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Welcome to the Ames Jewish Congregation
AJC is a community that honors our Jewish traditions, applies our Jewish faith to today’s life, and works toward continuation of the Jewish people.

The Ames Jewish Congregation (AJC) is a special place that nurtures community, learning, and faith in a way that is welcoming and accessible to all. AJC is a home for Jews of all ages, stages of life, and degrees of religious observance, plus their families and household members of any faith. Students welcome!

We are:

  • A place to worship
  • A place to make friends
  • A place to celebrate holidays
  • A place to share life cycle events
  • A place to learn
  • A place to participate in social action
  • A place to play!

Please visit us at an upcoming service or event (or two or three) soon—no commitment required.

For more information, click here to contact us

 

Upcoming Events

  1. 15 Dec

    AJC Book Club

    2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
  2. 20 Dec

    Shabbat service

    7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
  3. 21 Dec

    Torah study

    10:00 am - 11:00 am
  4. 22 Dec

    Adult education

    10:00 am - 11:30 am

 

 

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard jemerman

Death and Mourning
star of david starry lights
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat jemerman

Entree Recipes
Photo of a chicken stew dish in a bow
As the weather begins to get chillier, many home cooks pull out their trusty slow cookers to create easy yet warm dishes. Slow cooking is nothing new. It hasn't had staying power with Jewish communities just because the resulting food is delicious; it also allowed observant Jews to keep Shabbat by kindling a fire before sundown on Friday and keeping food warm until Saturday afternoon.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman

Native American issues
The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.
When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism sdolgov

Modern Day Issues in Antisemitism
star of david
URJ leaders have had thousands of conversations about antisemitism over the past years, especially after October 7th. The following list summarizes the ideas that arise most often in these discussions.

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