8:30 am - Shabbat Shirah Nosh & Schmooze, Community Room
9:00 am - 11:15 am - Creative Shacharit with Rabbi Shefa Gold, Guller Chapel
9:30 am - Childcare, Education Center Room 1
9:30 am - Shabbat Club, Education Center Room 23
9:50 am - Traditional Shabbat Service & Torah Reading, Main Sanctuary
10:30 am - Junior Congregation, Multi-Purpose Room
11:30 am - Sermonette with Rabbi Shefa Gold, Main Sanctuary
12:00 pm (approximately) - Special Kiddush Luncheon, Banquet Hall Alef
4:00 pm - Meditative Shabbat Minchah led by Rabbi Shefa Gold, Guller Chapel
4:30 pm - A Tu B'Shevat Seder led by Rabbi Shefa Gold, Banquet Hall Alef
Thank you to all who have RSVP'd, registration is now closed - please email andy@bnaiamoona.com with any questions.
6:00 pm - Traditional Ma'ariv, Guller Chapel
6:01 pm - Shabbat Ends
6:15 pm - Special Havdalah led by Rabbi Shefa Gold, Guller Chapel
This Weekend We Welcome Rabbi Shefa Gold
Voted one of the "33 Most Inspiring Rabbis in America," Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader of the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and director of the Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice. She is a reknown spiritual music composer, performer and author who trains Rabbis, Cantors and lay leaders to become chant leaders. She is also a resource faculty for the Insitute for Jewish Spirtuality and a fellow for CLAL’s Rabbis without Borders.
The Gallant Motivational & Inspirational Weekend Series is generously sponsored by Paul & Diane Gallant.
Questions About Capital Campaign?
The Capital Campaign and Construction are still in full swing, and we know that many of you have questions.
So, we have launched an email address --building@bnaiamoona.com -- as a centralized portal for incoming questions, and a source of outgoing information to provide answers and keep you updated.
Please submit your Capital Campaign and Construction questions, and we'll share the answers as soon as possible.
Capital Campaign
Act now... Make a difference... Every dollar counts! Join the many B’nai Amoona families who are already helping to secure "Our Future…ATIDEYNU - עתידנו" - for generations to come.
Contact Andy Oberman at askoberman@gmail.com or (314) 603-0010 and make your pledge to help sustain our Kehillah.
New Task Force Forming
Under the direction of the Board of Trustees, a task force is being formed to identify whether or not a policy is needed for B'nai Amoona with regards to hosting outside groups and activities and, if deemed so, what criteria should be put in place for future hosting requests.
If you would like to be part of this task force, contact Jeff Waldman at jeffwaldman@sbcglobal.net. The first meeting will be in February (date to be determined) at B’nai Amoona.
Adult Education
New Adult Education Offerings for Winter/Spring 2020
The Voices of Israel, Varying Dates and Days, President's Conference Room
Monday, February 24th at 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 26th at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, April 22nd at 7:00 pm
Kauit Yoga at BA, Wednesdays, BA Yoga Room
5-Session Class beginning Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 9:15 am
Optional single session trial class
Getting to know our Shinshin, Guy! Lunch and Learn, Thursdays, President's Conference Room
Thursday, February 13 at 12:00 pm
For more information about these - and all of our adult education opportunities - click HERE.
February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion month. Our Director of Innovative Learning and Engagement, Liessa Alperin, attended JDAIM's Advocacy Day on the Hill this week. Here are a few of her thoughts following her trip:
What Does "Belonging" Mean To Me?
This is a question we ask during the month of February; however it is something we should be asking all year long! We, at Congregation B’nai Amoona, have once again joined the movement created to promote Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month. #JDAIM2020
The mission of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month is to unite Jewish communities worldwide to raise awareness and champion the rights of all Jews to be accepted and included in all aspects of Jewish life like anyone else.
You will see efforts this month to raise awareness of these important questions. What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to be inclusive? What does it mean to us at B’nai Amoona to do what we can to open our doors to all those who have hidden or visual disabilities?
MKLC
A Few Friendly Reminder:
Our 4th grade program for students and their families is this Sunday, February 9 from 10:00 - 11:30 am. Please save the date.
Gesher students - mark your calendar for our next session taking place this Sunday, February 9.
Youth Department
Be In The Loop - Join Our Youth Department Facebook Group!
Calling dancers of all levels (High School age and older) - Please contact Cantor Sharon if you are interested in participating in her Sweet 16 Celebration on March 29, as well as a few mandatory rehearsals. (Dates to be determined)
We are now collecting winter items for the homeless community with the help of Jack Seigel, grandson of the Rosengartens. The items we are collecting include: undergarments, socks, boots, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, towels, washcloths and toiletries.
Special Note About Our Winter Outreach Collection Bins: The collection bins for this outreach will be located in the coat closet next to the new memorial hall on the south side of B'nai Amoona. Please take your donation items there.
You may continue to bring your Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry donations to the Social Action Collection Center to the right of the receptionist’s desk near the main entrance. Our collection container for aluminum tabs from cans will also be located in this room.
Sisterhood
Book Club B'nai Amoona's Sisterhood has a Book Club that we share with Kol Rinah's Sisterhood. Meetings are on the 4th Thursday of each month at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters on Lindbergh Blvd (across from Plaza Frontenac) from 10:00 - 11:30 am. New members are always welcome! You do not need to attend every month, just come when you can, nor is it required that you have read (or finished reading) the book selection for the month!
