Shalom Austin CEO and Jewish Community Leader Visit Israel
Dr. Matthew Schocket and Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus visit Israel on a Solidarity Mission to Israel with Jewish Federations of North America. Courtesy: Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus In late October, Shalom Austin CEO Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus and Austin Jewish community leader...
Shattered Yet United: Austin Jewish Community Finds Solidarity Amidst Unthinkable Atrocities in Israel
Austin clergy recite Mourner's Kaddish at the Community Solidarity Gathering for Israel at Congregation Agudas Achim on October 9. Credit: David Finkel Photography By Wendy Goodman Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, the deadliest day for the...
Community Turns the Page on Another Successful Leslie Brittman Literary Event
Author Jennifer Rosner at the Leslie Brittman Literary Event. Credit: Rebecca Golden The Leslie Brittman Literary Event was held on Sunday, October 29 at Chez Zee. Jennifer Rosner, National Jewish Book Award Finalist, and author of “The Yellow Bird Sings” was...
AJFF Continues Collaboration and Support of Jewish Film Artists
Attendees view film during Austin Jewish Film Festival at the Dell JCC. Credit: Ken Nordhauser By Cynthia Winer The annual Austin Jewish Film Festival opened on Thursday, November 2, at the Dell Jewish Community Center, bringing its audience an outstanding compilation...
ADL Reports Steep Rise in Extremist and Antisemitic Incidents in Texas
Hate in the Lone Star State: Extremism & Antisemitism in Texas” A Report by the ADL Center on Extremism, released September 2023. Courtesy: ADL By Wendy Goodman In September 2023, ADL Center on Extremism published a report on extremist and antisemitic activity in...
Holding Onto Humanity During This Time of Crisis
By Jackie Nirenberg, Regional Director, ADL Austin It is hard to believe it has been over a month since Hamas murdered over 1,400 Israeli civilians in cold blood, the largest number of Jewish people killed since the Holocaust, and took more than 240 hostages,...
Jewish Family Service Plays Crucial Role in Community Wellbeing During Unprecedented Times
By Rabbi Amy B. Cohen In 2023, the Shalom Austin community came together to celebrate many incredible accomplishments. And in times of grief, fear and pain, the community came together to support one another. Throughout all of this, one truth remained consistent, the...
Welcome Home: Austin Jews And Partners for Refugees Helps Resettle Refugees
By Bettie Forman AJPR (Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees) began as a group of volunteers from the Austin Jewish community who wanted to make an impact assisting refugees. Russ Apfel and Nancy Wolf, husband, and wife volunteers, brought together a group of...
Shalom Austin Sends Delegation to Z3 Israel Conference
Shalom Austin team at Z3. Left to right: Yarden Bleicher, Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus, Rachel Stern, Iris Bartov, Jessica Ochs. Courtesy: Iris Bartov By Iris Bartov Shalom Austin CEO, Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus and members of Shalom Austin’s Rapoport team, Rachel Stern,...
Two Jewish Historical Societies Meet in Houston
By Tumbleweed Smith A joint meeting of the Texas and Southern Jewish Historical Societies took place on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas during the weekend of October 20-22. The level of education, intelligence, accomplishments and dedication of the...
A Helping Ride: JFS Offers Mobility Service
Vinnie Hogan, Shalom Austin Transportation Specialist gives a ride to those in need. Credit: Rebecca Golden Shalom Austin Mobility is a service provided by Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service that provides transportation to adults over 60, and adults with mobility...
National Council of Jewish Women Had a Busy Fall Calendar
Left to right: Susan Pintchovski, Bettie Forman, Ellen Sable and Lea Isgur, part of the NCJW group at a “Boot Vouchers” Rally at the Texas State Capital where they advocated for Texas Public Schools. Courtesy: Bettie Forman By Bettie Forman The National Council of...
Austinites to Unite Against Antisemitism at Community Breakfast
Jewish National Fund-USA’s Breakfast for Israel in December 2022. Courtesy: Shalom Austin By JD Krebs It is more important than ever for the Jewish community to stand together in solidarity for Israel, especially with the sharp increase in antisemitism across the...
Shalom Austin and HFLA Combine Efforts for the Greater Good of Community
By Allison Teegardin Recently, the leadership of Shalom Austin and Hebrew Free Loan of Austin (HFLA) embarked on a joint venture to combine their efforts and support each other's missions, both aimed at building and sustaining a thriving Jewish community in the...
