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!