JEWISH COMMUNITY BLOG

Members attending a JAMen event. Courtesy: Jay Rubin. Burt Kunik and his wife Mary moved to Austin in 2014. A prominent endodontist, business executive and Jewish leader in Houston, the McAllen, Texas native relocated to Central Texas, to live closer to children and...

Left to right: Harriet Saikin, Rabbi Neil F. Blumofe and Mary Jane Saikin at the Shalom Austin Adults 60+ Passover Luncheon. Credit: Jolie Estes  By BJ Friedman Rabbi Neil F. Blumofe and Congregation Agudas Achim (CAA) will celebrate 25 years of collaboration with a...

Rabbi Eleanor Steinman and her wife, Rabbi Denise Eiger. Courtesy: Rabbi Eleanor Steinman By Julie Franklin As the Jewish community around the world celebrates Rosh Hashanah and ushers in the year 5784, Rabbi Eleanor Steinman will take the pulpit at Temple Beth Shalom...

Flag Football team after winning the Gold Medal. Credit: Aron Waisman By Brooks Weaver As sports writer Grantland Rice once said, “For when the great scorer comes to write against your name, he marks not that you won or lost but how you played the game”. That’s the...

Iris Posklinsky, Partnership director, with Iris Bartov. Posklinsky came to Austin following the conference and presented to Shalom Austin staff and Jewish community professionals. Courtesy: Iris Bartov In July 2023, Iris Bartov, Shalom Austin adults and arts...

Home Care and Hospice Month in November Celebrates Individuals Working in Home Health Care and Hospice Every November people tip their hats to the countless wonderful individuals working in home health care and hospice. These heroes touch lives in profound ways and...

New Ner Tamid made of recovered stained glass at Congregation Beth Israel. Credit: Laura Corman By Jake Cohen Almost two years since the arson that rendered the sanctuary at Congregation Beth Israel unusable, CBI has a brand-new space to gather, worship, and celebrate...

Families gather for Shabbat & Pizza Picnic at Dell JCC. Credit: Rachel Stern By Rachel Jamail Shalom Families is Shalom Austin’s umbrella group that facilitates and supports social and educational events for parents and children in Austin and surrounding areas....

Bread For Better's Challah Baking Class. Credit: Andrew Y. Leigh By Daniel Carver Austin-based nonprofit, Bread For Better hosted a successful official launch on July 15, 2023 with a unique, charity-driven Challah Baking Class. The enriching event taught eager...

Oren Shay and Yarden Bleicher. Courtesy: Iris Bartov By Iris Bartov Austin has long had a tradition of having Israeli emissaries or shlichim visit the Jewish community. Part of the experience of having these young people in the community is finding host families who...

For centuries, countless artists have turned to flora and botanicals for inspiration. The still life paintings of the Dutch Masters, Vincent van Gogh’s vibrant sunflowers and Georgia O’Keefe’s dynamic blooms are iconic examples. Four Austin artists, Neena Buxani,...

Temple Beth Shalom participates in Austin Pride Parade. Courtesy: Amanda Leventhal By Allison Teegardin On Saturday, August 12, members from various local congregations took part in the Pride Parade in Austin, Texas. The parade is hosted by the City of Austin and the...

Women attend Wine Down at the Dell JCC on August 20, 2023. Credit: Allison Teegardin By Allison Teegardin  The sweltering summer heat did not prevent more than 100 women from attending Wine Down poolside at the Dell JCC on Sunday, August 20. Wine Down is one of Shalom...

A delegation from Austin at Jewish National Fund-USA’s 2022 National Conference in Boston. Credit: Hannah Rose Photography By Jennifer Milton One of the largest-ever international gatherings for Israel supporters, The Global Conference for Israel, will take place...

Audience inside the Kendall Kidd Performance Hall at the Plaza Theatre for the world premiere of “People of the Crossing—the Jews of El Paso” on July 23, 202 3. Credit: Brian Kanof “People of the Crossing—the Jews of El Paso” made its world premiere on July 23, 2023,...

Woman crocheting kippah in Ethiopia. Courtesy: Sigrid Levi-Baum By Sigrid Levi-Baum Overcrowded classrooms with limited resources and shortened learning sessions as well as lack of adequate job training needed to secure employment to provide the basic necessities of...

By Maura Kinney, LCSW and Amanda Mills, LCSW-S Does your child struggle with anxiety? Do their fears keep them from engaging in life in the ways you might hope for them? Perhaps they struggle with being left alone, going to school in the morning, or falling asleep in...

Birthright participants visiting in Israel. Courtesy Birthright Israel Birthright Israel Onward announced today that it has launched The Sullam Israel Residency, a first-of-its-kind, monthlong program for young professionals in Jewish communal service. The program’s...

Shalom Austin 2023-24 Board from left to right: Shalom Austin CEO Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus, Shalom Austin CFO Nicole Gilger, Steve Meyers, Lily Smullen, Rick Rosenberg, Julie Franklin, Seth Halpern, Phil Loewy, Bruce Zimmerman, Marcia Silverberg, Heather Krol, Arthur...