To view this blog in its entirety, go to our website!
What’s Happening at a Glance
Membership
and Upcoming Events
- Community Seder at Our Lady of the Brook, March 26
- Social Action: Passover Baskets
- April Book Club: Everything is Illuminated
- Israel Solidarity Day, Sunday, April 28
Education
Update
- Grades K – 3 to share pizza dinner and lead Shabbat service, March 1
- Upcoming school schedule
- Education Director’s Blog: Purim Carnival Photos
Teen News
- National Teen Kallah, March 22-24
Creative
Worship & Ritual
- Shabbat service March 1, 7:15 p.m. at LCHS.
Adult
Education
- Was Spinoza a Jewish Thinker?
Community
News
- Parent & Family Connection for LGBTQ Jews in Chicagoland
SHOP Shir
Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
Share Your
Feedback on the New Building
Check out the plans for our new building! We've got all the details posted in a special section of our website. We want to hear from you -- let us know what you think! Please e-mail your thoughts to Shir
Hadash President Jeffrey Wallk at president@shir-hadash.org. Thanks!
Save the
Date for Our Community Seder
This year, our community seder will be held on Tuesday, March
26, at Our Lady of the Brook, 3700 Dundee Road in Northbrook. Details soon to
follow. Contact Melanie Andes at fmandes@comcast.net or (847) 913-9198 if you
have any questions.
A Night to
Remember at the Adult Purim Party
Shir Hadash's first Purim Party for adults was a great success. Not only did King Ahasuerus show up, but so did Mordechai. Raggedy Ariel and Raggedy Ari brought lots of friends along with them: tourists, gypsies, medieval ladies, Venetian Carnavalers, belly dancers, Little Red Riding Hood, a Greek soldier, and Ace Ventura -- not to mention lots of people who looked like they came from a mythical place called Chicago in the year 2013. Raggedies Ariel and Ari won the costume contest.
Rocky Vander's put out a delicious buffet of vegetables and dip, salad, pasta with fish in olive oil and garlic, eggplant parmesan, and garlic bread. They make their own potato chips that they bring out hot from the fryer, and they are fantastic. After dinner, we had a rousing game of Purim Jeopardy. Team 4 pulled out in front and won the game. As usual, Shir Hadash's bakers made delicious Hamatashen. Lise Schleicher won the Hamatashen contest. the bartender served up ancient drinks like Mordechai's Martini. After the game, the dinner tables were moved off of the dance floor, the disco ball began to spin, and the DJ got the music going. We then rocked around the clock to music from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Before we knew it, it was time to head home.
Business
Mastermind Group
The Business Mastermind Group will be meeting on the first
Sunday of each month while religious school is in session, from 10:30 a.m. to
noon. The mission is to build mutually beneficial relationships with Shir
Hadash small business owners by providing value to other group members. Each meeting
will feature a topic of interest that everyone agrees is important. We will
focus on that topic for the whole meeting with everyone providing examples of
their experiences related to the topic. At the first meeting, the group will
pick a list of topics. Each meeting will start with brief introductions of
everyone in the group. In this way, new people are always invited and will feel
comfortable attending. For more information, contact Dan Wellisch at
danw@wellsoftware.com.
Social
Action Opportunities
Once again this year, Shir Hadash will be joining with Maot
Chitim of Greater Chicagoland to help them pack and deliver Passover food
baskets for needy Jewish families all over the Chicago area. There are two different ways you can
help, either packing food boxes or delivering them.
- PACKING will take place on Sunday, March 10th from 10:30
a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The address for
the packing is 5990 W. Touhy, Niles, IL.
- DELIVERY of food packages will take place on Sunday, March
17th, from 9:30 a.m. 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. I will provide the address of where to
meet for those interested in helping deliver boxes.
To make this a smooth operation, we need approximately 10
people for packing on March 10th and about 10 - 15 people for delivery on the
March 17th.
