JEWISH COMMUNITY BLOG

8th grade Israeli scouts. Credit: Gili Meidan By Shelly Shwartz Winston Churchill once said – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. That prevailing feeling was felt last week, when 20 Passover baskets, prepared by the 8th-grade Israeli...

Participants at the event on March 17, 2024. Credit: Maayan Oved By Shelly Shwartz Being a pro-Israel or Jewish teenager in high school right now can be difficult and confusing. The Israeli American Council (IAC) and Shalom Austin's  Senior Youth and Teen Director,...

Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus. Courtesy: Shalom Austin As we approach Purim, a time when we are commanded to find joy and happiness in our lives, we know that this year’s celebration will be filled with mixed emotions. We continue to pray that all hostages are returned...

Matisyahu performing his music. Courtesy: Wasserman Media Shalom Austin is hosting its largest fundraising and community building event of the year, IGNITE!, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. IGNITE! will take place at the  Dell Jewish Community Center. At the event, Sandy...

Carol and Kaylen Silverberg address the audience at the opening reception for the Carol & Kaylen Silverberg Family Interactive Wall Celebrating Israeli Innovation and Global Impact on Jan. 18 at the Dell JCC. Credit: Wendy Goodman By Wendy Goodman On January 18,...

A war memorial in Ukraine. Credit: Rabbi Neil Blumofe By Rachel Cottle In early November 2023, closely following the heels of the October 7 attack, Neil Blumofe, senior Rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin, Texas, traveled to Israel to lend what humanitarian...

Amplify Israel Rabbinic fellows meeting with Israeli Reform rabbis on Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmeq. Courtesy: Rabbi Kelly Levy In August 2023, Rabbi Kelly Levy of Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas,  was accepted into the pilot cohort of the Amplify Israel Rabbinic...

Rabbi Folberg standing in the CBI garden. Credit: Kael Clark By Tonyia Cone Since Rabbi Steven Folberg was named Congregation Beth Israel’s senior rabbi in 1991, he has witnessed a lot of change. Austin’s Tech Boom had just begun and the city was experiencing...

Rabbi Dan Ain with his family. Credit: Lacey McCabe By Esther and David Schwartz Congregation Beth El, a traditional conservative synagogue located in the heart of northwest Austin, just two miles from the Dell Jewish Community Campus recently announced Rabbi Dan Ain...

Yaffa Solomon provides David Reifler with 40 ceramic flowers to donate to Shalom Austin for The Kalaniyot Project. Courtesy: David Reifler By Rebecca Golden In the wake of recent tragic events in Israel, an inspiring initiative has surfaced. The Kalaniyot Project, a...

Zeifman Family Early Childhood Program (ECP) Senior Director Dana Baruch. Courtesy: Shalom Austin By Rachel Stern In December 2023, Shereen Ben-Moshe, the Zeifman Family Early Childhood Program (ECP) Senior Director relocated to San Diego, California to be closer to...

Mia Vaisman and Yaniv Dajman. Courtesy: Jami Dajman By Mark Pattis Two Austin Jewish athletes, Mia Vaisman, a tenth grader at Anderson High School, and Yaniv Dajman, a tenth grader at Westlake High School, recently returned from Buenos Aires, Argentina after...

L-R: Rabbi Amy Cohen, Stan Zimmerman, Amanda Mills at screening of the play Right Before I Go. Credit: Jon Kniss By Rabbi Amy B. Cohen Talking about suicide can save lives. That is why Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service invited Stan Zimmerman to Austin, Texas to...

L-R: Sandy Dochen, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Susan Zane, Bobby Gibbs. Dochen, Zane and Gibbs meet with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in Washington D.C. where he reviewed his many votes in support of Israel and the local Jewish community. Photo courtesy: Sandy Dochen ...

By Debbie Cohen Hebrew Free Loan of Austin (HFLA) proudly announced its participation in a crucial initiative led by the International Association of Jewish Free Loans (IAJFL). Together, they are channeling a substantial $3.4 million interest-free loan to Ogen, their...

Virág Gulyás at Jewish National Fund-USA's 2022 Breakfast for Israel in Chicago. Courtesy: Jewish National Fund-USA By  JD Krebs According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the leading anti-hate organization in the world, antisemitic incidents that have taken place...

Dell Jewish Community Center Indoor Cycling Studio. Courtesy: Shalom Austin By Lindsey Durnil On January 13 the Dell Jewish Community Center opened the doors to its very first designated Spin Studio. Located on the second floor of the Dell Health & Wellness Center...

Attendees at the Texas Jewish Historical Society Board Meeting. Courtesy: Joan Linares By Tumbleweed Smith The Texas Jewish Historical Society held its winter meeting in McAllen, Texas the weekend of January 26-28. Considering the distance some of the participants had...

L-R: University of Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball Head Coach Rodney Terry. Former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Sayeret Matkal Commando Gadi Ilan. Courtesy: Jay Rubin By Jay Rubin The Jewish Austin Men Dinner and Speakers Forum (JAMen), a Shalom Austin program, will...

Community members and visitors enter the Cattle Car exhibit, which made a two-day stop on the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin Feb. 8-9. Credit: Rebecca Golden The Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)-Austin and Shalom Austin...

Marianne Rochelle is the legacy giving chair for Shalom Austin Women’s Philanthropy and vice chair of the Jewish Foundation Credit: Jennifer Kohn Koppel By Marianne Rochelle On January 19, Shalom Austin Women’s Philanthropy held the first “Introducing the Lion Behind...

L-R: Lecia Sud, Julie Platt and Seth Halpern at Shalom Austin’s leadership breakfast. Credit: Shana Creeger By Shana Creeger On February 13, Julie Platt, Jewish Federations of North America’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, visited Austin for a meaningful day of...

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Yad Sarah, Israel's largest nongovernmental social and healthcare service provider, announced in January the arrival of a cohort of 18 young Jewish Americans who have joined the ranks of its volunteers through Birthright Israel Onward, a department...

Jason Steklof and other volunteers on a citrus farm in Israel. Courtesy: Jason Steklof The war in Israel is affecting all aspects of Israeli life and there is a tremendous amount of help needed during these unprecedented times. One local Austinite who manages global...

On Feb. 6, 2024, Shalom Austin and the Anti-Defamation League - Austin released this statement on the the horrific violence against a Palestinian-American following a local rally in on Feb. 4. "We are shocked and outraged by Sunday night's stabbing of a...

Jewish Federations of North America are proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the Jewish Federations’ Executive Accelerator, a new program designed to equip emerging leaders with the resources, network and coaching to competently and confidently grow into c-suite...

Dell Jewish Community Center Senior Health and Wellness Director, Mark Pattis. Courtesy: Shalom Austin The Wexner Foundation, in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation, welcomes Class 8 of the Wexner Field Fellowship. Utilizing the diverse, cohort-based learning...