To view this blog in its entirety, go to our website.
For daily event updates, visit our calendar.
What’s Happening at a Glance
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Construction Update
- Spread the Word with Shir Hadash T-Shirts
- April Book Club: Everything is Illuminated, April 25
- Shir Hadash Annual Meeting, May 5
- Coming Soon: New Membership Online Profiles
Education Update
- Yom Tikkun Olam, April 21
- Upcoming school schedule
- Religious School Open House, April 28
Teen News
- Madrichim meeting, April 28
- JUF Teen Engagement Fair Changed to April 28
- High school event with JRC, May 11
Creative Worship & Ritual
- Upcoming Service: April 19
The Rabbi’s Corner
- Boston Marathon Tragedy
Community News
- Parent & Family Connection for LGBTQ Jews in Chicagoland
- JUF Israel Solidarity Day, April 28
Donations
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
Construction Update
On April 13, the Shir Hadash board signed a contract to
officially hire as our architect the firm of Maemar PC, led by Shir Hadash
member Mehran Farahmandpour. As our architect, Mehran will be leading us
through the bidding and construction of our Phase 1 plan for the new
building. He has already prepared and disseminated the RFP to four general
contractors, and met with those same several times at the property to answer
questions. The bids will be coming in soon and Mehran will be helping the
building committee choose one GC to recommend to the board for the
project. After the GC is selected and the board signs a contract, the
construction project will begin in earnest. This will all hopefully be
occurring in just the next couple of weeks.
If you have ideas or skills to share, want to volunteer for
a committee, or help with planning, managing, or maintaining the building or
grounds, we would love to hear from you. Please direct your good
intentions to the chairman of the building steering committee, Marc Fargotstein, marcfargo@triangleconsulting.net.
Spread the Word with Shir Hadash T-Shirts
Celebrate our new home – and let your friends know you love
Shir Hadash – with a “Shalom to
Our New Home” t-shirt! These white shirts have the graphic you see pictured
here on the front, and our official logo on the back. They are available in
men’s, women’s and kids’ sizes for $10. To order, contact Lisa McCulloh,
847-814-2922 or jjlisamc@gmail.com.
Book Club
The next Book Club will be held on Thursday, April 25 at
7:30pm, at the home of Stacy Laner, 1047 Shambliss Court, Buffalo Grove. The
book will be Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. This is
the story of a young American Jew who flies to the Ukraine to search for the
woman who saved his grandfather's life during the Nazi invasion. For more
information, contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
Coming Soon: New Membership Management Program
Shir Hadash is planning to purchase a membership management
package that will provide our members with online forms to simplify membership
renewals and education signup, and also improve enrollment of volunteers for
events. Members will be able to maintain customized profiles for
themselves and their family members, with the capacity to capture their
Yahrzeit and lifecycle events in one place. Please look for future announcements
about these new services in the next few weeks and months. If you have
questions, please contact Jeff Wallk at president@shir-hadash.org or Lise
Schleicher at info@basketworks.biz.
Education Update
Upcoming Events at School
Sunday, April 21-- Yom Tikkun Olam
Sunday, April 28-- Sunday School, Prospective Member Open
House
Monday, April 29--Havayah BBQ at David's House
Sunday, May 5-- Last day of Sunday school
Yom Tikkun Olam: Sunday, April 21
Shir Hadash is
conducting the 8th Annual Day to Repair the World (Yom Tikkun Olam). This day
is our opportunity to give back and make a difference in the world. Our
religious school students and their families, along with other members of the
congregation, will participate in activities of their choice. Activities
include crafts and bingo at a senior residence, clean-up at a nature center,
gathering and organizing books to be donated to schools in need, and making
greeting cards for Israeli soldiers. For complete descriptions, including times
and locations, click here. If you haven’t signed up yet, please contact Education Director Emily Ascher
ASAP at eddirector@shir-hadash.org. Please watch for a confirmation email to be
sure you have the correct information.
Updated project info:
- We need people for Bingo and Fun at Gidwitz! Sign up today, make some seniors happy.
- If you are going to The Grove, the time has changed to 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
- Please contact Judy Kleinman if you are interested in going to the Ark in Chicago (there may be a few slots open for non-7th grade families)
See you all on Sunday for Yom Tikkun Olam!
Religious School Open House
Do you have any friends who are shopping around for a
religious school for their children? If so, please invite them to our Religious
School Open House on Sunday, April 28, at 11:30. Be sure to tell them about our
fantastic, innovative once-a-week school – not to mention our beautiful new
building. For more information, contact Education Director Emily Ascher at eddirector@shir-hadash.org.Teen News
Teen Engagement Fair, April 28
Note: New Date, Time & Place!
The JUF Teen Engagement Fair will now be part of Israel Solidarity Day on
Sunday, April 28. This is a great event for 7th and 8th graders
and their families to show you how Jewish life really begins AFTER your b’nai
mitzvah, with travel opportunities, organizations, programs and more. Plus
they’ll have raffles, information, and lots of other activities. To learn more
and RSVP, visit http://juf.org/teen. Scroll down to “Community News” for detailed info on JUF’s
Israel Solidarity Day.
Madrichim
We will have 2 more meetings this year!
