To view this blog in its entirety, go to our website!
What’s
Happening at a Glance
 |
| Rabbi Eitan and Ayal Weiner-Kaplow on the Ta'am Yisrael 8th grade trip 2013! |
- Town Hall meeting about the new building THIS SUNDAY, February 10
- TONIGHT! Wednesday, February 6: Book club
- Join Shir Hadash to see The Whipping Man on February 16 or February 17
- Soup kitchen on February 17
- Limmud Chicago on February 17
- ADULT PARTY: Purim Extravaganza on February 23
- Sunday, February 24: Purim carnival (for kids)
- Friday, March 1: Grades K through 3, Pizza dinner and services!
- Upcoming school schedule
- Purim carnival planning on Sunday, February 10
- National teen Kallah
- Friday, February 15: Purim--The Persian Connection
- Sunday, February 10: Torah study
- Parent & Family Connection for LGBTQ Jews in Chicagoland
Membership and Upcoming Events
Town Hall Meeting THIS SUNDAY, February 10
This, Sunday, February 10 from 2 to 4 p.m., please join us for a Town Hall meeting to share information about OUR NEW HOME! The location for the meeting will be at the building (200 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling). Refreshments will be served and everyone will have a chance to tour the building. The building will be shown in its current state (no improvements or safety measures for small children); therefore, we ask that only adults and teens attend. Please remember that the building is under the seller’s ownership at this time, so we will conduct a series of tours to minimize congestion and risk to individuals and property.
Parking is available at the new building as well as at the Hawthorne School in Wheeling, which is located just north of the building. To get to the Hawthorne School parking lot from Dundee Road, take Wolf Road (which is just east of the building) north to Glendale Road. Make a left turn onto Glendale Road. It dead ends at the Hawthorne School, which is located at 200 Glendale Road. We have permission to use their lot.
TONIGHT! Book Club on February 6
Our next book will be One More River by Mary Glickman. This novel is about race, class, and Jewish life in the American South during the 1920s and 1960s. The story revolves around a man pursuing his roots in the course of a romance. The book was chosen by Spertus for the “One Community, One Book” for this year. Book Club will be held on tonight, Wednesday, February 6, at 7:30 at the Zwicks’ home, 385 Castlewood Lane, Deerfield. Contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com to RSVP and for more information.
On Saturday, February 16, or Sunday, February 17, Shir Hadash will be going to the theater to see the play “The Whipping Man.” “The Whipping Man” takes place immediately after the end of the Civil War. When Caleb, a wounded Confederate soldier, returns home, he finds his family’s home in ruins and abandoned by all but two former slaves. United by their Jewish faith, the three men celebrate Passover while wrestling with a shared past they cannot escape. They unravel a tangle of secrets that threaten their family and faith. Slavery and war, they discover, warp even good men’s souls. The playwrite, Matthew Lopez, won the 2011 NY John Gassner Playwriting Award by the NY Outer Critics Circle for this play.
Shir Hadash will be going to the play on both Saturday February 16, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 17, at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets at $15 are sold out for Saturday performance but are still available at full price. Reduced rate tickets are still available for both Sunday performances on February 17. Contact NorthlightTheatre to purchase tickets. Use the code THWEEK to get this rate. Tickets may be available closer to the dates on Goldstar or hottix. The play had gotten great reviews from several of our members. We hope you can join us! Contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com for more information.
We will plan to have a discussion of the play about two weeks after the outing. So go see it whenever you can!
Soup Kitchen on February 17
The Social Action Committee needs your help. On Sunday, February 17, we will be preparing, cooking and serving over 90 meals to needy individuals at the St Paul’s Lutheran Church soup kitchen in Evanston. This event will require volunteers to be available from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. We need a minimum of 25 volunteers, or about 10-12 families.
Limmud Chicago on February 17
On Sunday, February 17, there is a very special Jewish learning event going on at UIC—the fourth annual Limmud Chicago! Limmud Chicago features sessions on a wide variety of topics of Jewish interest—cultural, religious, geographic, or political. There are two special themes this year:
- The Jews Who Made Chicago: This theme explores Chicago’s Jewish changemakers of yesterday and today, and the influence Jews have had on Chicago’s architecture, political system, music, art, neighborhoods, theater and more.
