please look for a link at the bottom to click to see the full email.
BA Offices will be closed Friday, Monday and Tuesday
Due to our ongoing construction, our administrative offices will be closed tomorrow, Friday, October 18. Our staff will happily respond to any phone calls and emails when we are back in the office on Wednesday, October 23. Our receptionist WILL BE available to accept phone calls throughout the day tomorrow.
We will also be closed Monday, October 21 and Tuesday, October 22 for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
In the event of an emergency, our Executive Director Andrew Schwebel can be reached by calling 314-879-4949.
Thank you for your understanding, Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
Shabbat Spotlight
Friday, October 18, 2019
6:00 pm - Friday Evening Services,Guller Chapel
Participation of Michah Alperin
6:01 pm - Candle Lighting
Parashat HaShavua:Chol Hamoed Sukkot
Saturday, October 19, 2019
9:00 am - Shabbat Services, Guller Chapel
9:30 am - Childcare, Education Center Room 1
9:30 am - Shabbat Club, Huddle Room 1
10:15 am - Torah for Today, Banquet Hall - Gimmel
Scotch in the Sukkah - THIS SATURDAY, October 19, 7:30 pm Enjoy a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages along with snacks of all kinds, including cheese balls! This activity is for adults only. Men's Club Members/Sisterhood: $20; Non-Members: $25. For those serving as designated drivers and not drinking alcohol, there is no cost. Bring your friends!
A Special Minyan Message From Your Klei Kodesh and Minyan Chairs
As Winter is approaches, the sun sets earlier. As of Sunday, October 20, sunset is too early for the recitation of the Minchah (Afternoon) Service. A Psalm followed by reading that day’s Yahrzeit list and the recitation of Kaddish Yatom will replace the Minchah Service. Ma’ariv will then continue as always.
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.
Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah Schedule
Hoshanah Rabbah Sunday, October 20
9:00 am Shacharit in the Guller Chapel
followed by a festive breakfast in Banquet Hall Alef.
Erev Shemini Atzeret Sunday, October 20
6:15 pm
Services in the Guller Chapel.
Shemini Atzeret Monday, October 21
9:00 am
Services in the Main Sanctuary.
11:00 am (approximately) Yizkor followed by Kiddush. Simchat Torah Monday, October 21
5:00 pm
Pre-Simchat Torah Dinner in Banquet Hall Alef. By reservation only, registration is now closed. However, we may be able to accomodate additional guests. Please call Andy Schwebel at 314-576-9990 x106 or email andy@bnaiamoona.com if you would like to attend.
5:30 pm
Ma'ariv & Havdalah in the Main Sanctuary.
6:00 pm (approximately)
Hakafot - Simchat Torah Celebration with Harif in the Gallery.
Candy Apples for ALL!
Tuesday, October 22
9:00 am
Services in the Main Sanctuary. During this Service, we will honor the Bride and Groom of the Torah, Dottie and Jim Ellis.
9:45 am (approximately)
Hakafot in the Main Sanctuary followed by a special Kiddush luncheon
6:15 pm
Ma'ariv & Havdalah in the Guller Chapel.
Sukkot Insights: From Earliest Humankind to Our Planetary Crisis - Essay By Rabbi Arthur Green
The two great pilgrimage festivals of the Hebrew Bible, Pesah and Sukkot, begin on the days of the spring and fall full moon. Biblical scholars have long understood the origins of these festivals in ancient seasonal rites, tied to the agricultural cycle of spring planting and fall harvest. As presented in the Torah, they are at midpoint in the course of transformation from agricultural season festivals into celebrations of the national saga of redemption, the rituals of a sacred people tied to its collective history, rather than to the land itself. Click HERE to read more...
Pre-Simchat Torah Dinner
Please join us Monday, October 21 at 5:00 pm for our complimentary Pre-Simchat Torah dinner. Thank you to all who have RSVP'd, registration is closed. However, we may be able to accomodate additional guests. Please email call Andy Schwebel at 314-576-9990 x106 or email andy@bnaiamoona.com if you would like to attend.
Melanie Huet & Gary Myers Kol Nidrei Speech
Thank you to B'nai Amoona members Melanie Huet and Gary Myers who spoke during our Kol Nidrei Service. We encourage you to listen to their beautiful speeches by clicking HERE.
Torah Fund 5780
Our Sisterhood Torah Fund Campaign has begun. This year’s Torah Fund theme is Chesed which means “kindness” in Hebrew. Once again Torah Fund will be a silent campaign. Let’s all ensure our legacy for future generations of Conservative Jews while continuing to build a world of Chesed (kindness).
There are many ways to make a donation. For information please contact co-chairs:
One set remains! - $255. Please contact Amy Maupin if you are interested in purchasing this set. You may reach her at 314-576-9990 x131 or email Amy@bnaiamoona.com. Please make checks payable to B'nai Amoona.
Adult Education Update
There is no Thinking Person's Judaism this Sunday, October 20. We will see you at our next class taking place on October 27.
