News Posts

The Chanukah Celebration Continues!
There are still four more opportunities to celebrate Chanukah with your B'nai Amoona Kehillah!

The festivities continue with:
-A Chanukah lighting in honor of all essential workers
-The Annual Men's Club BINGO
-A Chanukah lighting in honor of educators with special guest appearance by the St. Louis Blues Mascot, Louie
-In-person Chanukah lighting with Cantor Sharon followed by a virtual Chanukah sing-a-long with Cantor Sharon & Friends

Todah Rabbah to our generous donors for helping make this meaningful and exciting program possible.

THIS COMING WEEK AT BA...

MONDAY

December 14

Advanced Modern Hebrew: 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Facilitated by Ophira Melnick
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register!

Fresh Eyes on our Chanukah Celebrations, a special webinar with Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose and Rabbi Brigette Rosenberg: 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose & Rabbi Brigette Rosenberg
In this "illuminating" Chanukah webinar, participants will learn enjoy a fascinating exploration of the inner meanings of the Festival of Lights. All participants must register by following the link below.

http://bit.ly/FreshEyesChanukah

Ulpan Ivrit - Advanced Beginner Modern Hebrew: 5:15 - 6:15 pm
Facilitated By Ophira Nitzan Melnick
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register.

Chanukah Lighting in Honor of Essential Workers in the Circle Drive:
6:30 pm
Our fifth night of festivities will be in recognition of essential workers. To all essential workers who help our world continue to turn, we thank and honor you.

Beginning Modern Hebrew: 6:45 - 7:45 pm
Facilitated by Ophira Melnick
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register!

Intermediate Modern Hebrew: 7:50 - 8:50 pm
Facilitated by Ophira Melnick
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register!

TUESDAY

December 15

Israel and the Jewish People: Schmooze in the News about Current Events in Israel: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
via Zoom
Click HERE to register!

Advanced Hebrew Reading: 6:45 - 7:45 pm
Facilitated by Chani Pinsberg
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register!

Chanukah Lighting & BINGO in the Circle Drive: 6:45 pm
Join us to light the sixth Chanukah candle and for a round or two of BINGO hosted by Men's Club in our Circle Drive with complimentary snacks provided by Chef Jon Hoffman. Thank you to all who registered!

WEDNESDAY

December 16

Everything I Should have Learned in Religious School, but Didn't: Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:00 am
Facilitated by Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
via Zoom
Click HERE to register.

Chanukah Lighting with PJ Library in Honor of Educators: 5:30 pm
St. Louis Blues Mascot, Louie, joins us to light the seventh candle in honor of all educators. Special giveaway treats to the first fifty children in attendance sponored by PJ Library.

T'fillot and Brachot: Read! Understand! Do! Wednesdays from 6:45 -
7:45 pm
Facilitated by Ophira Melnick
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register

Aleph Bet Hebrew: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Facilitated by Cantor Sharon Nathanson
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register.

Sex, War & Betrayal: 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
via Zoom (only)
Click HERE to register!

Congregation-Wide Dreidel Spin Hosted by BAUSY: 7:00
Please be on the lookout for the Zoom link.

Introduction To Judaism: 8:00 - 9:00 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon registration
Click HERE to register.

THURSDAY

December 17

Ulpan Yiddish: Last Candle of Chanukah: 10:00 - 11:00 am
Facilitated by Rabbi Neal Rose
via Zoom and Livestream
Click HERE to register!
 
Midtown Midrash: Breaking Walls, Opening Doors: A Talmudic Text Study on Orthodox Female Leadership with Special Guest, Maharat Rori Picker Neiss: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Facilitated by Neal Rose with Special Guest, Maharat Rori Picker Neiss
Maharat Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis. She is one of the first graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering institution training Orthodox Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) authorities. Her passions center on Judaism, feminism, interfaith dialogue, social justice, and her three children.
via Zoom 
Click HERE to register!

Chanukah Lighting & Virtual Chanukah Sing-A-Long with Cantor Sharon Nathanson:
In-Person Chanukah Lighting: 5:30 pm
Virtual Evening Minyan: 6:15 pm with Chanukah sing-along immediately after 
Please join us at 5:30 pm in the Circle Drive for the final Chanukah candle lighting with Cantor Sharon Nathanson.

Then, join us virtually for evening Minyan at 6:15 pm followed by a festive Chanukah sing-a-long with Cantor Sharon & Friends. The sing-a-long with use our regular evening Minyan Zoom link.

