Shabbat shalom! We’re already a month into 2022, and just five weeks after the Marshall Fire devastated portions of Superior and Louisville. Jewish Family Services and the Boulder JCC are access points to services for the survivors. Here is a link to the JFS page to register for financial assistance, with links to mental health resources for adults and children.

The Boulder JCC is offering FREE meeting spaces (equipped with tables, Wi-Fi) for those impacted by the fires or working to support our community. To reserve a meeting space, please email ReserveFreeSpace@boulderjcc.org. If you need any Zoom/virtual meeting support, please email Nancy.Lipsey@boulderjcc.org. Here is the link to the full Boulder JCC Marshall Fire resource page.For a more Jewish response, consider donating a month’s worth of special shabbat candles to those impacted by the fire from the Shabbat Candle Club.

Please share with anyone you know in need — our community will get through this together.

Stay warm, stay safe and stay healthy!

Here are stories from the last week:

News/Columns

• Now Open: Groundbreaking Virtual Reality Exhibit Debuts on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (2/3/2022) - –The Journey Back: A VR Experience groundbreaking virtual reality experience transforming Holocaust education and remembrance is now open to the public at Illinois Holocaust Museum. Debuting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, The Journey Back features breakthrough technology that immerses visitors in an intimate experience with Holocaust Survivors. Continue Reading
• Column: Whoopi’s Petty Distinctions (2/3/2022) - Silly sideshows dominate much of the news on Israel and other Jewish and general issues. So much so that keeping up with them amounts to “posing problems that would cross a rabbi’s eyes,” to quote Tevye as he croons “If I were a rich man” in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” Continue Reading
• Hazon Announces Winners of Shmita-Themed Art Competition (2/1/2022) - Hazon, the Jewish Lab for Sustainability, has announced the winners of its inaugural art competition, the Shmita Prizes, after collecting nearly 250 submissions from 11 different countries over the course of 10 months. Continue Reading
• JScreen Promotes 3rd Annual Jewish Genetic Screening Awareness Week February 1 – 7, 2022 (2/1/2022) - JScreen announced plans to participate in the third annual Jewish Genetic Screening Awareness Week (JGSAW) February 1 – 7, 2022. During JGSAW, JScreen is offering a $113 off coupon code for testing for people living in Colorado. Continue Reading

Jewish Life

• Find Out What Humanistic Judaism Is All About (2/1/2022) - Join us for “Humanistic Judaism 101” and find out. This evening is especially for those new(er) to Beth Ami and Humanistic Judaism, but all are welcome! Continue Reading

Arts and Culture

• Boulder JCC to Offer Two Ways to Get to Know Artist, Curator, and Teacher Alice Messinger (2/3/2022) - The Boulder JCC is offering two events to introduce you to Boulder artist Alice Messinger. Continue Reading
• The Boulder JCC Presents A Jazz Tribute to Freedom, Justice, and Hope on February 22 (2/3/2022) - Join us for a musical journey through the world of jazz (and a bit of soul) and celebrate hopeful, powerful voices of justice and freedom. We have an extraordinary group of musicians, familiar names in the local music scene, making this a concert not to be missed! Continue Reading
• A Diamond Dust of Hebrew Verse (2/3/2022) - A new poem from Lisa Tremback. Continue Reading

Here are sources that will have the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Boulder and Colorado:

• City of Boulder
• Boulder County
• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Centers for Disease Control