If you are interested in helping on one or both of these
dates, please respond to Mark Lenhart, Social Action Chairman, at
mjlenhart@comcast.net as soon as possible so he can coordinate plans with Maot
Chitim. Mark will be able to provide volunteers with more details shortly
before each date.
Book Club
February's Book Club featuring One More River by Mary
Glickman was attended by twelve SH members. The discussion was quite insightful
about Southern Jews and how they differed from their cousins in the North. The
topic of Jews in the South will continue with information about Jewish slave
owners. This subject was brought up in the play "The Whipping Man".
We are still seeking someone to host Book Club in April. For
more information contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
Israel Solidarity Day
Education Update
Friday,
March 1: Pizza Dinner for K through 3rd Graders!
This week's Shabbat service promises a good time with
families from the Shir Hadash primary grades Gan (Kindergarten) through 3rd
grade. The children always have a great time helping Rabbi Eitan lead services,
and who can turn down the opportunity to celebrate shabbat with a such lovely
group of people?! Services will be held at LCHS. Stay tuned for more
information!
Upcoming
School Schedule
Friday, March 1: Pizza dinner and Shabbat services led by
grades K through 3
Monday, April 1: Havayah (high school class)
Sunday, April 7: 7th Graders Present: Yom Hashoah Service at
Sunday School
Sunday, April 14: Sunday School
Monday, April 15: Havayah
Sunday, April 21: Yom Tikkun Olam (Day to Repair the World)
No school at Hellenic American Academy
Sunday, April 28: Sunday School Open House for Prospective
Members
Monday, April 29: Last Day of Havayah BBQ
Sunday, May 5: Last Day of Sunday School
Friday, May 17: Shabbat services will be led by our Havayah
Teen News
Kol Hakvod
Thank you to Nat and the madrichim who successfully revived
our all school Purim program last Sunday, February 24th. The teens worked hard
to make this a fun experience for everyone who participated. From the Purim
spiel to the games, hamantashen and art projects everyone chipped in to make
this day great for our students and their families. We are sure to carry on your
fine work for years to come.
Madrichim
Meeting
The next Madrichim meeting will be on Sunday, March 10th at
8:40 (before Sunday school). We have to work out the details for our next big
school event, so please mark your calendars for the meeting.
National
Teen Kallah
There is still time to register! The weekend of March 22 - 24, 8th - 12th graders from
Reconstructionist congregations across North America will have the opportunity
to attend the exciting No'ar Hadash North American Teen Kallah to be held this
year in Boston. This amazing weekend will be a great opportunity for you to
meet other teens, have fun, take part in experiential Jewish learning, laugh at
an improv comedy show, sing and dance, hang out, explore Boston, and be part of
our exciting youth movement.
Please contact info@campjrf.org
or youth@shir-hadash.org for an application.
Save the
Date: Saturday evening, May 11th- High School event with
JRC. Details to follow... stay
tuned!
Creative Worship & Ritual
Meet Our
Service Leaders of the Future—and Present!
After a pizza dinner at 5:45 for our service on Friday,
March 1 (7:15 at LCHS), join us for a very special program, led by the
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders of our Religious School. Our students
have been hard at work learning their prayers, and now they get the chance to
recite them in a real service. Of course, there will also be singing and
storytelling - and don't forget to bring something for the pot-luck oneg! This
service is for everyone—the kids, their families and friends, and everyone else
who enjoys sharing a Friday night with Shir Hadash—don't miss it!
Adult Education
Was
Spinoza a Jewish Thinker?
This Sunday, we continue our Adult Ed program by veering off
a little from our Torah study into learning about some post-Torah Jewish
thinkers. (The Torah portion this
week is about the details of building the Tabernacle - not that exciting
anyway.) We'll start with a Jewish
philosopher that was actually thrown out of the Jewish community - Baruch (or
Benedict) de Spinoza. They're
still arguing over Spinoza's influence - on the Enlightenment, on the
separation of church and state, and on modern Judaism. Was he the first secular Jew? Or not really a Jewish thinker at
all? Or something else
entirely? Come and learn - but
first print out this very brief article about Spinoza, for background. See you Sunday!
