Early Childhood Center students excited to return to school! Classes begin September 12, 2016.

Congregation Shir Shalom clergy are looking forward to seeing you ~ stop by and visit us soon!

Congregation Shir Shalom Religious School students examine the Sephardic Torah scroll.

46 Peaceable Street Ridgefield, CT 06877 Phone: (203) 438-6589 Fax: (203) 438-5488 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ourshirshalom.org

The Hebrew month of Elul, the month leading up to the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is a time of reflection and renewal, and we are instructed to prepare spiritually throughout the month for the Yamim Noraim—The Days of Awe that mark the start of the new year. In many communities the shofar is sounded at daily services throughout the month to awaken us for the holy days ahead; we will be sounding the shofar at our Shabbat worship throughout the month of Elul. There is a Jewish teaching cited in several sources, that the name of the Hebrew month leading up to the High Holy Days, can be read as an acronym for a phrase in the Song of Songs, Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li—I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me. While the Song of Songs is, on face level, a song between lovers, it is also understood in our tradition as an allegory for the relationship between God and the Jewish people. During the month of Elul, as we prepare for the Days of Awe, we should think of ourselves as loving partners preparing to renew our vows and renew our relationship with God, with our families, and with our community. Rabbi Reuven Bulka in Jew ish Marriage: A Halachik Ethic observed that from the story of creation and throughout history marriage is projected as the natural human condition (I am broadening Rabbi Bulka’s language to include same sex couples.) Rabbi Bulka wrote “Marriage is an ideal which has no age limit. One should marry even in the twilight years. In the later stages of life, childbearing may be impossible, but procreation in the form of enhanced value sharing is still very much a possibility…” (Jewish Marriage: A Halakhic Ethic. 1986. p.3)

Every couple, with or without children, procreates by having a tremendous impact on the world. Every couple has the potential to create a better world through raising children and through engaging in tikkun olam (repairing the world), through the joy that they share and the way that they enhance each other’s lives, as well as the lives of friends and family. This observation carries over to the allegory of Song of Songs as well as our own synagogue: whether you have children or not, whether your children are grown or young, our celebration of the High Holy Days and our support for the Jewish community are essential. Being part of our Jewish community extends beyond bringing your children to synagogue for a Jewish education or to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. To paraphrase Rabbi Bulka, being “married” to our Jewish community is an ideal without age limit; membership should continue even in the twilight years. Preparing children to become Jewish adults may no longer be part of your life, but the diffusion of Jewish culture and ethical values is still possible, and you can play a critical role in supporting other families in their efforts, long after your own children are adults. Continuing membership for “empty nesters” is an ongoing subject of conversation in our community and in many congregations. How can we better encourage our members to continue their support for our congregation after their children have become Bar or Bat Mitzvah? This is not a rhetorical question! Please send me an e-mail with your thoughts! May this month of Elul help us to renew our relationship with our families, our community, and our God, with the recognition that our abilities to procreate, participate, and inspire others do not fade with age; we can be every bit as involved with our congregation as when our children were young and preparing to become Bat or Bar Mitzvah.

Elul: A Chance to by any means, and our tradition understands that. The Talmud teaches us that Match our forgiveness was one of the first things Worlds This calendar year, Jews around the world have some “extra” time after the summer ends to prepare for the High Holidays because the last Hebrew year was a leap year, adding an additional month to the Hebrew calendar. (It is also the reason that all of the Jewish holidays will be “late” for 5777.). While our Jewish calendar always gives us this time to prepare, the secular calendar does not always do so. The fact that Rosh HaShanah begins on the evening of Sunday, October 2 provides several weeks after Labor Day to think about the holidays and to prepare for them in a different way than when they arrive at the beginning of September. The Hebrew month of Elul which begins on Saturday, September 3 gives us an entire month to think about the New Year and to try to “Match our Worlds.” What I mean by that is that we have the opportunity to change our actions and our behavior to -- ideally -- be closer to the people that we would like to be. All too often the lives we live do not correlate to the dreams we have for ourselves, and Elul gives us the time to examine how we might better synthesize our desires and our actions. Sometimes our work does not provide us with the meaning we need. Sometimes our relationships need extra tender loving care to become closer to the type of relationships that we would like to have. We often spend countless hours in activities that do not provide satisfaction or resonate with our true values. Hopefully preparing for a New Year in a thoughtful way will enable us to make positive changes in our lives that bring greater satisfaction and meaning to our lives. All of this takes effort -- it is not easy

