What's Happening at a Glance
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| Photos from Lights and Miracles |
- Wednesday, January 9: Bulls game with MOSH
- Book club wrapup
- Bake sale report
- Upcoming school schedule
- Kallah! Midwest Regional Retreat February 15 to 17
- Friday, December 21: Reflections about the Newtown tragedy
- There will be no adult education this week
- Change for the Better
- Genetic education and screening program for young adults
- Holiday SHOP orders of at least $400 are now payable by credit card
Membership and Upcoming Events
Bulls Game with MOSH on Wednesday, January 9
We’ve got 27 Shir Hadashniks signed up to go see the Chicago Bulls kick a bit of Milwaukee Bucks tuchas on January 9. This should be a fun and exciting night. Keep your eyes posted here for pictures and our next adventure!
Book Club Wrapup
Two weeks ago, 11 members of our book club met and discussed It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust. The highlight of the evening was hearing the personal experiences of Evelyn Schleicher as a young child hiding out in Italy with her mother and brother. They were hidden in barns and homes by a number of Italian families to whom they owe their lives. Our next book will be One More River by Mary Glickman. This book is a novel that takes place in the ’20s and ’60s in the American South and is the story of two Jews falling in love. The book was chosen by Spertus for the "One Community, One Book" for this year. Our next meeting will be in early February. Stay tuned for details.
Education Update
Our bake sale this past Sunday was a rousing success! Thank you to Margie Skora and her baking buddies! Thank you to all of you who purchased the delectable treats at Sunday’s bake sale. Thank you to the ladies and gentlemen who helped at the sale. Mia Graff (and Katie Zwick who carried the leftovers to Havayah class on Monday night), in particular.
We raised a record-breaking $541! A special thank you to the anonymous donor, who gave an extremely generous donation (or ate a lot of cookies)! This money will allow us to create a super Purim carnival, and maybe more. Nat Arons is leading Shir Hadash teens in planning games and fun for Sunday, February 24. It is a pleasure to hear them plan and write a shpeil for the younger students. The Shir Hadash Religious School is thrilled not only by the money that was raised, but by the support shown by so many people.
Margie may organize another sale around Purim time, and several of you have volunteered ahead of time, thank you. Please support your Shir Hadash family by helping with the next bake sale. E-mail Education Director Emily Ascher at eddirector@shir-hadash.org or Baker Extraordinaire Margie Skora at margiepromopro1@aol.com.
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| The kids and teens perform at Lights and Miracles |
Upcoming School Schedule
- Sunday, December 23: No school
- Sunday, December 30: No school
- Sunday, January 6: Religious school resumes
- Sunday, January 27: Tu B'Shevat Field Trip (we walk to the event next door)
- Friday, March 1, 2013: Shabbat services will be led by grades K through 3
- Friday, May 17, 2013: Shabbat services will be led by our Havayah
Teen News
Kallah! Midwest Regional Retreat February 15 to 17
Planning is underway for the 2013 No'ar Hadash Midwest Youth Kallah, which will be held from February 15 to 17, 2013, at a NEW location. This year, Shir Hadash 6th to 12th graders will share a great weekend with teens from other Reconstructionist congregations at the Perlman Retreat Center at Camp Beber in Wisconsin. Registration information was mailed to your home this week. If you are an adult and would like to help chaperone for the weekend, please e-mail Carole Mostow at youth@shir-hadash.org. Please contact Carole with any questions.
Creative Worship & Ritual
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| More photos from Lights and Miracles |
For this Friday’s service (7:30 p.m. at LCHS), we have decided to focus our service theme on the Newtown tragedy, to provide support and healing within our community. Our service will begin with a heimish, musical kabbalat Shabbat service. We will continue with an open discussion regarding how the Newtown tragedy has affected us and how we move forward. This will be an open forum led by the Rabbi for sharing our thoughts, which will include teachings from our Jewish tradition and wisdom texts. There will be a separate children’s program available during the discussion. After the service, of course, we will have our usual oneg, so please bring something for the table—see you Friday night.
Adult Education
There will be no adult education this week.