- Jewish Love: This theme addresses the vast landscape of Jewish love, from what text has to say about gender roles to discussions of Jewish masculinity to how to love at the end-of-life.
Shir Hadash is hosting a Purim party for all adults—singles and couples—at Rocky Vander's Cafe, 698 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Prospect Heights (immediately south of Palatine Road), from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, February 23. See friends and make new ones. The party will feature a DJ, dance floor, cash bar, and Italian dinner buffet. Potluck dessert—please bring hamantaschen (prizes given for the best homemade hamentaschen!), and other desserts. We’ll also play party games! Come as you like or as you want. Costumes are encouraged. The cost is $20/person. (Festivities start and run throughout the evening, but if you have to miss dinner, come at 9 p.m. for $10). RSVP by February 19 (we need to give the restaurant a head count!) by sending an e-mail to membership@shir-hadash.org or calling Rebecca at (847) 509-9951. Prepayment is appreciated; please send your check to the Shir Hadash office; cash or check only at the door.
Education
Update
Sunday, February 24: Purim Carnival!
Join in the fun with your children. This year’s Purim carnival will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hellenic American Academy on Sunday, February 24. We will have a regular school morning from 9:15 to 11 a.m., followed by a Purim carnival complete with a Purim spiel. The madrichim (teen leaders), led by Purim Specialist Nat Arons, have been preparing this great day for several weeks. They have games and treats geared for boys and girls of all ages. In order to make the day an even grander celebration, please send your child (and perhaps yourself) in costume.
Friday, March 1: Pizza Dinner for K through 3rd Graders!
Please mark your calendars for 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
- Sunday, February 10: Sunday School
- Monday, February 11: Havayah (High School Class)
- Friday, February 15 to Sunday, February 17: Youth Kallah (Retreat) in Wisconsin
- Sunday, February 17: No Sunday School
- Sunday, February 24: Purim Carnival 11:05
- Friday, March 1: Shabbat services will be 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
The madrichim are busy working with Nat to create an all-school Purim program on Sunday, February 24. The teens are working hard to make this a special experience for our Sunday School. Madrichim: the final planning meeting will be on Sunday, February 10, at 8:40 a.m.
National Teen Kallah
The weekend of March 22-24, 8th through 12th graders from Reconstructionist congregations across North America will have the opportunity to attend the exciting No'ar Hadash North American Teen Kallah, which will 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.
Creative
Worship & Ritual
Friday, February 15: Purim—The Persian Connection
Shir Hadash members will speak about what it was like to grow up in Iran with Esther and Mordecai as heroes of the Jewish community. Some have visited Esther's tomb and will tell about the experience. Come hear what the Persian Jewish community thinks of the Book of Esther and its meaningful and enlightening impact on their lives. In addition, Shir Hadash member Barry Cain will present a number of his brilliant wildlife and travel photographs in an exhibition during the oneg refreshments. This will be the first of four visual arts exhibits scheduled for the winter and spring. We’ll see you at 7:30 at LCHS; bring treats for the potluck oneg.
Adult
Education
Sunday, February 10: An Eye for an Eye, Meat and Milk, and More!
This Sunday morning (9:30 at Hellenic), we continue past the Ten Commandments to some other major commandments that were also given at Mount Sinai. These include an eye for an eye, no boiling a kid in its mother's milk, and—you may have forgotten this one—do not allow sorceresses to live! If you want to learn what those commandments are REALLY all about, come to class, and be part of the discussion! Check out the Torah portion here.
Community
News
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
(www.keshetonline.org), 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 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:
- Callistein
- M. Graff
- Friedman
- G. Graff
- Allen
- Zinbarg
- Elfant
- Farahmandpour
- Fargotstein
- Grills
- Mostow
- Singer
- Wexler
- Zwick
No comments:
Post a Comment