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
- Prospective Member Open House, October 24 – TONIGHT!
- Dining for Dollars Fundraiser: Buffalo Wild Wings, October 24 – TODAY!
- SH Theatre Outing, November 17
- Book Club
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
Creative Worship and Ritual
- No Services this Week
- “A Shabbat Sweet”, Friday, November 1
Volunteer Opportunities
- Soup Kitchen Opportunity
- Shir Hadash Supports PADS
- Office Help Needed
- Landscape Fall Clean Up
Music Notes
- Lights & Miracles
- Religious School Music
- Join the Lahaka
- More Hanukkah Music
The Rabbi’s Corner
- “To Do Instead of Merely to Pray”
Education
- Hebrew Homework Help
- Tzedakah
- Mark Your Calendars
Adult Ed
- Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes
Teen News
- High School in Israel Information Meeting, November 3
- SHY Lounge, November 7
- BBYO, November 7
- Madrichim, November 10
Donations
Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland
- “Old Jews Telling Jokes” – November 17
- ”Signs of Life”
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
Prospective Member Open House, October 24 –
TONIGHT!
Invite your
friends! Our open house is a great opportunity to learn about Shir Hadash! They will have the
chance to socialize with members, meet our Rabbi and Education Director, and
find out what we’re all about. Join us on October 24 from 7:00 to 8:30 at the
synagogue.
Dining for Dollars: Buffalo Wild Wings, October 24 – TODAY!
Shir Hadash Theatre
Outing: "Old Jews Telling Jokes" on November 17
Come share an afternoon of laughter with Shir Hadash friends
at the Royal George Theatre production of “Old Jews Telling Jokes”. (Scroll down to find the detailed description
and links in “Jewish Cultural Events.”) We have a group rate of $53/person for
the 2:00pm show on Sunday, November 17. Interested? Contact Meryl Abensohn,
abenkras@aol.com, as soon as possible to reserve your seat.
Book Club
The SH Book
Club had an energetic and engaging meeting in September. Fourteen SH members discussed My Russian
Grandmother and her American Vacuum Cleaner: A Memoir by Meir Shalev. We
delved into info about the second and third Aliyahs to Palestine, and also
shared our own European grandmothers’ and great-grandmothers’ cleaning habits.
The discussion was so lively that many of us stayed til 11:00pm! Many thanks to
Mickey Herbin for hosting.
Hungry Before or After Religious School (or
Anytime)?
The
Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove or Butterfield's 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
No Services this Week
Enjoy
celebrating Shabbat at home this week. We’ll see you back on Friday, November 1
(see below).
“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.
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. Our hope is that we can begin to
get more involved with PADS and provide them with more food as well as onsite
support and volunteer opportunities for our members.
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 about food donations. Once
we have a list of interested volunteers, Maureen Rivkin will be coordinating
and assigning volunteers as needed.
Thanks in advance for your support of this great organization!
Office Help Needed
Lillian could still use help in the Shir Hadash office on
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for the next few weeks. If you have time to
answer the phones and cover administrative tasks, please contact
volunteer@shir-hadash.org to fill some time slots.
Join our Landscape Clean-Up Team!
 |
| Tree Before... |
 |
| Tree After! |
The
Landscaping Committee was at it again last weekend clearing out the Buckthorn
and other overgrown areas under the large trees in the field directly to the
east of our synagogue building. As the before and after shots show, in less
than two hours five of us were able to clear out one of the trees. There are
only two more trees left and we could finish up this weekend if we have just
ten volunteers--we can do this! Please join us from 10am-12noon this Sunday.
This is a UGIVE event which means your teenager can earn service hours if he or
she attends. Contact Jodi Marvet at jlmarvet@comcast.net for more information.
Music Notes – News and Ideas from our Music Director
Lights & Miracles
It's less
than a month away now! Our "Lights & Miracles" celebration service will be held at Our Lady of the Brook on Friday, November 22 at 7:30. Plan to be there and join in the celebration as we give thanks,
in the spirit of both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving.
Religious School Music
We've
started to learn all sorts of Hanukkah songs, which we'll be singing at our
Lights & Miracles service. I hope you're planning to bring your children to
this special service so they'll be able to participate with their classmates in
performing these songs.
Lahaka
We're always
looking to welcome new members of Lahaka, the Shir Hadash adult choir. Come and
sing with us! Rehearsals are 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 Six13 offers a great version of "Haneirot Halalu"
The
Maccabeats perform this version of Matisyahu's "Shine"
And we can't
forget this now classic parody of the Katy Perry song "Firework" by
the Maccabeats - "Candlelight"
One of my
favorite Jewish children's artists, Mama Doni, wrote this lovely song,"Eight."
Finally,
here’s last year's hit from the Ein Prat Fountainheads - "iHanukkah"
More to come
as we edge ever closer to Hanukkah and Thanksgiving.
