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
- Free Fire Wood – Come and Get It!
- Book Club, December 5
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
Creative Worship and Ritual
- “A Shabbat Sweet”, Friday, November 1
Volunteer Opportunities
- Soup Kitchen Opportunity, November 10
- Shir Hadash Supports PADS
Music Notes
- Religious School Music
- Lights & Miracles
- Lahaka
- More Hanukkah Music
The Rabbi’s Corner
- “Real Strength and Power”
Education
- Check Out Our Education Director’s Blog
- Shabbat Service Starring Grades Gan – 3: November 15
Teen News
- High School in Israel Information Meeting, November 3
- SHY Lounge, November 7
- BBYO, November 7
- Madrichim, November 10
Adult Ed
- Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed
Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland
- Shir Hadash Artists on Display, November 1
- “Old Jews Telling Jokes”
- ”Signs of Life”
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
Warm Up with Some Free Firewood
There’s a
chill in the air, but we’ve got what you need to warm up! Loads of wood from
our recent landscape clearing projects have been stacked against the exterior
wall of the synagogue. Help yourself to as much as you can carry! Be sure to
stop by ASAP – by next week, any leftovers will be carried away. Thanks for helping!
Book Club
Our next
selection for the Shir Hadash Book Club
is The Slave, by Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Yiddish story of a Jewish
scholar sold into slavery in 17th
century Poland who falls in love with his gentile master's daughter. We will
meet Thursday, December 5 at 7:30pm at the home of Rebecca Rice in Northbrook.
Contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com for more information.
Hungry Before or After Religious School (or
Anytime)?
The
Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove or Butterfields Restaurant in
Northbrook permanently will donate 5% of your total bill to Shir Hadash! No
flyer needed – just mention Shir Hadash when you are paying or fill out the
Shir Hadash book behind the desk. A
great way to start or end Religious school!
Creative Worship and Ritual
“A Shabbat Sweet” Service, November 1
Be sure to
join us for a very special musical experience for Shabbat on Friday, November 1
at 7:30pm. We will be treated to “A Shabbat Sweet,” a unique service that
combines ancient Jewish prayers with original melodies by Chicago musician (and
JRC member) Billy Kaplan. Guest musicians and vocalists will join forces with
Shir Hadash performers for a night everyone will enjoy. For more information
about “A Shabbat Sweet,” visit www.ashabbatsweet.com.
Mark Your Calendars: Lights & Miracles
Service, November 22 at OLB
Don’t miss a
true Shir Hadash tradition – the annual Lights & Miracles Hanukkah Service.
Bring your family and friends to share in our celebration of Hanukkah music and
traditions, with a special Thanksgiving twist especially for this unusual year.
Latkes and cranberry sauce, anyone?
To
accommodate a great turnout, this year’s service will be held at Our Lady of
the Brook, 3300 Dundee Road in Northbrook. Come ready to sing, dance, laugh,
and be inspired! Our service starts at 7:30pm.
Volunteer Opportunities
Soup Kitchen Volunteers Needed
On Sunday,
November 10th, Shir Hadash 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 (about
10-12 families). There is no age limit to volunteer, but from past experience,
kids should be at least 6 years old to fully participate. Each family will be responsible for bringing
an entrée that will feed 15 to 20 individuals, one gallon of milk, one gallon
of orange juice, one large bag frozen mixed vegetables, one large bag of fruit
(oranges, bananas, etc.) and dessert.
If you are
interested in helping, please contact Mark Lenhart before November 1st at
mjlenhart@comcast.net. More information will be sent to all volunteers
approximately one week before the event.
After this, the next opportunity to volunteer for the Soup Kitchen will
be February 2014.
Shir Hadash Supports PADS Shelters for the Homeless
The Shir
Hadash Social Action Committee is excited to announce a new partnership with
the PADS Shelter Program in Northern Cook County. PADS provides hospitality, food, and
overnight emergency shelter to the homeless between October 1 and April 30,
seven days a week (including holidays).
Please visit their website to learn about the vital services PADS
provides.
Initially,
Shir Hadash will be providing some portion of the food needed at the Tuesday
PADS Site located at the Kingswood United Methodist Church in Buffalo Grove. At
this point, we are just collecting names of interested people who are willing
and able to provide food once or twice a season, depending on the number of
volunteers we get. If you are interested
in helping, please contact Mark Lenhart at mjlenhart@comcast.net for detailed information. Maureen Rivkin will be coordinating and
assigning volunteers as needed. Thanks
in advance for your support of this great organization!