that was created -- even before the creation of the world!?! (Nedarim 39b) With that in mind, we can take the necessary steps to right any wrongs we may have intentionally or unintentionally committed in the past. Everyone makes mistakes -- not everyone takes the time and effort to try to appropriately attend to fix our actions. Celebrating Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is never easy because our Jewish world often does not fit easily with our secular world. To celebrate the holidays, many of us must alter our work schedules, spend hours and significant amounts of money to travel to be with relatives, and financially support the Jewish community with significant funds. Once arriving at services, most American Jews are not fluent in Hebrew, many do not know the old or new melodies of the holidays, and it is awkward to feel insecure observing the rituals and traditions of the holidays. And yet -- in the end -- most Jews feel some sense of satisfaction, comfort, and meaning when being part of a community to celebrate the holidays. I recently came across a New York Times article that I shared with several family members. It was called “How to Live Wisely” by Richard White (July 31, 2015) Although intended primarily for college students, to me it is the essence of Elul. The article basically asks students, “What matters to you? [and] How well do your commitments actually match your goals?” As we prepare to begin a new Jewish year, I hope that the resources and wisdom of our amazing tradition will be able to support your worlds coming together. If you would like to learn of some of the Jewish sources available, please be in touch with me by e-mail. Wishing you a meaningful Elul, one that brings the world you want to live closer to reality... Rabbi Marcus L. Burstein

Cultural Arts are Alive at Shir Shalom! Please mark your calendars for the musical programs and services being planned for the coming year. Roy Weinstein, a local artist, photographer, photojournlist, author, and community leader has offered to help create a series of programs united art, music and film for Shir shalom. We have been meeting all summer and have two programs in the works. Details will be shared as soon as they are available. Broadway Music- The Jewish Connection Sunday, October 30, 3-5 PM Sunday, November 13, 3-5 PM Both will feature local celebrities and musicians to share their love of Broadway music with personal stories! We are hoping to feature two movies in the spring with discussions following. Deli Man and Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy are our choices. Ridgefield Library Folk Community Singalongs As part of my musical friendship with the First Congregational Church, Edwin Taylor and his wife Faith Ferry will help lead our third year of community Folk Sing-alongs at the Ridgefield Library. Sundays 3-4 pm free- books provided! All are welcomeJanuary 22 February 12 March 26 May 7 Last year we had a very successful Book Program with Federation- The Vilna Vegetarian! It was a packed room and the authors were charming and really interesting! I am hoping to find two more

authors to bring to Shir Shalom. If you are interested in helping choose the authors and the books, please contact me soon! Program will be held midday on a Wednesday or Thursday. The Federation is a wonderful resource for these kinds of programs and speakers. Shir Shalom Stitchers meet Wednesday, 12 noon—2 pm. Bring your lunch, stitching, knitting and needlework projects! Looking forward to sharing in the High Holydays with you, my temple family. If you are interested in singing in the choir, it is not too late! Shalom, Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray

