Saturday, May 7th, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. In-person. Michael Stein traveled as a volunteer to Auschwitz-Birkenau to gather evidence to be used in a trial to discredit Holocaust deniers. Mike will describe his trip, what he found, and what resulted from his participation.
Sunday, May 1, 10:30 AM. Online. Yom Ha’Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) falls on April 28, 2022. The full name of the day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust is “Yom Ha’Shoah Ve-Hagevurah”— literally the “Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism.” Our students are fortunate to still have the opportunity to hear stories of survival directly from Holocaust survivors. This year we have two opportunities for them to participate. The second testimony will be given by Peter Gorog, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1941. He survived the Budapest ghetto. This session will be attended by 5th through 7th graders in the Religious School, but all are welcome.
Sunday, May 1, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM. In-person. A Sefer Torah is delicate and precious. While we take care of it well, sometimes we need to fix a letter here and there. This is an opportunity to fulfill the Mitzvah (commandment) of writing a Sefer Torah, by writing one letter with a soferet (Torah scribe). We want to invite you and your family to this unique opportunity to help our community and engage in the experience of writing a Sefer Torah. Each family will have a dedicated time slot with the soferet to help her fix one letter.
Dear Congregation Etz Hayim, this week we read parashat Tazria. Next week, parashat Metzora. It was exactly around this parashiot that we changed our lives to protect each other and shelter in place two years ago. As I read these texts again this year, I have mixed feelings. I feel hopeful yet afraid. Optimistic while holding back. I count multiple blessings on my life right now while seeing our world being destroyed outside my little bubble.
Friday, April 1st. Kabbalat Shabbat services 6:15. Dinner and conversation to follow, around 7:15. In-person only. Cost: $18. Shabbat Dinner with Dr. Yizhar Hess – An open and frank discussion about Jewish pluralism, Zionism, and Human Rights in Israel. This is a unique opportunity to meet one of the most important Zionist leaders of our times.
Saturday, March 26, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM. Please join us for a music-filled tour of the history of Jews in rock’n’roll. From Alan Freed to Carole King, from Bob Dylan to Drake, we will discuss the lives of some of the greatest Jewish contributors to rock’n’roll, and we’ll play plenty of their amazing music along the way.
Two weeks ago I shared with you a message asking for help for our friends in the Masorti/Conservative Community of Ukraine. Thank you so much for doing your part and helping them. Following is a message from them sharing how the resources were used and updates on their situation. Many of them were able to leave Ukraine already. Some families were welcomed by other Jewish communities in Hungary, Germany, and Poland. Others went to Israel and were welcomed by the leadership of Masorti Olami, the global organization of Masorti/Conservative communities.
Read for Congregation Etz Hayim’s updated COVID-19 protocols.
Wednesday, February 16th, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM (online). Join Rav Natan and Michael Harris to learn what’s Jewish about solar energy and the ins and outs of going solar.
Wednesday, February 9th, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM (online). Using rare archival materials from the collections in the Houston Jewish History Archive, this talk will highlight many of the core themes in Southern Jewish history — immigration, adaptation, socioeconomic mobility, and race relations — from a Texan perspective. Co-sponsored with the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies.