Music Notes – News and Ideas from our Music Director
Religious School Music
I hope your
children are enjoying their musical experiences in school this year. Each week,
we learn something new, review something old, borrow something else and try to
avoid the blues. Also, be on the lookout, after Hanukkah, for news about Kolit,
our Youth Choir.
Lights & Miracles
Is your Menurkey
(Hannuturkiah?) ready yet? This year's Lights & Miracles service on Friday,
November 22, will be a celebration of this once in a lifetime overlap of the
first day of Hanukkah with Thanksgiving. Don't be there, be square. Be there,
sing a round!
Lahaka
Sing in the
shower? To borrow from another religion, why keep your light under a bushel?
We're always looking to welcome new members of Lahaka, the Shir Hadash adult
choir. Rehearsals on Wednesdays at
7:30pm at Shir Hadash. If you're interested, contact Adrian at music.director@shir-hadash.org.
More Hanukkah Music
The Jewish a
capella group StandFour offers this Hanukkah Mashup.
As you may
have guessed, I'm a big fan of parody. Try this one: “Hanukkah is Coming toTown.”
Here's
"S'vivon, Sov, Sov, Sov" like you've never heard it before!
Stayed tuned
in the coming weeks for more!
The Rabbi’s Corner
November 1-2, 2013 / 29 Heshvan 5774
Torah - Genesis 25:19 - 28:9
Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18 - 20:42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
“Real Strength & Power”
Dear Friends,
Isaac understood the difference between his two sons, Esau
and Jacob. Esau was the bold hunter and
man of the field – who quickly and eagerly sold his birthright for Jacob’s
lentil soup – because he was hungry. Jacob
was the ordinary shepherd and dweller in camp that saw a way of rising in
leadership and status – and was willing to skip a meal if that’s what it
took. In the Torah, Esau symbolizes
physical strength and impulsiveness and Jacob, intellectual knowledge and
planning. Esau symbolizes simplicity,
while Jacob represents the complex.
Our society prefers the strong man to the smart man….
To read the rest of the Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit our website..
Education
Check Out the Education Blog
Our
Education Director Emily Ascher shares school news, photos, and insights in her
weekly blog. Click here to see what’s new!
Shabbat Starring Gan through Grade 3,
November 15
Friday,
November 15th will be a special Shabbat service led by the Gan Yeladim, First,
Second, and Third graders (Rabbi Eitan too!). This service is quite fun and a
chance for the children to get used to standing on the bima and leading the
prayers they are working on in Sunday school.
We also get to bless our children and sing some songs together. Please let me know if you are interested in
hosting a pre-service pizza dinner in our beautiful kitchen -- it's really fun
and a great way to start a family tradition. This is a perfect opportunity for
bonding with other Shir Hadash families--don't miss out.
Teen News
High School in Israel Information Meeting
for Teens and Parents
On Sunday,
November 3rd from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Teen Lounge, AMHSI Representative,
Dana Klein will meet with us to talk about their programs for High School
students.
Alexander Muss High School in Israel, known as HSI or AMHSI, is the only pluralist,
non-denominational, co-educational English language study abroad program in
Israel for high school students. AMHSI was founded in 1972 and boasts over
22,000 alumni. They provide teens the opportunity to spend part of the academic
school year or summer in Israel during the sophomore, junior or senior year of
high school on a fully accredited academic and fun experience, earning high
school and college credit. Come hear about the programs offered from the Midwest
representative.
SHY Lounge
On Thursday,
November 7th from 7-8:30 pm, come hear Shir Hadash senior Claire Marvet talk
about the documentary Blood Brother,
a powerful film about a young American who dedicates himself to working in an
HIV/AIDS hostel for poverty-stricken children in India. Claire is hosting a
special showing of the film on November 20th at the AMC Showplace in Vernon Hills,
with proceeds benefiting the children of the hostel. Click here for
details about the documentary and ticket information.
BBYO
Our next
meeting will be next Thursday, November 7 at 6:00. We’ll share a pizza dinner
and hold chapter elections. (Remember,
you must be officially registered with BBYO in order to be elected as an
officer. Sign up here.) After the
meeting, stay for the presentation by Claire Marvet about Blood Brother.