As your hopefully refreshing summer comes to a close and the pace of life begins to accelerate, we felt it would be a good time to reflect on a few of the areas in which we have made progress in the last twelve months and some of the exciting events we can look forward to in the coming year. It’s been an interesting and most certainly, a busy time for our Shir Shalom community! Our Union is still young but we have grown wiser with each new day as we continuously focus on what makes a synagogue thrive in today’s environment. We are both proud to serve as the first co-Presidents of Congregation Shir Shalom and we are honored to help lead our community’s “journey” which has really only just begun! As of this writing, Religious School registration is ongoing and we are excited to report that, compared to the same time last year, new interest in our school suggests growth in enrollment over the last school year. Our Early Childhood Center is also experiencing growth in enrollment over last year in both the regular and the extended day program. We are so grateful to Leslie Gottlieb, Jane Emmer and our teachers for their enthusiastic leadership with the support of our Education Committee headed up by Lynn Broder and Karen Conti! Our Sisterhood led by Susan Bard and Tesa Baum is planning several wonderful events this upcoming year. We are excited to start the “year” with the Sisterhood’s Middle Eastern buffet kick off dinner, a terrific time to reconnect and learn about what sisterhood has to offer, and always a fun evening for sure! Our Ritual Committee led by Laurie Dubin and Michael Salpeter along with our Rabbis Burstein and Reiner and our Cantor Katchko-Gray are very hard at work, as of this writing, to ensure that this year’s high holy days’ observance will offer a beautiful and spiritual experience for all. Social Action offers many wonderful opportunities for involvement in both our Shir Shalom and the greater communities. Debbie Lavin and Debbie Lan-

dzberg together, have been planning an array of events for this upcoming year such as the HHD Food Drive, Blood Drive and opportunities to volunteer at The Danbury Food Pantry and the Dorothy Day Hospitality House to name just a few. We are appreciative of Andrea DeLange and her Membership Committee who have planned a Prospective Open House on Sunday, September 18th. It is a wonderful opportunity for our members to invite their unaffiliated friends and neighbors to drop by Shir Shalom and see all that we have to offer. Brotherhood and Neirot as of this writing, are also busy, coordinating some exciting events for the upcoming year. We recognize that the world is changing. Social media is now the quickest route for sharing of information and we are proud of our new and updated communications. The Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties Facebook page and the Friends of Shir Shalom Facebook page both provide for greater connectivity for all within our community. Please be sure to join by selecting “like,” next time you visit Facebook. Our monthly bulletin, as you have seen for several months now, has a beautiful new look and valuable content which is available online as well as in print form. In addition, there is our weekly e-blast that lists more immediate events. We strongly encourage you to explore and participate in all of these forms of communication and to take advantage of what Shir Shalom has to offer. We are hard at work still developing our new website and it too, is sure to impress! We are grateful for all the volunteers on the Marketing Committee headed up by Ellen Barth, who have gotten us to this point. When you are next at Shir Shalom, you will notice our beautiful new sign which was installed just a couple of weeks ago at our entrance on Peaceable Street. A new sign…the beginning of our legacy for what we hope will be many generations to come. There is a place for everyone at Shir Shalom! We invite and encourage you to bring your passions and your aspirations and become involved. This is your community and there is something here for everyone!

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Your Co-Presidents, Gale Berman Hal Wolkin

Sitting poolside in August just days before we mark the ninth day of Av on the Jewish calendar, it is hard to relate to this solemn day— and an even greater challenge to tie its lessons to the Religious School and its teaching goals-- mostly because we are not together at this time of year. I remember learning from a rabbi years ago that many Jews differ in their pronunciation of this day dependent on one’s ancestral background. Then again, I guess our religion has persevered through the millennia precisely because we all make adjustments that seem correct for our myriad ways of being observant. So how can we teach this occasion to our students—long past the date on the calendar since school is not in session in August—and what is the proper angle to take in teaching about a date that represents so many tragedies that converged on a single day over hundreds of years—or so it is said? In the URJ’s newsletter last month, Rabbi Steven Bob discusses this very idea in, How to Make Tishah B’ Av Meaningful Today and explains a thing or two about this idea through a Reform lens. He talks about moving past the destruction we are reminded of on this date— moving toward a new way of looking at things. “Reform rabbis meeting in Pittsburgh in 1885 rejected the traditional hope of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. ‘We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial worship under the sons of Aaron.’ Prayer books of the Reform Movement removed paragraphs seeking the rebuilding of the Temple from the weekday Amidah and the haftarah blessings.” With the destruction of the two temples in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E., and other losses experienced and attributed to the ninth of Av, we see how we, as Reform Jews, have moved past a certain older way of life, adapting along the way.

