Dear Friends,
Shabbat Shalom, Happy New Year, and Happy first shabbat of 2021!
I hope you that your New Year’s Eve celebrations were extraordinary…or should I say out of the ordinary due to Covid! How nice is it that we roll right into Shabbat to rest and reflect on what we would like this new year to bring?
In addition to my love of music, I am also a history buff and thought I would share with you an interesting tidbit. On this day in 1892 Ellis Island opened as a US immigration station – it would go on to be the gateway to the United States for more than 12 million people. A year later Emma Lazarus would compose a sonnet to greet new arrivals, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
It’s hard to imagine the thrill, excitement, nervousness, hope and optimism that the first ship load of immigrants felt as they disembarked to start their life in America. And while my family has been here for more than eight generations - I can say that I am feeling the same way about 2021 as I envision those first arrivals were to see America in 1892.
A new year, a new beginning with a vaccine in hand! This year, the only resolutions we’ve made in our house are to survive, thrive and see our family once again.
After what has been the longest year that I can remember, I will keep this message shorter than most. I wish each of you and our community happiness and good health this year. I know that just like the arrivals to Ellis Island, we are all yearning to breathe free - anything else, as my grandmother would say, is just a cherry on top.
Happiest of New Years and Shabbat Shalom,
Danny
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Yasher Koach to
Dr. Michael Saag for being named as one of Birmingham’s Health Care Heroes for 2020!
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Join us as we honor Incoming President -- Joyce Shevin; Outgoing President -- Michelle Bearman-Wolnek; Volunteer of the Year – David Ovson; and our CJFS Community Partnerships. |
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Operation Zur Israel continues! |
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Photo: Avishag Shaar Yashuv, courtesy of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. |
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The Ministrey of Aliyah and Integration, פנינה תמנו שטה Pnina Tamano Shata welcomed the new olim at Ben Gurion airport together with our Director General, Amira Ahronoviz, who shared : "This is an exciting and emotional closure for many families. After years of being apart, they will finally be reunited in Israel".
We can’t wait to welcome more of our brothers and sisters home to Israel and see them and their families all together again. Welcome home!
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Join us for a conversation with Mayim Bialik |
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RSVP to FlorinaN@bjf.org by January 7! |
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Do you want to get involved in the Birmingham Jewish community in a meaningful way? |
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There is a new position available! The Chapter Coordinator will include a monthly stipend, they will be key in the success of Birmingham BBYO chapters, by working closely with teens to run strong chapter programs, develop leadership skills, and make their chapters great. This is an amazing opportunity to make an impact in the local Jewish community by empowering Jewish teens to do great things. If you would like to apply for the position, click here or on the image below!
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The 2021 International
Lion of Judah Conference
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In January 2021, an unprecedented time when coming together physically isn't possible, we still come together from around the globe. Harnessing our collective ability to strengthen the Jewish community – virtually.
Join us at the International Lion of Judah Conference — the premier gathering of dynamic, philanthropic Jewish women. Together, we will examine the changing face of our world. Hear from leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Be inspired. Inspire new Lions. Give back. And empower one another to do more - even from afar.
ILOJC 2021 will take place on January 24-25, 2021.
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PJ Library's
Parenting: Its in the Bag!
There is still time to register!
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“The New Jewish Canon”:
A Conversation about Contemporary Judaism
January 5 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have been a period of mass production and proliferation of Jewish ideas, and have witnessed major changes in Jewish life and stimulated major debates. Join this class to talk about the book, “The New Jewish Canon,” which came out this year in July. This book offers a conceptual roadmap to make sense of some of this rapid change. The New Jewish Canon is an entry point for the Jewish intellectual and communal zeitgeist of the contemporary period and the recent past, canonizing our most important ideas and debates of the past two generations; and just as importantly, stimulating debate and scholarship about what is yet to come. Join Rebbetzin Bethany with your lunch on zoom to talk about some of these debates. Register here for the zoom link.
Introduction to Judaism
with Rabbi Adam Wright
January 5, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Join us for an engaging 12-session course for anyone interested in exploring Jewish life. Open to all, this course is perfect for interfaith couples, those rearing Jewish children, spiritual seekers, individuals considering a “return” – (conversion), and Jews who want a meaningful adult Jewish learning experience. Our programs welcome people from all backgrounds. Topics include holidays, life cycle celebrations, theology and core beliefs, prayer, Torah, history, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, Zionism, and Israel, the North American Jewish experience, and the tapestry of the Jewish people today. Register here!
JewCurious?
January 6 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Are you JewCurious? Have you heard that Judaism is about asking questions? Questions are the start of a great conversation. I would say, Judaism is about a great conversation. Come learn more about what that conversation sounds like by joining this JewCurious Class. This class is for everyone looking to get a broad overview of Judaism. This 101 class lasts for 20 weeks and is open to anyone who is curious. We’ll explore the major narratives, history, practices, theology and values of Judaism. You can expect that the learning will happen with curiosity and open-mindedness and respect for one another’s boundaries and beliefs. Taught by Bethany Slater from Temple Beth El. To register: click here!
PJ Library: Parenting, it's in the bag!
January 11, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
Join us for wine and treats as you Zoom in for a special conscious parenting class with Miriam Friedman, Director of JAHM Chai Tots Pre-School. RSVP to Florina at florinan@bjf.org by January 5th!
CJFS 2021 Annual Meeting on Zoom
January 13 @ 5:30pm.
Join us as we honor Incoming President -- Joyce Shevin; Outgoing President -- Michelle Bearman-Wolnek; Volunteer of the Year – David Ovson; and our CJFS Community Partnerships.
Collat Jewish Family Services Bereavement Group
The meetings will be led by Gail Schuster, and the group will determine the frequency and meeting times.
For more information and to register for the Zoom meeting, please contact Gail Schuster at gail@cjfsbham.org or at 205-879-3438.
Financial Assistance Available
for Jewish Community Members
Thanks to a grant from the Greatest Needs Fund of the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s COVID Relief Campaign, Collat Jewish Family Services is offering financial assistance to Jewish community members who are facing financial insecurity because of job loss, caring for family or other issues. Confidential assistance is available to members of the Birmingham Jewish community who need help with rent or mortgage payments, utilities, prescription costs or other needs. To learn more, please email CJFS Clinical Director Marcy Morgenbesser LICSW, marcy@cjfsbham.org or call 205.879.3438.
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The Birmingham Jewish Federation
@jewishbirmingham
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