What's Happening at a Glance
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| More picnic photos! |
- Volunteers needed for High Holiday delivery
- Book club to meet on October 11
- Chicago Festival of Israeli Film outing on November 4
- We need your Shir Hadash photos!
- Send in your religious school registration forms
- Education Blog: What's Up with the Teachers
- Outdoor adventure with Rabbi Eitan on September 9
- Mandatory madrichim meeting on September 11
- PLEASE NOTE: No services this Friday, August 31!
- Saturday, September 8: Selichot Eve: Reflection, Study and Friends
- High Holiday Schedule in Brief: Erev Rosh Hashanah, September 16; Rosh Hashanah Day 1, September 17; Rosh Hashanah Day 2, September 18; Kol Nidre, September 25; Yom Kippur, September 26
- Save the Dates: Sukkot (October 5) and Simchat Torah (October 7)
- Complete your High Holiday forms
- Finders Keepers
- Genetic education and screening program for young adults
Membership and Upcoming Events
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| Even more picnic photos! |
Once again this year, Shir Hadash will be joining with Maot Chitim of Greater Chicagoland to help them pack and deliver High Holiday food baskets for needy Jewish families all over the Chicago area. Packing has already taken place, but we still need volunteers to help deliver them.
Delivery of food packages will take place on Sunday, September 9, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Buffalo Grove/Wheeling area. We will be delivering 105 food packages, which will be in large boxes weighing approximately 20 lbs. each. We deliver to several large complexes and use a rental truck to transport the boxes. Mark Lenhart will provide the address of where to meet for those interested in helping deliver boxes.
To make this a smooth operation, we need around 10 to 15 people for delivery. If you are interested in helping, please respond by e-mail to mjlenhart@comast.net as soon as you can so we can let Maot Chitim know how many Shir Hadash members will be participating.
Book Club to Meet on October 11
Our next book club will be held on Thursday October 11, at 7:30 pm at the home of Beth Klauba, 2311 Central Street, Apt. 1, Evanston. We will be discussing The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, a historical fiction at Masada's final stand. For more info please contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
Save the Date: Chicago Festival of Israeli Film on November 4
Join Shir Hadash members to attend the Chicago Festival of Israeli Film on Sunday, November 4. We are planning to go see “My Australia” as a group event at 6 p.m. M. at Northbrook Court. For more information, please contact Deidre Berkowitz at deidre.berkowitz@gmail.com.
Membership Renewal Forms Are Overdue
The membership renewal forms were mailed on June 28 and were due on August 15. Please call Lillian at (847) 498-8218 if you did not receive the forms.
We Need Your Shir Hadash Photos!
As we continue to improve our website and marketing materials, we are finding that we need more great photos of our congregation—at Religious School, social events, worship services, teen activities, etc. Please take a minute to look through your digital files and e-mail your best photos to photo@shir-hadash.org.
Education Update
Send in Your Religious School Registration Forms
The religious school registration forms were due on July 15. Thanks to all of you who sent your registration forms in; it helps us get a great start on the school year. If you are one of families we are waiting for, please send in the pink forms today. Please call Lillian at (847) 498-8218 if you did not receive the forms.
Education Blog: What’s Up with the Teachers
Sunday, August 26th was the annual teacher meeting organized by the CFJE, The Community Foundation for Jewish Education. Shir Hadash teachers have attended these always informative, sometimes inspirational meetings, for many years. This year was great. The best part is always being Shir Hadash teachers as a group, and running into friends from other synagogues and Jewish organizations. Teachers (and Education Directors) love the opportunity to expand our knowledge-base andto discuss issues related to children and supplementary Jewish education. This year, the meeting was held at Beth Shalom in Northbrook.
The keynote speaker was Edward Hallowell (http://www.drhallowell.com/). His speech was titled "Healthy Teaching in a CRAZYBUSY World: Springboards to Effective and Affective Learning," an apropos topic for educators…
To read the latest from Education Director Emily Ascher, go to Education Updates.
Teen News
Outdoor Adventure with Rabbi Eitan
On September 9, sixth through twelfth graders will join Rabbi Eitan for campfire, stories, activities, and a cook-out from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will meet at the campfire area behind the Zion Lutheran Church, 10 Deerfield Road, in Deerfield. Please RSVP by September 1 to youth@shir-hadash.org.
Mandatory Madrichim Meeting
SAVE THE DATE: Mandatory madrichim meeting, Tuesday, September 11, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the synagogue office. You will get all the information for the school year at this meeting. We are starting to make placements and want to accommodate your requests, so please send in your forms. You MUST let Carole Mostow know if you cannot attend by sending her an e-mail at youth@shir-hadash.org.
Teen Advisory Board
We have a few projects to work on BEFORE high holidays. Watch your e-mail for meeting details.
Creative Worship & Ritual
Upcoming B’nai Mitzvah
Saturday, September 1, 2012, Shabbat Morning Service; we will celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Michael Karb, son of Yvette & Fred Karb, 9:45 a.m., Northbrook Hilton on Milwaukee Avenue.
Join us at 7:30 at Our Lady of the Brook for an evening of reflection, study, and friends. Selichot is a brief Saturday evening service that prepares us for the work of the High Holidays. Its readings and melodies are meditative, reflective and stirring. Selichot is study. We will view an incredible Jewish documentary that explores the musical roots and connections so many have to Polish and Eastern European heritage. Selichot is camaraderie. Bring a special treat to share in our dessert refreshment buffet.