The Rabbi’s Corner
October 25-26, 2013 / 22 Heshvan 5774
Shabbat Chayei Sarah
Torah Portion: Genesis 23:1-25:18 / Haftarah Portion: I
Kings 1:1-31
“To Do Instead of Merely to Pray”
Dear Friends,
I am always so impressed by Rebecca, the second matriarch of
our Jewish tradition. She wasn’t one to
wait around for someone else to initiate.
She was a self-starter and one who could take matters into her own
hands.
This week’s Torah portion opens with the death of Sarah,
Isaac’s mother. For whatever reason,
Isaac was incapable of going out to seek a wife with whom to spend the rest of
his life. So, Abraham his father sent a
servant to bring a wife from the ancestral home in Mesopotamia. When the servant, Eliezer, reached his
destination and approached a well to water his animals, it was Rebecca who
showed up and took care of things. In Rebecca
Eliezer found a woman who had tenacity, assertiveness, and daring. He also found a woman of great caring,
sensitivity, and love. When he told her
of his mission to bring a wife for Isaac, she readily agreed to travel to
Canaan to marry. The portion ends with Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca.
Rebecca thus becomes a model of action and courage. She is not one to wait around for something
to happen. Rather, she gets involved and
makes things happen….
To read the rest of the Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit our website.
Education
Hebrew Homework Check!
Please make
sure to read any notes from your child's teacher. Take a look in
their bag, at that random sheet of paper on the front table, or what's left in
the back seat of your car--it could be Hebrew homework. While we don't want our students to become
"stressed out" about Sunday school homework, we advise a level of
consistency with their studies. If you have questions, please email one of our
very pleasant-to-talk-to Sunday school teachers.
Tzedakah
We make a living by what we get, but we make
a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill
Much to our
Sunday school administrator Gloria Kaplan's chagrin, we have noticed a grand
decline in our tzedakah collections. Please discuss with your child the value
of giving tzedakah. Tzedakah is
collected every Sunday, and at the end of the school year the students will
decide as a group where to donate their tzedakah money. Let's support our
children in their efforts to give tzedakah, it's a mitzvah!
Mark Your Calendars
Nov.
4--Havayah
Nov.
15--Shabbat Services led by Gan-3
Nov.
18--Havayah
Nov.
22--Lights and Miracles at SH
Nov.
24—Hannukah at Sunday School
Dec. 1--NO
SCHOOL
Dec.
2--Havayah
Dec. 22--NO
SCHOOL
Dec. 29--NO
SCHOOL
Jan
17--Shabbat Services led by 7th Grade
Feb.7--
Shabbat Services led by 4-6th Grades
Feb.16--NO
SCHOOL (Kallah for 6th-12th Grades)
Mar.
15—Purim
Mar. 23--NO
SCHOOL
Mar. 30--NO
SCHOOL
May 11--NO
SCHOOL
May 18--
Last day of school
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 very
first meeting was a huge success!
Joining ten Shir Hadash teens were our regional directors, Marty &
Celia, and four teens from other BBYO chapters. The teens chose a name: Ra'am
(thunder) a mascot: Flash and will choose officers at our next meeting. We need 12 members to make it official! Click here to sign up.
Next meeting: Thursday, November 7 @ 6:00: Pizza dinner and
chapter elections. 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
Our Sunday
adult discussion groups are getting underway! Join us this week for Torah and
Philosophy at 9:45 with Fred Andes, followed by Hebrew Reading at 10:45 with
Steve Lewin. Rooms at the synagogue TBA. For more information, contact Fred
Andes, frederic.andes@btlaw.com.
Donations
To the General Fund:
Roberta
Schwartz, in honor of Rivian Rosenbloom’s special birthday.
Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland
"Old Jews Telling Jokes" at the
Royal George Theatre – November 17
Join your Shir Hadash friends for this
long-running Off-Broadway show playing at the Royal George Theatre. Click here to visit the theatre’s website. Shir Hadash is going to the show on
Sunday, November 17 at 2:00pm. Our group rate is $53 per person. 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 and Dine for Dollars!
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 or at Sunday School. For more information, visit our SHOP page
on the website.
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
Get your Buffalo
Wild Wings Gift Cards here!
New ScripNow
Retailers:
- P.F. Chang’s
- Kohl’s
Bonus
Contributions:
- LL Bean – 2% Bonus through October 25
- Home Depot – 1% through October 25
- Bosco’s – 2% through November 1
- iTunes – 5% October 26 – November 8
- Petco – 1% October 26 – November 8
Between now and
October 31, 2013, you could earn $100 in your choice of ShopWithScrip.com gift
cards for every new organization that enrolls and places an order. When you
refer a new organization, they will receive free shipping on their first order!
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
- Lewin
- LItman
- Rothblatt
- Gessner
- Aber
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