This idea presents a wonderful opportunity for teachers to explore—especially with older students—the historical fallout—the takeaway of history, if you will. History is created every moment of our lives and students certainly appreciate that. What are the Tishah B’ Av moments in their lives, our lives-- and as the Ten Days of Awe approach this October (so late this year!) what can prove to be valuable in terms of lessons we can learn? Can all-aged students absorb the idea of how the aftermath of an event can teach us, and help us to grow? If history continues to repeat itself, as it is said— how can we turn sadness into a celebration of life for our young impressionable Jewish learners? I think the key word in Rabbi Bob’s remarks is community. We are a religious community—globally—but in our little pocket of Connecticut and Northern Westchester, we have created something unique and lasting. Students from two synagogues had a rare opportunity last year to become one new family. They really led the way in so many ways—reminding the older generation how magical new friendships can be. Change and a fresh start is truly invigorating at every stage of life. We made our own unique history! Over this summer, I have met so many new families who have decided to join our community. What a distinct pleasure it has been to share the excitement to even more parents and their children. I think of how much better can things be for all of us with so many new voices, faces and ideas. This is a great time to be a part of Shir Shalom! Our school community is strong-- and I am so excited about this school year now that we have settled into a solid rhythm. With old and new programs added-- and our dedicated teaching staff, ready for the challenge-- we have the ingredients to be even better. We are glad that you are all on board for the ride. Thank you. Happy New Year to you all—and welcome to the 2016-17 Religious School.

Welcome back. The Early Childhood Center is excited to begin our second year in our new home. We are spreading our wings a bit, opening our third class this year and welcoming in new families to our program. With a new year, we are given another chance to look at the way we relate to each other and our children. How do we receive the messages our children send us? How do we hear the things they need us to hear and understand? How are we respecting the people they’re asking to become? Our job is to answer patiently, giving them the tools to learn and bloom in their own way, giving way to the child’s own sense of the world by filling it with love and opportunity. At the Early Childhood Center this year, we hope to provide your children with the resources they need to not only grow, but grow together. Together, students, parents, and teachers, we become a community of learners, sharing the experience of finding new ways to play, to share, to listen. Early Childhood Center 2016-2017 Staff Purple Room Meredith Eichner Michelle Horner ----------Yellow Room Ellen Goldstein Gernine Tuckner ----------Blue Room Alison Brodoff Stephanie Goodkind Dinah Rader

Jane Emmer - Program Director

Summer is over but the warmth of our summer Shabbat services lingers. Many members attended Shabbat services at our earlier 6:30 summer time and enjoyed delicious food and beverages served at the Onegs. L’Shanah Tovah! Shir Shalom’s Ritual Committee, extends our wishes for health and happiness to all our member families in the upcoming New Year. We look forward to sharing the High Holy Days and the rest of the year’s celebrations together. Schedule for High Holy Days Services 2016/5777 Selichot Saturday, September 24, 7:30p.m Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sunday, October 2, 7:30p.m Rosh Hashanah First Day, Monday, October 3 Early Service 9:00a.m Late Morning Service 11:30a.m Tot Service 2:30p.m Tashlich (LewisboroTownPark) 5:00p.m Rosh Hashanah, Second Day, Tuesday, October 4, 10:00a.m Kol Nidre, Tuesday, October 11, 7:30p.m

