – 5 pm at the home of Brooke Novy. The address is 3913 Edgerock Dr. 78731. Kadima is a USY and CAA sponsored social group for middle schoolers – 6th – 8th graders. For more information regarding membership, call Greg Yamin @ 458-2433.
Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Offers Classes
Join the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School taught by Dana Baruch, Hazzan Neil Blumofe, Rabbi Alan Freedman, Denelle Silver, and Rabbi Ben Sternman. Students travel through the drama, intrigue, mystery, intellectual challenges, spirituality, richness and continuity of Jewish life. You'll find stories of war and peace, family feuds, battles for revenge and for power, passion, romance and legal wrangling. Our ancestors have stories that could rival the best action adventures. And it's all in the name of our heritage as Jews. Try the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. It's not rated PG and it's not for kids. Call 735-8030 for more information and a packet. Or email aliza.orent@jcaaonline.org.
Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM) to Sponsor Several Fall Events
September 19: Stephan Bodian on Essential
Buddhism
October 23: Hands on Housing Celebrates Its
15th Year Anniversary & 1,000 Homes Victory
September 11: 9/11 Pulpit Exchange
November 21: AAIM Seeks Participants & Volunteers
For 20th Annual Citywide Interreligious Thanksgiving Service
September 19: Stephan Bodian on Essential Buddhism
AAIM, along with Omega at the Crossings announces another in its Spirit of Austin speaker series. Stephan Bodian, former Editor of Yoga Journal and author of Meditation for Dummies and Buddhism for Dummies, will be speaking at Highland Park Baptist Church, 5206 Balcones Drive, Austin on Sunday, September 19th at 7pm.
A light dinner begins the evening at 6:30 pm followed by the program and silent auction. The cost for the evening is $20 for individual members and during pre-registration/ $25 at the door. For additional information or to register please contact AAIM at 386-9145.
October 23: Hands on Housing Celebrates Its 15th Year Anniversary & 1,000 Homes Victory
Hands on Housing, brings businesses, civic groups, nonprofits, government agencies, religious organizations, youth groups and other community leaders together to rehabilitate the homes of impoverished people. Hands on Housing has repaired more than 1,000 homes since 1989. So round up your teams and get ready for another fun weekend of helping those less fortunate. Sign up and choose your house by contacting Dr. Hugh Sparks at 386-9145 ext. 14 or hughs@aaimaustin.org.
9/11 Pulpit Exchange
On September 11, the Nation will gather in large and small groups to both mourn and celebrate. AAIM and its clergy members are planning to take that weekend to show unity, friendship, understanding and respect by standing at each other’s pulpits. During the entire weekend of September 11th ministers, rabbis, imams, and priests will speak to each others' congregations.
November 21: AAIM Seeks Participants & Volunteers
For 20th Annual Citywide Interreligious Thanksgiving Service, AAIM is seeking volunteers and participants for the 20th Annual Citywide Interreligious Thanksgiving Service on November 21, 2004. AAIM’s Interreligious Thanksgiving Service provides an opportunity for people from many faith communities to unite and express thanks through their unique religious traditions. This year we anticipate 2,300 people will join AAIM at Riverbend Church, 4214 Capital of Texas Highway North, to celebrate 20 years of Interreligious Thanksgiving Services and 63 years of building community through unity. To volunteer and participate contact AAIM at 386-9145 or www.aaimaustin.org.
For more information about our congregation, please visit http://www.bethshalomaustin.org.
Contact info
Mailing Address:
Temple Beth Shalom
7300
Hart Lane
Austin, TX 78731
Physical Location of the Rabbi's Office and
Administrative Office
DJCC
7300 Hart Lane
Second Floor of the
Educational Building
Phone
(512) 735-8900
Fax
735-8901
General E-mail
admin@bethshalomaustin..org
Rabbi's
contact info:
rabbifreedman@bethshalomaustin.org
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