The Rabbi’s Corner
March 1-2,
2013 / 20 Adar 5773
Shabbat Ki
Tissa
Torah: Exodus
30:11 - 34:35
Maftir:
Numbers 19:1 - 19:22 | Shabbat Parah
Haftarah:
Ezekiel 36:16 - 36:38 | Shabbat Parah
“Living at
our Best”
Dear Friends,
In this week’s Torah portion, the children of Israel are
waiting at the base of Mount Sinai for Moses to return from his encounter with
God on the summit. More than a
month has gone by with no word.
Many become concerned that perhaps Moses has died and that God has abandoned
them in the wilderness. They
demand that an idol be made for them to worship as they did in Egypt. A midrash interpretive story tells how
one leader of Israel stood against them reminding them that they had seen God’s
miracles when they left Egypt and therefore, did not need a visible idol to
comfort them. The mob killed him.
Then they approached Aaron, who quickly gave in, requiring only that
gold rings be given so that a ‘golden calf’ could be fashioned. Jewish tradition pardons Aaron because
he knew that he had to do something - anything - to stall and placate the mob
until Moses returned.
Nevertheless, the Golden Calf affair is considered one of the darkest
periods in biblical history because the people became impatient and
frustrated. Their lack of faith
almost undid the Jewish people….
To read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner, visit our website.
Donations
Thanks to the following people for their donations:
Rabbi's
Discretionary Fund:
Marissa Roseman, in honor of Rabbi Eitan officiating at
Carly's bat mitzvah
Camp
Scholarship Fund:
Marissa Roseman, in honor of Carly's bat mitzvah
General
Fund:
James C. Bonbright III, in memory of Judy Hartsman
Community News
Parent
& Family Connection for LGBTQ Jews in Chicagoland
Is your child gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, or
questioning? Do you want to talk to other Jewish families with LGBTQ children?
If so, join the monthly discussions with Parent & Family Connection for
LGBTQ Jews in Chicagoland. Upcoming meetings will be held on March 11, April
22, and May 20. Upcoming topics will include: transgender youth; passing--who
knows, who doesn’t know; navigating a hetero-sexist world; healthy
relationships and violence in the GLBTQ community; and conversation about
creating inclusive communities.
With support from Keshet, Response
provides group support for those dealing with any stage of the coming out
process. Response helps adolescents in the Jewish and general community develop
skills in communication, decision-making and leadership necessary to deal with
life’s challenges. Response is a program of JCFS, a partner in serving our
community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation.
SHOP Shir Hadash
SHOP for
Our New Home!
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.
Celebrate National Reading Month at Barnes & Noble! Take
some time to browse through the Deals of the Day on bn.com! Barnes & Noble
is available in ScripNow™!
Under Armour - New ScripNow™ Retailer
Don't Toss That Card! Reload it.
Reloading allows you to add funds to many plastic gift cards
you previously purchased on ShopWithScrip® with ease and speed. In fact, if you
pay for your Reload order with PrestoPay™, our online payment method, before
3:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, the funds will be added to your card
overnight! For a growing number of retailers, you can add funds to your gift
card inminutes with ReloadNow™! Please remember, if you pay by check, your
reload purchase will be processed after the order is released by your
coordinator. Click here to see our list of retailers with reloadable gift
cards.
Remember, using ScripNow is simple:
To order, visit any of the brand pages for Restaurants Unlimited
brands on ShopWithScrip.com and select the ScripNow product choice.
- Order your ScripNow
- Pay with PrestoPay™ to print your ScripNow in minutes.
- Or, pay by check to have your coordinator release your order.
- Receive an email when your eCard is available on your ShopWithScrip.com account.
- Click on View ScripNow from your Family Home page to view and print your eCard.
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP
this week:
- Andes
- Allen
- Rice
- Idelman
- Friedman
- Sharpe
- Weiner-Kaplow
- Weiss
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