Madrichim
Next
meeting: Sunday, November 10th at 8:40
am.
Adult Education
Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan
Weiner-Kaplow
Thursdays,
noon-1:00pm in the Shir Hadash Kitchen/Cafe
Join Shir
Hadash members and friends for a refreshing and contemporary exploration of the
weekly Torah portion. Don’t be surprised
if archaeology, sociology, contemporary world affairs as well as law, medicine,
and business ethics enter the lively conversation as we plumb the deeper
meanings of Judaism’s core text.
Participants are encouraged to share their views, questions, and
opinions. Each month, one of the class
sessions will be devoted to the Chai Mitzvah curriculum.
Sunday Morning Adult Ed
Join us on
November 3 for “Torah and Philosophy”class at 9:45 with Fred Andes. For more
information, contact Fred at frederic.andes@btlaw.com.
Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland
Shir Hadash Artists on Display, Nov. 1
Janie Baskin
of Unframed Heart and, in an exclusive product preview, Bonny Davidson of
Faerie Castle Marzipan are among 24+ artists featured at The Holiday Hidden
Treasures Art Show on Friday, November 1, from noon to 7:00 pm at The Garlands
of Barrington, 1000 Garlands Lane, in Barrington. $5 donation benefits Young at
Heart Senior Dog and Cat Rescue. For more information, contact Bonny at
beedee2@earthlink.net or Janie at janiebaskinart@gmail.com.
"Old Jews Telling Jokes" at the
Royal George Theatre
This
long-running Off-Broadway show will be playing at the Royal George Theatre from
September 24 through January 26. Click here to visit the theatre’s website. Shir Hadash is going to the show on
Sunday, November 17 at 2:00pm; contact Meryl Abensohn, abenkras@aol.com,
for details.
“Signs of Life” at the Victory Gardens
Theatre
A
surprising, moving new musical, “Signs of Life” tells the true story of
Terezin, a Czech military town that was transformed into a “model” Jewish
ghetto. The captive residents, many of whom were artists and intellectuals,
were forced to beautify their environment in an effort by the authorities to
hide the true nature of the regime from the Red Cross and the International
Community. Highly recommended! “Signs of Life” plays at Victory Gardens through
October 27. Click here to visit the theatre’s website for more information.
SHOP Shir Hadash
SHOP for Hanukkah!
SHOP is our
congregation’s ongoing fundraiser – and the easiest way to support the shul
without spending an extra dime! Purchase giftcards through SHOP and the vendors
pay a percentage back to Shir Hadash. SHOP orders of at least $400 are now payable by
credit card, as well as annual SHOP orders. Orders can be picked up at the
synagogue office. For more information, visit our SHOP page http://shir-hadash.org/SHOP on the website.
To prepare for
the holidays, ShopWithScrip.com is upgrading their servers this Saturday,
November 2, between 3:00am and 7:00am Eastern time. During this time you may
experience periodic slow response or unavailability on ScripNow delivery and
ReloadNow processing. We really appreciate your patience!
While supplies
last, a limited run of the following plastic gift cards will be available:
- Barnes & Noble $5 Gift Card
- Panera Bread $5 Gift Card
Bonus
Contributions:
- Home Depot – 1% Bonus extended through TOMORROW, Nov. 1
- Bosco’s – 2% extended through TOMORROW November 1
- iTunes – 5% through Nov. 8
- Petco – 1% through Nov. 8
- Bass Pro Shops – 3% through Nov. 8
- Belk – 2% through Nov. 15
- Black Angus – 1% through Nov. 15
- Boston Market – 2% through Nov. 15
- JC Penney – 1% through Nov. 15
- Kmart – 3% through Nov. 15
- Red Robin – 3% through Jan. 3
- Restaurant.com – 10% through Nov. 29
- Sears – 3% through Nov. 15
Thank-Scrip-ing
Day will be back for Thanksgiving, November 28, with a whole new set of
retailers and ScripNow bonuses! Plus, we still have a lot of different bonuses
you can see on our Special Offers page, and we'll have more exciting news about
upcoming events like free shipping, special coupons, and more. Contact Gina
Zinbarg, gzinbarg@sbcglobal.net, for more information.
Thanks to the
following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Weiner-Kaplow
- Estes-Goldman
- Idelman
- M. Graff
- Gassman
- Weiss