The film, “100 Voices: A Journey Home,” chronicles a musical voyage to the birthplace of songful prayer known as chazzanut. In June 2009, an assembly of the world’s finest cantors came together for a series of exhilarating concerts backed by the Polish national Opera Chorus and a 100-piece orchestra. On a historic mission of reconciliation, the largest group of cantors to return to Poland since World War II travels from Warsaw to Krakow, culminating in an emotional memorial at the gates of Auschwitz. The film celebrates the resilience of Jewish tradition and the ability of music to heal hearts.
Shir Hadash is offering the following High Holiday services to members and ticket holders: Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sunday, September 16, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Day 1 Rosh Hashanah, Monday, September 17, 9:30 a.m. to noon; Kol Nidrei, Tuesday, September 25, 6:15 to 8: p.m.; Yom Kippur Day, Wednesday, September 26, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The following High Holiday services are open to the public: Selichot; Day 2 Rosh Hashana; and several adult services on Yom Kippur: Yizkor, Adult Open Discussion, Reflection Service, Afternoon Service, and Ne’ilah. For more details or the times of the services, go to our website.
Our family services are also open to the public: Rosh Hashanah family services, Monday, September 17, 2 to 2:45 p.m.; and Yom Kippur family services, Wednesday, September 26, 2 to 2:45 p.m. Family services are geared to children grades K – 3rd grade and their families. Don’t forget to invite your friends and family to our open services.
All services will be held at Our Lady of the Brook Worship Center, at 3700 Dundee Road in Northbrook.
Mark your calendars for Sukkot on Friday, October 5, and our Simchat Torah pizza party on Sunday, October 7. Many members feel that these are among our most fun family services! And, they are a perfect way to begin to fulfill our new service recommendations for religious school students.
Complete Your High Holiday Forms
High Holiday forms have been sent out. Please fill them out and return them to the office as soon as possible. You can also find the forms on our website, or call the office if you would like another set mailed to you.
The Rabbi's Corner
August 31 – September 1, 2012 / 14 Elul 5772
Shabbat Ki Tetze
Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 54:1-10
“Finders Keepers”
Dear Friends,
‘Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers’ is profoundly not Jewish. I have no idea of the origin of the rhyme, but one thing I do know, it’s not found in Jewish teaching. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Talmud, tractate Bava Metzia, begins with a large section devoted to the injunction that we return lost property. Here are two examples from the discussion.
Rabbi Hanina related this story: “Some old Rabbis bought a pile of wheat from some soldiers and found in it a purse full of dinars, and they returned it to them.” The soldiers said, “Blessed be the God of the Jews.”
To read the rest of Rabbi Eitan’s blog, visit The Rabbi's Corner.
Donations
Thanks to the following people for donating to our funds:
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund:
- Dawn and Monty Allen
- Melanie and Fred Andes
- Stacey and Doug Meyer
General Fund:
- Melanie and Fred Andes
- Molly and Mark Michaels
Music Wish List:
- Dawn and Monty Allen
- Melanie and Fred Andes
Youth Group:
- Melanie and Fred Andes
- Julie and Dan Wellisch
School Wish:
- Melanie and Fred Andes
Capital Campaign:
- Melanie and Fred Andes
Camp Scholarship Fund:
- Melanie and Fred Andes
- Ruth Glass
- Judy and George Litman in memory of Michael Izbicky
- Judy and George Litman in honor of the birth of Anna Rachel, granddaughter of Lillian Zoloto
Community Announcements
Genetic Education and Screening Program for Young Adults
Registration is now open for the Center for Jewish Genetics’ carrier screening programs for young Jewish adults. The Center offers an expanded panel of 18 disorders, including Tay-Sachs disease, Gaucher disease, and Cystic Fibrosis. Join the Center in October or December for a subsidized screening program ($180 per person), which includes an educational presentation, dinner, and screening. These tests usually cost more than $3,000! Pre-registration is required. Please contact Taryn Brickman at TarynBrickman@juf.org or visit www.jewishgenetics.org to learn more.
SHOP Shir Hadash
Shop Labor Day Week End
Staying home over Labor Day Week End? Shop with Amazon and Overstock.Com. Escape at Brunswick; Regal; Barnes and Noble; and Bath and Body Works. Update your fall look at American Eagle, Claire’s, Dicks, Great Clips, J. Jill, REI, Sports Authority, Target, Ulta, and Walmart/Sam’s. Prepare for entertaining at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Dominick’s, Fanny May, Jewel, Garden Fresh, Mariano’s, Sunset, and Whole Foods, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Itunes. Traveling? Take care of your automotive needs at Exxon, Jiffy Lube, Marathon, Shell, and Speedway.
Annual SHOP Orders Are Now Payable By Credit Card
If every family purchases $400 a month in grocery, gas, or other cards, we can earn over $15,000. Shir Hadash believes that an inability to pay should never be a barrier to membership or education. Special consideration is given to our members when circumstances prevent them from meeting any part of their financial commitment. To offset this consideration and to make up the budgetary deficit, the Board is asking that all members consider making a monthly commitment to using shop gift cards. Purchasing SHOP gift cards helps the shul raise much needed funds without spending any more money than you already do for your regular expenses. A complete list of the many gift cards available through this program, along with the percentage the shul earns is available on our website. Orders can be picked up at Sunday school or the Shir Hadash office.
Thanks to the following families for supporting SHOP this week:
- Elfant
- Weiner-Kaplow
New Venders:
- Chuck E. Cheese's
- Logan's Roadhouse
- Groupon
- Walmart