The Rabbi's Corner
December 21-22, 2012 / 9 Tevet 5773
Shabbat Vayigash
Torah - Genesis 44:18-47:27 / Haftarah - Ezekiel 37:15-28
"Change for the Better"
Dear Friends,
How do we know when we have changed for the better? How do we comprehend when bad habits and poor behaviors of the past have finally been replaced by new responsible and dignified actions? This is the question that confronts each one of us from time to time and in this week’s Torah portion, it is Judah’s turn.
Our Torah portion opens in the middle of a powerful confrontation between Joseph and Judah. Joseph, Pharaoh’s minister of food distribution, is not recognized by his own brothers who have come seeking food relief.
These same brothers sold Joseph into slavery many years before and lied to their father telling him that Joseph was dead. So Joseph threatens to imprison the youngest brother Benjamin as a trap to see how the brothers would react. The tension of this moment is in not…
To read the rest of Rabbi Eitan’s blog, visit The Rabbi's Corner.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Community Announcements
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| Lahaka singing at Lights and Miracles |
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.
Donations
Thanks to the following people for their donations:
General Fund
- Cheryl and Jim Schultz, in memory of Ed Kaplow, father of Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow, in memory of Helen Wallk, mother of Jeff Wallk, and in memory of Bernice Shipley, sister of Eleanor Weiner and aunt of Dawn Weiner-Kaplow
- Susan E. Cohen and Jerry Carl, for Refuah Shleimah for Deidre Berkowitz
- Marilyn Kaplow, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Stacy and Ken Laner, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Cheryl and Jim Schultz, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Nadine and Harry Goldman, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Brian Tanenbaum and Sharon Edwards, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Susan E. Cohen, Jerry Carl, Jesse, Sammy, and Miriam, in memory of Ed Kaplow
- Deidre Berkowitz, in memory of Ed Kaplow
SHOP Shir Hadash
Holiday SHOP orders of at least $400 are now payable by credit card. Annual SHOP orders are also payable by credit card. If every family purchases $400 a month in grocery, gas, or other cards, we can earn more than $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:
- G. Graff
- Zinbarg
- Idelman
- Weiss
- Grills
- Fisher-Rohde
- Gisby
- Andes
- Edler
- Goldman
- Soglin
- Weiner-Kaplow
- Arons
- Litman
- Friedman
New Retailer and Product Updates
- Walmart is offering a savings of 10 cents a gallon on gas purchases made when using a Walmart Gift Card, starting August 31, 2012, until December 23, 2012.
- Holiday Gift Card Wrappers (10-pack) include ten different designs and are available for $2.00 with a 10% non-profit contribution.
- Check out the bonuses listed at http://bit.ly/10Yon0E to take advantage of the extra special "Specials".
- The Bloomin' Brands, Inc.™ family of restaurants is offering a 2% holiday bonus from Saturday, December 15, 2012, through Friday, December 21, 2012. During this bonus period you'll be able to purchase the popular $25 Outback Steakhouse® Gift Cards with a 10% non-profit contribution instead of the standard 8%. The gift cards are redeemable at Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill®, Carrabba's Italian Grill®, Fleming's® Prime Steakhouse and Roy's®. If your organization's order includes $100 or more in Outback Gift Cards, it will be shipped for FREE!
- Macy's - New ScripNow Retailer
- The easiest last minute gifts ever: You don't even have to leave your home! With the convenience of ScripNow™, you can wake up, stay in your pajamas and finish up your holiday shopping in a matter of minutes. With over 70 different retailers, there are eGifts for every person and every occasion. Send it now*, or schedule it for later.
Changes to Reload Schedule over the Holidays
Christmas:
- No reloads from Monday, December 24, 2012, through Wednesday, December 26, 2012.
- Reload orders placed and paid for after 3:30 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday, December 21, 2012, until 3:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 27, 2012, will be available for use the morning of Friday, December 28, 2012.
- No reloads on Tuesday, January 1, 2013.
- Reload orders placed and paid for after 3:30 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) on Monday, December 31, 2012, will be available for use the morning of Thursday, January 3, 2013.