Introduction to Judaism will be meeting at 1:00 pm (Intro to Judaism Hebrew course followed by Introduction to Judaism at 2:00 pm) in the President's Conference Room.
Please join us for a special interfaith Torah For Today Series facilitated by Rabbi Neal Rose - An Imam, a Priest, and a Minister Walk into a Shul beginning October 26. One Shabbat a month, our Torah For Today class will welcome a guest speaker who practices a different faith. Please see the schedule below and keep an eye on your inbox for more information.
October 26 - Scott Ganser, Minister at Kingdom of God Fellowship
November 23 - Sister Carla Mae Streeter, Dominican of the Congregation of Catherine of Sienain
December 7 - Mufti Asif Umar, Imam of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis
For a full list of our Fall/Winter Adult Education classes and programs, please click HERE.
Pre-Register your Pre K-12th Grader for Activities & Programming
We are asking ALL families with children in PreK - 12th grade to complete the form below. Please fill out the form, regardless of whether you are registering your child(ren) for the Meyer Kranzberg Learning Center (MKLC).
To ensure accuracy, you will need to be logged in to complete this form. Your username is your email on file. If you are unsure of your email on file or need help logging in, please contact Tanya at tanya@bnaiamoona.com .
Atid Amoona (Grades 3-5) & Kadima (Grades 6-7): Mark your calendars for November 10. We are headed to St. Louis' coolest playground... The City Museum! We will start at B'nai Amoona with a Kosher pizza lunch prepared by Chef Jon at 11:30 am and then take a bus to the City Museum. We will return to B'nai Amoona by 4:00 pm for pick up. Please RSVP to idena@bnaiamoona.com
Kadima (Grades 6-7) & Chalutzim (Grade 8): Less than one month until...Kadima Kinnus! Don't miss your chance to hang out with your EMTZA family in Ogden, IA from October 25 - 27. You can register by clicking HERE.
BAUSY (Grades 9-12): Thank you to all who came out for our Pizza in the Hut program! We will see everyone at Shabbat and Simchah Torah! Friendly Reminder: There is no BAUSY program October 23.
MKLC
Please make note of our new back-to-school date: MKLC classes will resume on Sunday, October 27 - but we hope to see you at our High Holy Day Services and Programs!
Please email liessa@bnaiamoona.com with any questions!
College Connect
We want to connect with our college students via Facebook, Skype, and special packages to help them keep their Jewish identity away from home. Please share your student(s’) information with us (even if it hasn’t changed) so we know where they are and can update our lists for goodies throughout the year.
Click HERE to fill out our online form or email the information to Jeanne Gaska at jeanne@bnaiamoona.com
A special thank you to the Rabbi Bernard Lipnick Foundation for the Conservative Movement for sponsoring this initiative!
Linda Rotskoff Early Childhood Center
VIP Sukkah Hop at the LRECC... TOMORROW! Each child is invited to have one special adult join them for a morning of fun going Sukkah-to-Sukkah on Friday, October 18. We will meet in the classroom at 10:30 am.
Interested in helping toorganize our fundraiser?
Interested in being a sponsorfor our fundraiser?
Interested in attendingour fundraiser?
Contact Anita@bnaiamoona.com today!
Social Action
A Digital Community Gathering Reflecting on the Tree of Life - from Sundown on Friday, October 25 through Sunday, October 27. Join us to light candles for peace and hope, gathering wherever you are to reflect and remember the special community that is the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Starting at sundown on Friday, October 25, and lasting through Sunday, October 27, light a candle or candles, take a photo or video, and post it with your message for a future of acceptance, respect, and peace. Include #LightsofHopeSTL and #ShowUpForShabbat. Share your message with friends, family, and colleagues all over the world. Please join us for a special commemorative Havdalah in the Guller Chapel at 5:30 pm.
B’nai Amoona Social Action Commitee is sponsoring the Annual Clothing and Accessories Drive will be October 12-26, 2019. Please bring men’s and women’s clothing (on hangers), shoes, men’s dress shirts and all accessories, “suitable for job interviews” to Shul. Please hang your clothing donations & place other items on the clothes rack in South Side Sanctuary Coat Room.
Tax exemption forms will be available. For further information, please contact Rosalie Franklin at 314-991-9032.
Concert to Benefit Social Action
Twelfth Annual Eleonore and Dr. Herman Blumenthal Memorial Concert to benefit the Social Action Committee at Congregation B’nai Amoona with Fred Blumenthal on piano, assisted by Friends - Sunday afternoon, November 17th, 2019 at 2:00 pm. Dr. Fred Blumenthal, who is founder of Meshorerim, a Jewish men’s singing group, will perform a concert in memory of his parents, Eleonore and Dr. Herman Blumenthal, at Congregation B’nai Amoona on Sunday, November 17th at 2:00 pm. The performance will include vocal solos, piano solos, and music for women’s and men’s choruses. No ticket cost, but a suggested $18 donation to Social Action is encouraged. Concert will take place at B'nai Amoona located at 324 South Mason Road in Creve Coeur, MO 63141. For further information contact B’nai Amoona at 567-9990 or Fred Blumenthal at 772-2171.