Yom Kippur, Wednesday, October 12 Early Service 9:00a.m Late Morning Service 11:30a.m Tot Service 2:30p.m Music and Meditation Service 3:15p.m Afternoon, Yizkor and Neilah 4:00p.m Congregational Break Fast following the con clusion of services at approximately 6:50 p.m. (reservations required)

A complete description of the services is included in the High Holy Day packet. Please return the necessary forms to insure that you receive your tickets prior to Rosh Hashanah. In addition to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, other important dates to remember in October are Sukkot on Sunday, October 16 with decorating and Pizza in the Hut following and Simchat Torah on Sunday, October 23. This past year the Ritual Committee members have been truly hard working and dedicated. We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their gifts of time, energy, talent, spirit, and cooperation. Thank you: Lynn Becker, Michelle Blum, Karen Conti, Bryon Friedman, Louis Haber, Gail Henner, Dawn Kessler, Alan Pilch, Dawn Roberts, Adam Rubinfeld, Curt Shulman, Wendy Wallach-DeLucia, and Martin Weisberg. Special thanks to our administrators Kathleen Sakowicz and Laura Morris. We also would like to express our deepest thanks and gratitude to Rabbi Marcus Burstein, Rabbi David Reiner, Rabbi Jon Haddon, and Cantor Katchko-Gray for leading us through this time of reflection and rededication that is the Days of Awe. G’mar chatimah tovah Michael Salpeter and Laurie Dubin

September 2

David and Andrea deLange Michael deLucia and Wendy Wallach-DeLucia Alan and Bonnie Dietzek

September 9

Allan and Ellen Goldstein Adam Ozols and Donna Finklestein David and Allyson Monson Larry and Lisa Leibowitz

September 16

Michael Gitlitz and Rita Landman Bryon and Victoria Friedman

September 23

David and Laura Fiderer Peter Fine and Lauren Leong Joshua and Deborah Fink

September 30

Stephen and Danielle Finke David and Sally Firestein Robert Fischman

Help us help others this year! One-time and ongoing opportunities available for everyone Also, project co-leaders needed to help oversee any of these important programs. Please let us know of your interest!

HIGH HOLY DAY FOOD DRIVE

Begin collecting nonperishables to donatethto our neighbors in need! 7 graders needed for food drive preparation, flyer distribution, food collection at services etc.

DANBURY FEDERAL CORRECTIONS INSTITUTE

Co-facilitate Shabbat discussion group with Jewish female inmates. Last Friday evening of each month/ volunteer only once or as much as you’d like

DISTRIBUTE FOOD FOR THE NEEDY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Help the Daily Bread Food Pantry prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas

“RUNS” TO BRING FOOD AND GOODS TO THE HOMELESS

Reach out to New York City’s homeless this coming fall and spring

PARTICIPATE IN OUR BLOOD DRIVE

Likely time frame: early November

FOOD SCULPTURE TO BENEFIT THE HUNTHE DAILY BREAD GRY FOOD PANTRY TEAM Fun for everyone. Help design, collect our “building

Help man this Danbury pantry with our enthusiastic volunteer crew as needy clients shop. Designated Mondays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.; join us when it works for you!

DOROTHY DAY HOSPITALITY HOUSE

Serve meals to guests of this Danbury soup kitchen. We’d love your help. Ages 12 and up. First Sunday of every month/volunteer only once or as much as you’d like.

Hello Sisterhood members, Welcome back to Fall at Congregation Shir Shalom! We are excited to see everyone, new friends and old, at Our Sisterhood Annual Kickoff Dinner on Monday, September 19th at 7pm in the Pavillion. Thank you to Nicole Rose and Tesa Baum for planning this fun, free event with Middle Eastern Mezze Buffet catered by Kibberia! This event has always been our most well-attended so please mark your calendars. RSVP for this event t o S is t e r h o o d @OurShirShalom.org We are looking forward to adding to our event calendar dates for a Sisterhood Book Group, local painting and wine nights and hikes along with our usual mix of social events we have each year. And other new events suggested

blocks” and assemble this great project! Creative folks needed!

