Dinner and a movie – we have you covered

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Chaverim/Dear friends,

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. After all that cooking, come relax at Beth El tonight at 6:30 p.m. with lovely kaballat Shabbat services, followed by a kosher dinner. Cantor Ben-Moshe will be leading services and Rabbi Gisser will be giving a Dvar Torah tonight. We would like to thank the Jacobs family for sponsoring dinner in honor of their daughter and son in law’s visit. We would also like to welcome back another special guest who is joining us tonight, past Beth El president, David Friedman and his family who are also visiting Austin.
Movies in the Shul    
Tomorrow evening, Saturday November 29th at 6:30 p.m. we will have a lovely Havdallah service followed by Movie Night!  We will be showing “A Serious Man” which will be facilitated by Rabbi Gisser with a discussion of the movie afterwords. Snacks and camaraderie provided!
No work day Sunday.   The work day previously scheduled for Sunday, 11/30, will be rescheduled at a later date.
HOLD THE DATE – Our Annual Channukah Party is December 21 at 4:30 pm.
Shabbat shalom to you all!
Community News: From the J’s Jewish Family Services.
Winter can be an especially difficult time for those who have experienced a loss.  The days get shorter, the darkness longer.   The holiday season can bring about painful reminders of the loss.  Please join Rabbi Amy Cohen from Temple Beth Shalom, Rabbi Daniel Millner from Congregation Tiferet Israel and social worker Carlye Levine of Jewish Family Service for “A Light in the Darkness”.  Join others in our community who have experienced a loss as we explore ways to find comfort during this season while honoring the light of our loved ones.   Wednesday, December 17th at 7:00 pm in the ECP Multipurpose Room.  Please bring with you a picture or symbolic item related to the person you have lost or a personal menorah.  Refreshments will be served.  RSVP’s appreciated (512) 250-1043 or by email carlye.levine@shalomaustin.org
Dec. 7th — Supporting siblings of children with special needs
Join the Jewish Family Service Parents of Children with Special Needs Discussion Group for a conversation about supporting siblings who have a brother or sister with special needs. The group meets monthly and offers an opportunity for parents to connect, share resources, learn and problem-solve together and foster inclusion in the Jewish community.  The next meeting date is December 7th 2014 at 9:30 AM and will feature a brief presentation by Shalyn Bravens, LMSW, Parent Support and Training Program Manager with Easter Seals Central Texas.  The meeting will take place at the JCC in the Conference Room in the Federation Trailer in the back parking lot at the Dell Jewish Community Center campus.  If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact mike.hurewitz@shalomaustin.org, (512) 250-1043

Help our Church

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Learning at Beth El is for adults as well as children

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Events at Beth El today were wonderful today. The shul was buzzing with learning and excitement, be it the Sunday school kids making latkes from scratch with Morah Shiry and Morah Sharon, learning to read from the Chumash with Morah Michelle Kaman, the adults learning with Rabbi Michael Gisser or the sisterhood walking around Ladybird Lake.

Pictured are the children singing with Ms. Carol Rubin and learning Friday night songs.

 

So much going on – parashat Toldot

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Shalom Chaverim/ Dear Friends,
We would like to wish you all a Shabbat shalom and hope you can join us tonight at 7pm for Friday night services. Tomorrow, Saturday November 22, we are having our Shabbat morning services at 9 am, with the Torah service at about 9:45, and of course a lovely Kidush lunch following. Happy birthdays to Claudia and Juliette.
Upcoming Beth El Events: Join us for one or all of these events!
** Sunday school will be at 10 am this week and concurrently, Intro to Judaism will be at 10:30 am.
**Sisterhood Walk : This Sunday, November 23, 2014 – 12:30–2:30pm – The sisterhood will be meeting at Schlotzsky’s deli at 218 South Lamar at Riverside Dr., Austin, Texas.  (It’s between Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive).  Their telephone number is 512-476-2867 if you get lost.  We will be having an informal get together to walk the trail at Lady Bird Lake.  You can bring your children.  We will get a bite to eat or beverage before starting our walk at 1:00 pm. We will park at Schlotzsky’s.
** Wednesday evening davening continues at 7pm.
**Friday November 28th, we will have special early services at 6:30 P.M., followed by a lovely kosher Friday night dinner – cooked at Beth El. Thank you to the Jacobs family for sponsoring the event. We hope you all can make the services and join us for dinner after.
**Mah-Jong  and games: Sunday, December 14 – 12:30–2:00pm – We will be having an informal get together and  a “Mahjong 101” Class, as well as play other games.  No children this time.   Please RSVP to Elaine Jacobs at (jaqel@yahoo.com) or 512-261-0112 by Wednesday, December 10, 2014.  Please bring a healthy dairy, parev desert or little nosh (like cut up fruit, veggie plate, cheese platter, etc.) if you can.
Sunday, December 21, 2014 – HOLD THIS DATE:  We are celebrating our Annual Beth El Chanukah Latke Party at 5:00 p.m.  Please join us in the fun.
There will be a delicious kosher meat BBQ:
Here is what we need volunteers to bring:  please let us know if you can help with these items
Drinks – Lemonade and orange juice
Fruit salad – just fruit
Green Salad – no dressing
Parev kosher  deserts
Non-dairy Chanukah gelt
Paper plates, cutlery and napkins 
To help celebrate the holiday, please bring your own Menorah and candles to light when we say the prayers!
Cantor Ben-Moshe’s weekly message:
This week’s parshah, Toldot Yitzhak, tells the story of the Patriarch Yitzhak, or Isaac.  Unlike his father, Avraham, or his son Ya’akov, Yitzhak never leaves the Land of Canaan, only going as far as G’rar in the territory of the Philistines.  Yitzhak is sometimes regarded as a placeholder-he is not a trailblazer like his father, nor yet the ancestor from whom our people take our name-Israel.  Yitzhak, though, exemplifies the virtue of persistence, of endurance.  When Yitzhak has conflicts with his Philistine neighbors over wells, he persists until he finally succeeds.  May we be inspired by the example of our ancestor, and persevere to overcome the conflicts in our lives.  Shabbat Shalom.

Community Prayer service at the J

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Dear Members and friends,
Please see below the important message from Jay Rubin, CEO of the J regarding the terrible act of murder this morning in Jerusalem. We hope you can join the Austin Jewish community this evening at 6pm at CAA.

“Earlier today, four rabbis were murdered at morning services at Kehilat Yakov Synagogue in Jerusalem. The attackers left behind bibles and prayer shawls soaked in blood. We mourn with the families of Rabbi Moshe Twersky (59), Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky (43), Rabbi Avraham Goldberg (68) and Rabbi Kalman Levine (55). Rabbis Twersky. Levine and Kupinsky we dual Israeli and American citizens. Rabbi Goldberg was a dual Israeli and British citizen. Eight others were wounded, including one Israeli police officer.
 This was a premeditated act of terrorism.  The attackers — two cousins from East Jerusalem — entered the synagogue during the silent Amidah and began hacking and shooting while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The terrorists, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, were killed by Israeli police at the scene. Hamas supporters in Gaza danced in the streets and handed out candy to celebrate the bloodshed.
Tonight, we come together as a community at 6 PM at an evening service here in Austin at Congregation Agudas Achim, 7300 Hart Lane, to mourn the innocent victims, to express solidarity with the people of Israel and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”