Beginner's American Sign Language (ASL): 8:00 - 9:00 pm
Facilitated by Michelle Rosenberg, Co-Sponsored by Sisterhood
via Zoom (only) (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Click HERE to register.

 

FRIDAY

Please be on the lookout for information about Friday Night & Shabbat Morning Services in our Friday "Shabbat Shalom" email.

SHABBAT

Torah for Today: Focus of the Weekly Torah Portion, Miketz:
This Week's Topic: From Pit to Palace, Joseph Robbed in Majesty:
11:00 am - 12: 00 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Neal Rose
via Zoom (only)

For more information regarding Shabbat Services, please keep an eye out for Friday's "Shabbat Shalom email."

SUNDAY

A Thinking Person's Judaism: God Continues to Speak from the Whirlwind (Chp 38 & Forward): 10:15 - 11:30 am
Facilitated by Rabbi Neal Rose
via Zoom (only)
Click HERE to register!

Virtual Morning Minyan

Sunday Morning Minyan will take place virtually at 9:00 am
Monday - Friday Morning Minyan will take place virtually at 7:00 am
via Zoom, Livestream and FB Live 

Virtual Evening Minyan

Sunday - Thursday Evening Minyan will take place virtually at 6:15 pm
via Zoom, Livestream and FB Live 
This Zoom link is for all evening Minyan Services

Please click HERE for more details about Services this week.

WINTER WEATHER CLOTHING COLLECTION, HARVEY KORNBLUM JEWISH FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS, & MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RABBI'S CHANUKAH FUND:
A NOTE FROM RABBI CARNIE SHALOM ROSE

Rabbi Kalonymos Kalmish Shapira, the Piaseczno Rebbe, was the Rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto prior to its destruction. He ran a clandestine synagogue in the Ghetto, did his best to preserve Jewish traditions, and composed a scintillating, soul-stirring commentary on the weekly Torah Readings (as well as other discourses) called “Eish Kodesh, Holy Fire". His sermons, delivered on Shabbat & Yom Tov when writing is traditionally forbidden, were committed to memory and recorded after the holy-days. One particular insight caught my attention as I was preparing early this morning for the 4th Chanukah Candle: “…for anything to really happen, for faith and for joy, there needs to be a real person to experience the faith and the joy – but when the person has been wholly crushed and squashed, there is no one left to rejoice”.

At this time of COVID and economic uncertainty, we have so many in our midst who have been “wholly crushed”. We will continue to collect Winter weather clothing and food for the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry through December 20th. PLEASE, if you can, stop by the Shul today and drop off a winter coat, some nonperishable food, or a monetary contribution. These will be directed to those who are now suffering the anguish of austerity and feeling "crushed and squashed". In this way, we will ensure that there are those “left to rejoice”. Thank you for caring and may the powerful, holy Light of Chanukah illuminate the darkest of places. Amen!

It's Time To Order Your Mahj Cards!

B’nai Amoona is selling the new 2021 Mah Jongg cards.

Simply fill out the order form found HERE and send in your form with your cash or check payment to:

Congregation B’nai Amoona attn: Mahj Cards
324 South Mason Road
Creve Coeur, Missouri
63141
Please make checks payable to Congregation B'nai Amoona
Please note: New this year, regular cards are $9 and large print are $10

Order deadline is January 8, 2021 and you will receive your 2021 Mah Jongg card in April!

Contact Robin Shulman at robnshul@gmail.com or 314-369-8599 with any questions.

B'nai Appetit Curbside

Sisterhood

B'nai Amoona's Sisterhood has a Book Group that we share with Kol Rinah's Sisterhood. Meetings are on the 4th Thursday of each month from 10:00 - 11:30 am. We are currently using a Zoom format. Reminders and Zoom information will be sent out prior to each meeting.  New members are always welcome!  You do not need to attend every month nor is it required that you have read (or finished reading) the book selection for the month. Just come when you can!

Thurs, Dec 17 - The Weight of Ink By: Rachel Kadish (592 pages)

For more information on the Book Group and author events,
please call Enid Weisberg-Frank at 314-576-2864.

Men's Club

Have You Joined Men's Club Yet? 
The B’nai Amoona Men's Club is comprised of an active group of men who are committed to constantly creating programs appealing to a wide array of interests, while promoting camaraderie, friendship, community service and study. They invite all congregants to join them during the year for fun times, learning and performing mitzvot.