SHIR SHALOM MITZVAH DAY

Join our temple family for a day of community building and community outreach on Sunday, May 7th!

We’d love to include you in our programs! Contact [email protected]

by members who can help with planning. As always, we welcome your involvement and suggestions to keep Sisterhood's events interesting for everyone. Please reach out to Susan Bard at [email protected] if you want to get more connected through Sisterhood or take a leadership role this year or to pitch in with planning. Please contact Tesa at [email protected] if you would like to participate in a Sisterhood Book Group. We can only run programs if there is interest among our members, so please reach out to us as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Best, Susan Bard & Tesa Baum

As well known as Hatik vah is to Jews all over the world, there is much about the Israeli national anthem that many Jews are not familiar with. Furthermore, there is one interesting fact about Hatik vah that will come as a surprise to most people. Hatikvah was originally a poem in nine stanzas called Tik vateinu (Our hope), written by Naphtali Hertz Imber in 1877. Imber was born in 1856 in Zolochiv, a city in AustriaHungary, now part of Ukraine. He began writing poetry at the age of ten. In 1882, Imber emigrated to Palestine and in 1886 he published his first book of poems, which included Tik vateinu. He moved back to Europe in 1887, and then to the United States in 1892. Imber died and was buried in New York City in 1909. In 1953 he was re-interred in a cemetery in Jerusalem. In 1877 Imber revised Tik vateinu. The first stanza and refrain of the revised version became Hatik vah. It was sung at the first International Zionist Congress in 1897: First stanza: As long as in the heart within, A Jewish soul still yearns, And onward, towards the ends of the East, An eye still looks towards Zion. Refrain: Our hope is not yet lost, The ancient hope, To return to the land of our fathers, The city where David encamped. When the State of Israel was created in 1948, the first stanza of the poem remained, but the refrain was revised. Below is an English translation of the Israeli National Anthem. As long as in the heart within, A Jewish soul still yearns, And onward, towards the ends of the East, An eye still looks towards Zion.

Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two thousand years old, To be a free nation in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem. In 1888, Samuel Cohen, born and raised in Moldavia, was living in the settlement of Rishon LeZion in Palestine. He became familiar with Imber’s poem, Tikvatenu, and decided to set it to music. The music was derived from a 17th century Italian madrigal called, “La Mantovana”, by Guisepino del Biado*. This melody became part of many diverse ethnic songs such as the Scottish song, “My Mistress is Prettie”, the Polish “Pod Krakowem”, the Ukrainian “Kataryna Kucheryava”, and the Moldavian “Carul cu Boi”(Cart and Oxen). Camille Saint Saens used the melody in his “Rhapsodies sur des Cantiques Bretons”. Many people are familiar with the version written by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. It appeared in Smetana’s tone poem, “Ma Vlast”, as a musical description of the Moldau River. It is likely that Samuel Cohen adopted the music from “Carul cu Boi” which he claimed to have heard as a boy in Moldavia. So, what is the surprise? Ask most Jews who can sing the words of Hatikvah and are knowledgeable about Israel, when Hatikvah became the official national anthem of Israel? The answer would almost uniformly be 1948, the year of the State of Israel’s inception. In fact, Hatikvah did not become Israel’s official national anthem until the year 2004, when the Knesset enacted the “Flag and Coat of Arms Law” that included a section designating Hatikvah as the official national anthem of Israel . * The original instrumental and vocal versions of “La Mantovana can be heard on You Tube. Search for either“La Mantovana”, or the first line of the song, “fuggi, fuggi, fuggi, da questo cielo” (fly, fly, fly from the sky). La Mantovana is a spritely tune compared to Hatikvah, which is much more solemn. “