Sisterhood
We invite you to be a part of Sisterhood! 2019 - 2020 Membership sign-up is LIVE and online.
Come be a part of the group!
Click HERE to join online OR you may mail in your membership payment OR call the B'nai Amoona office.
Sisterhood Brunch to Thank You for Joining Raising Charitable Children Whether you are a mother, grandmother, aunt or friend, we all strive to feel part of a greater purpose and community. We are excited to welcome internationally known speaker, author, and consultant Carol Weisman, discussing her practical advice & inspirational humor about how to mix philanthropy and fun.
Raising Charitable Children has been featured in The New York Times, Parade Magazine, Parents Magazine, and was the cover story of Scholastic Parent and Child.
Sunday, November 3, 2019 10:00 am – Noon Congregation B’nai Amoona RSVP by October 16, 2019 Reservations are required. Please reply online at bnaiamoona.com/sisterhood or by emailing jeanne@bnaiamoona.com. Complimentary with paid 2020 Sisterhood Membership Dues.
Please help brighten a child’s holiday by kindly bringing a new, unopened child’s game or toy to the brunch. Todah Rabbah!
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!
Oct 24 - The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel by Marie Benedict
For more information on the Book Group or author events, please call Enid Weisberg-Frank at 314-576-2864.
B'nai Amoona Time Capsule
Be Part of the B'nai Amoona Time Capsule!
The membership committee is compiling pictures to include in the time capsule that will be buried at the end of construction. Please send pictures from synagogue events within the last few years to joinus@bnaiamoona.com.
Improv Night
We invite you to join us for an evening of comedy and music taking place Saturday evening, November 2, 2019 from 7:30 - 10:00 pm. Admission is $20 and will include drinks, pizza and other foods for noshing. Please RSVP by October 24 by clicking HERE.
Chanukah Bazaar
Back by popular demand, our annual Chanukah Bazaar is returning. It will be held in our beautiful new gallery area on Sunday, November 3 from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. In addition to wonderful vendors to shop with, we are having a raffle. Please don't miss this event to get your shopping done early - and do tell your friends and relatives.
Do You Have A Suggestion? Your Voice Is Being Heard
We ALWAYS value the input of our members and are happy to introduce our new initiative to have our Congregation's voice, feedback, and recommendations heard. You may now email suggestions@bnaiamoona.com with any comments you have and our staff will make sure that they are given to the proper department for consideration. Please note, you may also send responses to Rabbi Rose's question "Why Judaism" to this address. As always, you are also welcome schedule an in-person meeting with any member of our administive, Education or Klei Kodesh team.
In our BA Community
MAZEL TOV TO...
Mark and Gloria Roberts & Jerry and Sharon Schnayer on the birth of their grandson, Levi Richard Schnayer. Proud parents are Stacey and Jonathan Schnayer of Deerfield, IL. Great grandparents are Paul and Reva Roberts. WE MOURN THE PASSING OF... Nancy Lynn Satz; dear daughter of Ruth Satz and Edward Satz (Z"L). Sister of Ellen (Steve) Lourie and Steve (Sabrina) Satz. Cousin of Stuart (Laurie) Cohen.
Ricard "Ric" Dolgin; cousin of Judy Borah, Alli Ornberg, and A.J. Ornberg. Survived by father, Joseph Jules Dolgin, sister, Robyn (Jim), and brother, Harlan (Robin).
In the Jewish Community
2019 Interfaith Partnership Annual Dinner at the Wool Ballroom at Saint Louis University - October 29, 2019, doors open at 6:00 pm. Online ticket sales are now open so don't delay reserving your seat at the table! Click HERE to purchase your tickets to St. Louis' largest interfaith gathering. Come and enjoy an evening of socializing with your neighbors from the region's diverse religious communities. After enjoying appetizing hors d'oeuvres and mingling, we will sit down and share a meal together. Complimentary childcare will be available.
Additional Volunteer Opportunities at Covenant Place Next week, the last of 102 senior residents will move into the new Covenant Place II! We are still in need of volunteers to help pack and unpack the residents along their move. We have added additional volunteer time slots -- both weekdays and weekends, mornings and afternoons. We have also added a volunteer opportunity to help residents hang artwork in their new homes. We are in the final stretch; thank you for helping us make it to the finish line!
How to navigate the site: 1. Under the Volunteering box, click on “Opportunities-Help Wanted.” 2. Sign into the system with your phone number. Click on “add yourself” to input your name and contact information, if you are not already in the system. 3. Click on the month that you want to volunteer to find available dates, times, and roles.
Calling All Writers, Illustrators & Thinkers
www.thenewjewishthinker.org is a developing ezine looking for volunteers to write, illustrate, and share ideals. This online publication has a Jewish theme in its expression. Contact Berta Hyken, the volunteer coordinator at hyken.bb@gmail.com if you are interested in joining The New Jewish Thinker.
Seeking Community Gatekeepers
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 .
Good News from Israel
Check out this website for great things happening in Isael!