Feb 27:Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed - Lori Gottlieb (433 pages)
Mar 26:What to Do About the Solomons - Bethany Ball (243 pages)
Apr 23:The Mourning Sexton: A Novel of Suspense - Michael Baron (Michael Kahn) (416 pages)
May 21 (Date To Be Confirmed):Green: A Novel - Sam Graham-Felsen (336 pages)
For more information on the Book Group or author events, please call Enid Weisberg-Frank at 314-576-2864.
B'nai Amoona Goes To Israel in 2020 - Join Us!
Please join us for an information meeting on March 17, 2020 at 7:00 pm. Representatives of our tour company, Keshet, will be with us to discuss our trip and answer any questions you may have.
In The B'nai Amoona Community
WE MOURN THE LOSS OF...
Sylvia Zveitel Wife of Irving Zveitel, (Z'L); mother of Greg (Tasha Crancer) Zveitel and Jamie (Alan) Kwiatek; grandmother of Jeffrey, Bradley and Adi Kwiatek; sister of Geraldine(Ira Jerome) Friedman. Dear aunt, great-aunt, cousin and dear friend.
MAZEL TOV TO...
Marc & Marilyn Abrams and Chuck & Diane Pasternak on the birth of their grandson, George Edward Abrams. Proud parents are Miles Abrams and Julia Pasternak.
The curtains will rise for the fifth annual Lip Sync Live at The Pageant on Saturday, March 7, 2020! Doors open at 6:30 pm with a buffet dinner catered by Tavolo V. The show begins at 7:45pm.
Performers include Stacy Abeles, Andy Babitz, Jan Baron, Debbie Becker, Lizzie Berman, Jonathan Bloom, Burt Garland, Sheri Glantz, Barry Glantz, Sharon Gorman, Mike Gorman, Gay Guller, Chris Horan, Susan Kemppainen, Rich Levy, Mark Manlin, Morgan Meyers, Sheri Schneider, Brad Seigel, Brad Snitzer, Jordan Tenenbaum, Aaron Wahl and Dan Weinstein.
Lip Sync Live proceeds are allocated to various departments of the J and used for programming needs and scholarships. The J Associates raise funds for many of the 250 plus J programs, including Kosher meals delivered to homebound seniors, Adult Day Services, Theatre Unlimited (an adult theater for those with disabilities) and scholarships for children allowing them to attend the J Early Childhood Center and J Day Camps.
Plans for a New World-Class Holocaust Museum Announced
On January 27, 2020, the St. Louis Holocaust Museum & Learning Center commemorated its 25th year with the announcement of a new world-class facility. Holocaust survivors, local dignitaries and religious leaders gathered to unveil the museum design for the state-of-the-art facility on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The $18 million project will be built on the Millstone Campus, near the northwest corner of Lindbergh Boulevard and Schuetz Road. The organization also announced it has been awarded a $750,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the expansion project.
For more information and to donate, please click HERE.
Vote in the World Zionist Congress Election - This month, you, along with millions of other American Jews, will have the opportunity to Vote for Your Voice in Israel. From January 21 through March 11, 2020, American Jews can vote online in the election for the 38th World Zionist Congress and impact the Jewish future in Israel and around the world. Click HEREto learn more.
Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich An American Bar Association Travelling Exhibit, March 8-June 9, 2020 at the Law Library Association of St. Louis located at 10 N. Tucker Blvd., 13th Floor (Civil Courts Building).
Opening Presentation with Dr. William Meinecke, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC on Sunday March 8, 2:00-3:30 pm.
This event is free and open to all. Register at by clicking HERE or call 314-622-4470 to reserve your ticket.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee invites you to the AIPAC St. Louis Annual Event: Tuesday March 31, 2020 at 6:00 pm (leadership reception for table hosts and investers of $1,800 or more) and 7:00 pm for the main program and dessert reception.This event will take place at the Ritz-Carlton located at 100 Carondelet Plaza in St. Louis. Congregation B'nai Amoona will be hosting several tables at this event. If you would like to join us at one of our tables, please contact Amy Maupin at 314-576-9990 or email amy@bnaiamoona.com with your request - seating is limited: first come, first served. Early bird prices are $36 per person/$360 per table of ten. For more information or to register, please click HERE.
Interested in Seeing Israel for the first time? There is an informative meeting for all interested participants on February 11 for the October 12-22, 2020 trip to Israel. Click HERE for more information.
The Rubin Israel Experience is an incredible opportunity for Jewish St. Louisans ages 35-50 who have never traveled to Israel to do so with their peers at NO COST. It is not often that such an amazing, life-changing opportunity is offered to the young Jews of St. Louis. Philanthropists and visionaries Ron and Pam Rubin want to invest in YOU for the trip of a lifetime.
Volunteer Opportunities at Covenant Place Ready to contribute your talents? Want to be part of our team? Have fun while using your skills and talents to help others! We have many opportunities for volunteers, ranging from one-time help, to monthly or weekly volunteer opportunities.
Jewish Family & Children’s Service is seeking “community connectors” to serve as Gatekeepers for vulnerable seniors. A Gatekeeper helps keep an eye out for relatives, neighbors, or friends who may be struggling with the challenges of aging. The JF&CS team will reach out to and work with these identified seniors one-on-one to develop a plan that helps them maintain independence, confidence, and a sense of connection to the local community. If you are interested in learning more about how you can serve as a gatekeeper, or if know of someone who could benefit from senior support, please reach out to Ken Schwartz at 314-812-9320 or kschwartz@jfcs-stl.org .