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The Secret of The Schwartz

please make sure you Like and Share our Facebook and Instagram posts. The more activity our posts It’s alive! That’s right, have, the higher our SEO web positioning will be. If our shiny, new website is up you aren’t on Facebook or Instagram yet, please conand running. We hope you sider joining, so you can Like our posts and Share find it a valuable source of in- them with your friends. formation and inspiration. Effective SEO also requires that our web presMany thanks to those who ence is regularly updated and relevant, in small webcontributed countless hours to friendly bites. Consider submitting a “web nosh” for bring this website to life, including Laurence Furic, one of our blogs, or a photo for Instagram, Facebook Bobbie Cohlan, Karen Conti and Eve Siegel. and Pinterest every now and then. Please send them The site has been designed to work equally to [email protected] and well on phones, tablets and PCs, so you can access [email protected] whenever you feel Shir Shalom information on your favorite device, inspired. wherever you are. It is also designed to increase Shir Of course, we would love to grow our MarShalom’s visibility in web searches, so prospective keting Committee. We are a fun, creative and enthusicongregants will find us easily, too. astic group - the work is done by phone, email and That’s where you come in - Search Engine online. Even an hour contributed from home will help Optimization (SEO) develops over time through for- our goal to become the premier congregation in the area. mulas used by Google, Yahoo, etc. There are quick Please contact me to brainstorm – and easy ways you can help our web and social [email protected] or call me at dia plans succeed, right from your phone! 914-764-5286. May The Schwartz be with you. If/when you are on Facebook and Instagram,

We Are Here If You Need Us!

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATER DANBURY/PUTNAM

JFS is your trusted community agency for information, referrals & resource needs, dedicated to providing professional personalized expertise to individuals and families. (Our service is always confidential and without charge)

Seeking assistance with any of these issues? 

Senior living – homecare, long-term care options, transportation; adult day programs;



Mental health care – counseling services, support groups, caregiver respite, bereavement;



Medical-related topics – medical helplines, equipment and supplies, disability resources;



Legal matters, social services, religious organizations, stressful life events and transitions.

JFS is your helping hand…reach out for us! Phone: (203) 794-1818 *** E-mail: [email protected] 141 Deer Hill Avenue, Danbury, CT 06810 Donna Prywes, MSW, Administrator

We Appreciate your Generosity

Donations made after the tenth of the month will be listed in next month’s bulletin

Classes start September 14

Richard and Cathie Mishkin

Bobbie and Rick Cohlan

welcomed granddaughter,

welcomed their sixth

Dakota Mishkin Truong on

grandson, Eli Zachary

Friday, July 28.

Behar on Friday, June 24.

Congratulations to Josh and Michelle Blum who rode 200 miles in 2 day to raise

funds for cancer research and treatment.

Mazal Tov to Daniellle Mazlich who won the “Healthy Lunchtime Challenge” sponsored by the First Lady , WGBH Boston and PBS. Danielle represented New York when she traveled to the White House in July and attended the Kid’s “State Dinner” hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. Contact the office for her recipe: Chicken Cheeseball Kabobs on Veggie Spaghetti.

Join the Facebook Congregation Shir Shalom Friends Group! A place where we can get to know each other better and build your community. In the group, you can post community and personal events, photos and things for sale, help wanted and comments. You may share relevant articles of interest to our congregation. Looking forward to seeing you there!.

Programs at Shir Shalom Adult Choir

Ritual Committee

Adult Education

Ruach Shabbat

Book club

Shabbat Torah Study

Brotherhood

Shir Shalom Stitchers

ECC Young Community Shabbat

Sisterhood

Lunch and Learn

Social Action

Membership Committee

Talented Teens

Music Shabbat

Torah Readers

Neirot

Tot Shabbat 2.0 Contact the synagogue office for more information—[email protected] Check our online calendar for additional programs and activities.

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

Inclement weather policy: In case of inclement weather, a decision to postpone/cancel will be made 2 hours before the scheduled start of a program. An email will be sent, an announcement will be posted on our website, and the outgoing message on our voicemail will be updated.

Current resident or