Congregation Beth Israel Recognizes Leaders and First Responders
Members of the Austin Fire Department receive a standing ovation by the members of Congregation Beth Israel for their part in putting out the fire that damaged the synagogue in 2021, in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Credit: Evan L'Roy/Special to...
New Jewish Studies Program Kicks Off at Texas A&M University
WorkRight Pilot Program Takes Flight at Shalom Austin
Beginning in June 2023, Shalom Austin piloted a supported employment program called WorkRight for six young adults and three job coaches. The position of WorkRight intern was created to hire and pay people who need support in their work skills. The interns were hired...
JWV Post 757 Veterans Day 2023 Flag Raising
Attendees at the Jewish War Veterans Day 2023 Flag Raising ceremony salute the flag.Credit: Steve Krant By Steve Krant, JWV Post 757 Honor Guard members of Jewish War Veterans of the USA’s Austin Post 757 braved a chilly drizzle and overcast skies to perform their...
JAMen Launches Seventh Season with Major Presentation on Hamas War
Ambassador Dennis Ross speaks to JAMen attendees. Credit: Andrew Holmes By Jay Rubin The Jewish Austin Men Dinner and Speakers Forum, sponsored by Shalom Austin and popularly known as JAMen, kicked off its seventh season on October 18 with its most timely presentation...
Jewish Community Honored in Cedar Park
Rabbi Cantor Marie Betcher speaks to Cedar Park City Council on September 14, 2023.Courtesy: Rabbi Cantor Marie Betcher On September 14, 2023, the Jewish community was honored in Cedar Park, Texas. Cedar Park Mayor James Penniman-Morin signed the Rosh Hashanah...
There’s Always a Seat at the Table
Left to right: Julie Waltzer, Adeena Sussman, Vicki Osherow. Credit: Rebecca Golden By Allie Willensky The 20th annual Shalom Austin Women’s Philanthropy Mosaic luncheon which took place on Thursday, October 26 at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas was a meaningful...
Shalom Austin Welcomes New Chief People Officer
Matthew Perez. Credit: John Kniss By Allison Teegardin In October, Shalom Austin welcomed Matthew Perez to the executive leadership team as the new Chief People Officer. This is a newly created position developed to meet the needs of the growing team. As the Chief...
JCamps Goes to URJ Greene Family Camp for a Weekend
The JCamps Team headed to URJ Greene Family Camp for a weekend of fall fun. Courtesy: Shalom Austin By Ethan Lane-Miller and Jessica Ochs JCamps joined URJ Greene Family Camp for a weekend of fun, friendship, and all things Fall Camp! Jessica Ochs, senior youth &...
Descendants of Holocaust Survivors in Central Texas Remember Survivors of the Shoah
Credit: Eelco Bohtlingk via Unsplash More than eighty years ago, the Shoah destroyed many families even though there were survivors. The Descendants of Holocaust Survivors in Central Texas joined together to share their common histories, explore various issues...
Hundreds Gather to Hear From Families of Hostages
Austin community members gather together to hear harrowing stories from the survivors and families of hostages from the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7. Credit: Rebecca Golden By Shelly Shwartz More than 400 community members came together at the Dell...
Foundation Fundholders Appreciated for Philanthropic Impacts
Fundholders listen to a presentation at Shalom Austin Jewish Foundation Fundholder Appreciation event at the Dell JCC. Credit: Allison Teegardin By Jennifer Kohn Koppel October 5 was a wonderful evening for Shalom Austin Jewish Foundation Fundholders as more than 70...
Shalom Austin’s New Inspired Aging Initiative Addresses Total Wellness for Older Adults
JCC members enjoy an aqua aerobics class tailored to all levels of abilities including seniors, prenatal, rehabilitation or cross-training enthusiasts. Credit: Dalia Seidner By Rabbi Amy B. Cohen and Rachel Wimberley Shalom Austin proudly introduces Inspired Aging, an...
Five New Sites Join HIAS Refugee Resettlement Network in the U.S.
Map of HIAS Refugee Resettlement Network in the U.S. Courtesy: HIAS HIAS, the Jewish humanitarian organization that provides critical services to forcibly displaced people in 23 countries around the world, has announced five new affiliate sites in the United States to...
The Story of JAMen
Members attending a JAMen event. Courtesy: Shalom Austin. 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...
“Death Over Dinner” Demystifies the End-of-Life Process
By Maura Kinney, LCSW – Grief and Loss Therapist The Death Over Dinner Project was founded by entrepreneur and activist Michael Hebb in response to the startling statistic that, while 75 percent of Americans say they want to die at home, only 25 percent actually do....
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