Meet on Sunday, April 28th at 8:45 a.m. to talk about the Open House
event scheduled for Sunday School on April 28th. We will also meet on
Sunday, May 5th to review the year.
Save the Date: Saturday evening, May 11th- High School event
with JRC. Details to follow...
stay tuned!
Creative Worship & Ritual
Upcoming Service:
April 19 -- Setting Our Jewish Compass (Set Your GPS for the
Synagogue)
On Friday, April 19 (7:30 pm), we have our next Friday night
service - and it will be our first full service in our synagogue! (We did have a very quick service there
a few weeks ago, coupled with the building discussion, but this one will be a
bit more leisurely. Plus, now we
actually own it!)
Given that we're
all finding our way to the new place, our topic for this service is very
relevant: How do we set our Jewish ‘compass,’ our conscience, for living a good
life? Well, the Holiness Code of Leviticus 19 (this week's Torah portion) forms
a list of great dos and don'ts for living a blessed and holy life. Yet the code was written more than
2,500 years ago. Do its precepts
still apply to us today? If not,
then how can we reconstruct them to speak to our lives? We’ll read Torah, study the ancient
teachings, and then break into small groups to craft our contemporary version
of the rules that can direct us in modern times. Plus, we'll have a baby naming! So don't miss it - and don't forget to
bring something for the oneg!
Adult Education
No Class on April 21
Due to Yom Tikkun Olam, there will be no adult ed class this week.
The Rabbi’s Corner
April 19-20, 2013 / 10 Iyar 5773
Day 25 of the Omer
Shabbat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim
Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1-20:27 / Haftarah
Portion: Amos 9:7-15
“Boston Marathon Tragedy”
Dear Friends,
How can we understand the horror of the bombing at this
year’s Boston Marathon? Who could do such a thing? One of
the commentators has explained that at the time of the bombing, most of the
runners on the course were ‘charity runners’ – those raising money for various
causes through their incredible athletic accomplishment. The
pictures are appalling.
This week’s Torah portion, Aharei Mot-Kedoshim, includes a
section called the “Holiness Code.” It is a list of rules for living
together as a caring community based on principles of common decency and the
rule of law. Amongst the laws is ‘Do not stand by the blood of your neighbor. I
am the Eternal One.’ Many scholars have weighed in on the meaning of
this line. For some, it means that we are not to do anything that
endangers our neighbor’s life. For others, it means that we are not
to abandon a fellow human being in their time of danger. Still
others interpret this line as telling us not to associate with those who are bloodthirsty
and seek to the harm of others.
On this day of national alarm, all three interpretations
shed light on this event….
To read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit
our website.
Donations
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund:
- Patrice Marks, in honor of the new home for Shir Hadash
Building Fund:
- Patrice Marks, in honor of Shir Hadash’s new home
- Susan and Sheldon Karlinsky, in honor Shir Hadash’s new home
- Lise and Sandi Schleicher,
- in memory of Florine Lesht, mother of Carole Mostow
- in memory of Manuel Fargotstein, father of Marc Fargotstein
- in memory of Sam Thompson
General Fund:
- Bernice and Laurence Lieberman, in memory of Florine Lesht, mother of Carole Mostow
Community News
Israel Solidarity Day
JUF is hosting its annual Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at the
2013 Israel Solidarity Day, which will be held on Sunday, April 28th at Ravinia
Festival in Highland Park. Event
highlights will include the Walk with Israel, fabulous all-day entertainment in
Ravinia’s Pavilion featuring the King David Drummers, The Maccabeats and
Matisyahu - acoustic, food for purchase and festivities for all ages.
The day’s agenda is as follows:
10:00 a.m. Teen J-Serve Project* (on site)
11:00 a.m. Registration opens
11:30 a.m. King David Drummers
12:15 p.m. The Maccabeats
1:00 p.m. Israel Solidarity Day Kickoff Rally
1:15 p.m. Three-Mile Walk with Israel & One-Mile Family
Walk
2:30 p.m. King David Drummers
3:00 p.m. Matisyahu - acoustic
4:00 p.m. Program concludes
* 8th to 12th graders are invited to participate in a
city-wide service project.
For detailed information and registration, visit the JUF website.
Parent & Family Connection for LGBTQ Jews
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 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 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.
Purchasing SHOP gift cards helps the shul raise much needed funds without
spending any more money than you already do for your regular expenses. Orders can be picked up at Sunday
school or the Shir Hadash office.
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 in minutes with ReloadNow™! Please remember, if you
pay by check, your reload purchase will be processed after the order is
released by your coordinator.
Remember,
using ScripNow is simple! To order, visit any of the brand
pages 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.
Now through May 24 (or while supplies last), a limited run
of the following plastic gift cards will be available:
* Barnes & Noble $5 Gift Card
* Target $10 GiftCard
* Panera Bread $5 Gift Card
Walmart® is offering a savings of 10 cents a gallon on gas
purchases made when using a Walmart Gift Card, effective through July 7, 2013.
Thanks to the following families for participating in Shop
this week:
* Weiner-Kaplow
* Elfant
* Zinbarg
* G. Graff
* Schleicher
* Andes
* Estes-Goldman
* Callistein
* Edler
* Farahmandpour
* Idelman
* Schmit
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