What's Happening This Week

Week of July 29, 2019

Congratulations! Shir Chutzpah is One Step Kloser to the Kiddush Cup!

Shir Tikvah’s men’s softball team, Shir Chutzpah, will be playing for the MSSL (Men’s Shul Softball League) Championship in the coming weeks after a spirited 21-20 victory over Newton’s Temple Shalom on Monday night. Despite facing a team that finished first with a 10-0 record, our team scored 15 runs in the first two innings and never trailed. We played error-free softball, with some of our many grizzled veterans making outstanding plays in the field. No play was more key, perhaps, than third baseman Neil Fisher’s stop of a hard line drive to end the game. Within moments of the final out, the heavens opened up in a drenching downpour. The Championship game will be played at a later date this summer (TBA) between Shir Chutzpah and Israel/Sinai of Sharon. The winner gets the Kiddush Kup.

Cupcake Shabbat
Friday, August 2 | 6:30 pm

Come for a short service with our cantor Beth, a pizza/potluck dinner, and, of course, cupcakes! Please bring a salad or vegetarian side dish to share. No meat, shellfish or raw onions, please.

Torah Study
Saturday, August 3 | 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

This lay-led group discusses Torah over bagels and coffee in the library, each Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Join us!

Mini Pan Mass Bike Challenge
Saturday, August 3, 2019 | Meet at Lincoln Town Hall, 16 Lincoln Road

The Mini-Pan Mass Challenge honors and coincides with the official PMC fundraiser ride for the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund. Optional donations to the Jimmy Fund are encouraged whether you’re riding or just supporting a great cause (see www.pmc.org for info on donating). We’ll be repeating last year’s route (which was rained out), starting from Lincoln Town Hall (at 10 am) to Concord, with a lunch stop at Verrill Farms. This is a moderately easy on road route of approximately 17 miles. Learn more and sign up.

Membership: Remember to Renew by Thursday

Membership renewals are due on August 1. Remember to complete yours at www.shir-tikvah.org/renew.

Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
HELP US REPAIR THE WORLD -- If you are interested in getting involved, contact us.

• We are accepting donations of raisins and whole grain crackers​​​​​​ for JF&CS Family Table.
  Help us meet our monthly commitment of 35 boxes of crackers and 45 boxes of raisins! You can leave them in the box by the front door of the Temple. Read guidelines here.
  
  
• Volunteers Needed at The Dwelling Place soup kitchen over the summer. Volunteers of any age are needed to help prepare and serve a meal on the first Wednesday evening in July, August, and September. Please click here if you're able to help out!

• We're recruiting new volunteers for our ongoing projects. Interested in tutoring a child in an underserved elementary school in Somerville, cooking monthly meals for homeless adults, taking part in a Habitat for Humanity work crew, or learning to head up our Winchester Hospital X-mas Day volunteer effort? Contact us to learn more.

Welcoming the Stranger & Shir Tzedek Social Justice

• Next Jericho Walk is Tuesday, August 6 at 8:00 m at the Burlington ICE Center, 10 District Ave., Burlington. This is a peaceful, interfaith witnessing activity that expresses support for the rights of immigrants and the importance of keeping families together.

Israel/Palestine Conversations at Temple Shir Tikvah

We are interested in gauging interest in conversations about Israel/Palestine. If you would like to be part of exploring the complexities of this topic (which could include discussions about Israel/Palestine on college campuses, or how to help your child navigate this challenging subject in public school, or even how to articulate your own feelings), please contact us here. More information will follow in the coming months. We thank the Israel Committee for bringing this opportunity to our community.

Beyond Shir Tikvah

• Fund for Detained Children: Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) is committed to taking care of the stranger, because we know from our own experience what it is like to be immigrants, what it is like to flee, and what it is like to be vulnerable. Showing compassion to those who are suffering is core to our story and our value system. One hundred percent of your donation to the Fund for Detained Children will support two organizations — the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and the Young Center, our partners in last year’s FACES campaign. Donate here.
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• The Hebrew College Innovation Lab is a new incubator for Hebrew College graduate students (rabbinic, cantorial and education) and recent Hebrew College alumni/ae in the Boston area to design and implement creative educational, spiritual, social justice and interfaith projects in the Greater Boston Jewish community. Participants receive grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to run – or supplement the running – of a project that they conceptualize and design. Projects can take place in the context of students’ work placements or as stand-alone initiatives. Applications due July 31. Learn more.
  
  

• TeenSafe: Are you (or do you know) a 10th, 11th, or 12th grade Jewish teen interested in learning how to recognize signs of unhealthy dating behavior and preventing teen dating abuse? Would you like to be part of a social change issue that focuses on standing up and taking action to impact teen safety in the Jewish community and beyond? Would you like to improve your leadership skills? TeenSafe, a program of Journey to Safety, is the JF&CS response to dating abuse in our community. The program is designed to give teens the language and tools they need to recognize abuse in a dating relationship and know how to respond if they see, hear about, or experience it. Meets two Sundays a month, October through June. Learn more.