End of Year Giving

To receive a 2020 tax donation:

CREDIT CARDS:
If you plan to make your donation using credit card, please note that we cannot adjust the processing dates. For tax deductible donations to be included in 2020 records, we must receive your information in time for processing this year. Credit Card payments may be made through our secure website:

www.bnaiamoona.com/donations.

Online payments should be made no later than 3:30 pm on Wednesday, December 30 in order to ensure processing in 2020. As a reminder, there is a 3% fee for all credit card transactions.

Please do not send us credit card information via email, which is not secure.

MAIL-IN FUNDS:
All mail-in funds must be dated by and postmarked by December 31, and
received by end of business January 10, 2021. Please do not mail cash.

IN-PERSON FUNDS:
Any in-person funds must be received in our office by 3:00 pm on Tuesday,
December 31.

Please contact Beth Janzer with any questions at 314-576-9990 x133 or beth@bnaiamoona.com.

Board of Trustees & Executive Committee Nominations

The Nominating Committee requests your help in identifying talented, bright and committed members to serve on the 2021-2024 Board of Trustees. Your input and suggestions will introduce us to qualified candidates and help us attract the capable leadership that has been vital to the success of our Congregation.

In addition, we welcome your suggestions as to who you would like to see elected as an Officer on the Executive Committee. Officers are elected for one year terms and consist of: President, up to six Vice Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer. Feel free to self-nominate as long as you fit the guidelines on the FORM.

We are having our first meeting this Sunday, December 20, so ideally getting the nominations in by then would be fantastic, but no later than January 6, 2021.

You may download and print the form by clicking HERE. We kindly request that you scan your completed form to Cindy Schuval at cschuval@gmail.com, or mail in your form to:

Cindy Schuval c/o Congregation B'nai Amoona
324 South Mason Road
Creve Coeur, Missouri
63141

STLRCA STATEMENT ON COVID-19 STANDARDS
ADOPTED DECEMBER 11, 2020

As we enter 2021, we reflect back on a year that has been marked by undeniable hardships and loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are filled with hope at the promise of a vaccine, yet recognize that the months ahead will still require careful, strict adherence to the guidelines set out by medical professionals and civic leaders to keep us and our loved ones as safe as possible. 

Each of us, as Rabbis and Cantors, has worked with lay leaders in our own Synagogues and institutions to set parameters and standards that best reflect Jewish values and the needs of our congregants. While there are small differences which reflect the diversity of our community, the essential guidelines remain the same.   

We implore you, in the months ahead, to wear a mask, carefully follow local guidelines, and limit the size of your gatherings whenever possible. This includes holiday celebrations and life cycle events. Whether it is a moment of joy or of sorrow that brings us together, we know that this may be a hardship. We are a people who live for community, for whom being together with others is a critical part of the way we celebrate, mourn, and experience the cycle of the Jewish year.

As your Rabbis and Cantors, one of our greatest and most valued roles is helping you to create sacred moments of togetherness, and it is tremendously difficult for us to not be able to share them with you in ways  we all would prefer. Yet as symbolic exemplars of Jewish tradition and teachings, we feel that it is our sacred duty first and foremost to maintain the value of pikuach nefesh, protecting life at all costs, and we ask you to not let up, and to hold to these standards. 

We ask for your understanding, and look forward to the days ahead when, God willing, we will be able to gather together, see each other face to face, and join physically as a community once more.

Registration is open to BA members on Shabbat Mornings when a Bar or Bat Mitzvah will not be taking place. The next date open for registration for the Congregation is December 26. All services will be held only in the Main Sanctuary, as this will allow for adequate social distancing. Please click below to register for December 26 and other open Services in January.

https://www.bnaiamoona.com/shabbatrsvp

Also, please review the rules and procedures on this page carefully. Shabbat Morning Services will ALSO continue to be available via our Livestream and Facebook Live.

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES - VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
We are proud to be partnering with the Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services and all area congregations in a coordinated effort to help those hit hardest by this pandemic. 
 
If you would like to volunteer with Jewish Family Services to help members of the community get needed groceries or medicine, please contact Jeremy Goldberg, JFS Volunteer Coordinator directly at 314-513-1679 or jgoldberg@jfcs-stl.org.

ELDER LINK
If you are 65 years of age or older and would like to reach out directly to Jewish Family Services for support, you can contact Lori Zimmerman with ElderLinks St. Louis at lzimmerman@jfsstl.org or 314-812-9300.

 

Click HERE for news of Israel's Achievements and Heartwarming Stories from the Jewish State.