Eric Hunker is here on Friday, April 17

Music on a Friday night is good. Music by musician Eric Hunker at Beth Shalom on a Friday night is great! Eric will be back at Beth Shalom this Friday! Tot Shabbat at 6:30 (everyone is welcome!) and services at 7:00. If you missed Eric last time, here's a taste of some of his work - https://www.youtube.com/user/erichunkermusic.

No services Friday, April 3 and community Seder this Sunday

With Passover beginning on Friday this year, we will not be holding services on Friday, April 3 as most people will be attending Seders. A reminder that the community Seder is this Sunday, April 5. People will begin arriving around 5:00 p.m. and Seder will begin at 6:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing everyone! This is looking like it will be one of our largest community Seders yet!

Getting ready for a busy April!

April is a busy month at Congregation Beth Shalom. April 5th (6:00 p.m.) is our community Passover Seder with Rabbi Jeremy Simons from the ISJL. The weekend of April 24-25 is our 25th Anniversary celebration! Join us Saturday, April 25 (6:00 p.m.) for a evening of celebration with Havdalah, a catered dinner, and dancing!

Passover reservations should be made by March 25 and the cost is $20.00/adult, $10.00/child under 13 years old.

Reservations for the April 25 (6:00 p.m.) anniversary celebration should be made by April 10 and the cost is $25/adult.

To make a reservation for either event, please send the number/name of people in your group and a check for the appropriate amount to:
 
Beth Shalom
PO Box 1888
Auburn, AL 36831

Let’s Shtick Together This Wednesday Night, March 4, at 6:30

Purim is coming! 

Along with it comes the commandment to Be Happy, Have Fun and Get Drunk! OK, you don’t actually have to get drunk but you are supposed to really whoop it up. If you plan to drink, please bring a designated driver with you! We will have wine, liqueurs, hamentashen and snacks.

It is part of the holiday fun to dress up in costumes. Cross dressing is encouraged because you should be unrecognizable. Even a wig and a mask can be enough to baffle your friends. This is a great time to pull out those Halloween costumes that have been gathering dust weevils. 

 Give to the Needy (Matanot La’Evyonim)

To comply with one of the mitzvoh or obligations for Purim, please bring some non-perishable food items or a check for the East Alabama Food Bank.

Hear the Megillah 

We will have the reading of the whole megillah. The megillah, a.k.a. “The Book of Esther,” is the scroll that tells the Purim story. When Haman’s name is mentioned, we will twirl graggers (noisemakers) and stomp our feet to eradicate his evil name. Tell your children that Purim is the only time when it’s a mitzvah to make noise!

The details are so simple that even Haman would understand.  Wear a costume, bring something for the Food Bank and come ready to party-hardy and make some noise this Wednesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Beth Shalom!

 

Lex Rofes from ISJL is here February 27th-March 1st!

Shalom Auburn! Are your pens and pencils at the ready??! Because it’s time to mark your calendars! The weekend of February 27th-March 1st, Lex Rofes, the Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s Education Fellow for Beth Shalom, will be arriving for a whirlwind weekend of Jewish programming. He’ll begin on Friday night by leading an interactive and musical Shabbat service (7:00 pm), facilitate Torah study on Saturday morning (9:00 am), and engage the religious school on Sunday morning with some educational and enjoyable programming. Our crowning event of the weekend, however, will be taking place on Saturday night:

Dear Congregation Beth Shalom:

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Term begins on Saturday, February 28th at 7:00 pm
with Hav’dalah and a dessert feast.

Dressing in your wizardry finery (costumes!) is encouraged but not required).

Yours Sincerely,

Lex Rofes

Music at Beth Shalom Friday, February 6!

Eric Hunker & Happie Hoffman

For children and those young-at-heart, please join us this Friday (February 6) for an interactive service from 6:30 to 7:00 before our regular service starts at 7:00. Eric Hunker and Happie Hoffman will lead BOTH services with a musical Tu Bishvat theme. Come hear this up-and-coming singer-songwriter duo based out of Austin, TX. Drawing from folk, rock, and pop roots, they focus on rich harmonies and have a fresh, heartfelt sound. Last year Eric put out his debut album, All These Little Loves, which peaked in the Top 10 of iTunes Singer-Songwriter Chart. Happie and Eric are quickly finding their place in the American Folk-music scene.

And it gets even better.  In the summers, Eric and Happie are the head song-leaders of BBYO’s International Leadership Training Conference (ILTC) and Kallah.   ILTC is BBYO’s advanced leadership training designed to make teens think differently about the world and their role in it. As one camper blogged, “After lunch, we had our specialist sessions. I went to Shira where I participated in a song session with Eric Hunker and Happie Hoffman—the best song leaders around.”

Eric and Happie have popular YouTube channels and are constantly on tour. We are fortunate that they can stop here before they perform in Atlanta over the weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcZEEpthXIE (Miracle)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANeXbGJSCQY (Cover of Philip Philip's song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLrEsBgTqsY (All these Little Loves)

Tu Bishvat is often referred to as Jewish Arbor Day. It is traditional to observe Tu Bishvat with a “seder,” having At Least 12 fruits (e.g., grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates) to represent the bounty of the Holy Land.  Come enjoy a bountiful Oneg after we welcome Shabbat and celebrate Tu Bishvat with fabulous music.  We guarantee that your toes will be tapping!