Please join us for Kabbalat Shabbat this week at 6.30pm. Shabbat morning service commences with a shiur at9.15am, followed by Shacharit at 9.45am. This week we celebrate the barmitzvah anniversary of Steven Ehrenreich - mazel tov! Steven will be leyning his Parsha, and has kindly sponsored the Kiddush this week.Joel Lazar will be giving the Dvar Torah this week.
Upcoming special Pesach event: We invite the community to a special Shira Pre-Pesach dinner on 11 April at 6.30pm, which will take place together with the Buchenwald Ball.
The Buchenwald Ball is an annual and unique Melbourne tradition. Since arriving in Australia, the Buchenwald Boys maintain that April 11, 1945 — the date of their liberation — is also the date of their rebirth. This year, Shira is proud to invite the Buchenwald Boys and their families to join us for a Shabbat dinner on that date, 69 years after their rebirth. Please join us in dancing and celebrating with them over a delicious catered dinner. There will also be entertainment - for more details, watch this space!
The cost of the dinner is $40 adult/$20 child (under 13). We appreciate your early booking here. We look forward to sharing this special Shabbat dinner together. (If you find the cost to be prohibitive, please contact Ilana at ilana@shira.org.au.)
Purim! Purim was a wonderful success - thank you so much to all the fabulous, tireless volunteers, organisers, entertainers, musicians, leyners and ruach (energy) contributors! We encourage you to look at the beautiful photos at our facebook page — here and here. (Check out the dragon!)
A special mention to our wonderful Bnei Mitzvah groupwho made and sold delicious hamentashen and raised $130 for their selected charity — Save a Child's Heart. Well done!
Benji Prawer is participating in "live Below the Line" for his third year. This is a terrific initiative by the Oaktree Foundation that sees participants live off $2 a day for 5 days to raise funds and awareness for extreme poverty. He has a personal goal to raise $2000. He would gratefully appreciate donations to be made to him at www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/benprawer.
Upcoming meeting: Members of Shira are invited to a meeting on Sunday 30 March from 11.00am-1.00pmto discuss general future directions at Shira. This is an opportunity for members to have input into crucial issues raised at this years's AGM including the role of a rabbi/spiritual leader and to contribute other ideas for the growth of our community. The meeting will be held at Shira (222 Balaclava Rd) and will be facilitated by Ittay Flescher.
Shabbat Shalom.