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
- Important All-Synagogue "Town Hall" Meeting, March 9
- “Living the Chai Life” Gala: A Resounding Success!
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Saturday Bar Mitzvah Service: March 1, 4:30 at the Westin
- Coming This Spring: Family and Tot Shabbat Services
Music Notes
- Purim Online
- Lahaka Adult Choir
Education
- Visit the Education Director’s Blog
- Purim Festivities, March 16
- Yom Tikkun Olam, April 13
Teen News
- BBYO – Bowling Party, March 1
- NEW! Purim Carnival, March 16
- JRF National Kallah, March 21-23
The Rabbi’s Corner
- “Acting with Integrity and Honesty”
Adult Ed
- Crash Course in Basic Judaism
- Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes
Community Events
- Dr. Amy-Jill Levine at OLB, April 3 & 4
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
Important – All-Synagogue Town Hall
Meeting, March 9
The entire
Shir Hadash Community is invited to a Town Hall meeting on Sunday March 9 from
3:00 - 5:00 pm at the synagogue. The
leadership will share important updates, review our accomplishments in our
first year in the building, and discuss plans for the coming years that will
impact all our members. Your input and
ideas are needed! Please make time in your schedule to participate in this
important discussion. For more
information contact Jeff Wallk, at president@shir-hadash.org.
”Living the Chai Life” Gala a Resounding
Success
- The tireless Gala Committee, including Maggie Cain, Glenn Graff, Kathy LaMorte, Jennifer Lenhart, Carly Matt, Carrie Matt, Lise Schleicher, Peggy Sharpe, and Lynn Weingardt.
- All the Shir Hadash members who donated items and services for the silent auction and that bought tickets and attended the Gala
- Local businesses that donated items and services for the silent auction and the hard working Shir Hadash members that requested those donations
- The event
sponsors whose donations helped make the evening a financial success.
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
Shabbat Saturday Service: March 1, 4:30pm.
There will
be no Friday night service at the synagogue this Friday. On Saturday, our
Shabbat service will be held at The Westin Hotel in Wheeling at 4:30pm, as we
celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Ethan Schwartz, son of Karen Schwartz and Steven
Schwartz.
Coming Soon: Tot Shabbat and Family
Services!
This Spring,
Shir Hadash will host several early Friday evening services, perfect for
families with younger kids! Tot Shabbat
is for kids up to age 6, Family Services are geared to grades K-3. Each service has stories, songs and special
activities designed for these age groups. Invite your friends! These family
services are a great way to introduce young families to Shir Hadash; all are
welcome.
These special
services are at the kid-friendly times of 6:15 - 7 pm on selected Friday
evenings:
- March 7 Tot Shabbat
- April 4 Family Service
- May 2 Tot Shabbat
- June 6 Family Service
We also need
families to volunteer as greeters for these services, to welcome guests and let
people know all about the Shir Hadash community. If you can help with this important mitzvah,
please contact Suzanne Wexler, volunteer@shir-hadash.org.
Music Notes – News and Ideas from our Music Director
Purim Online
Looking for
all things Purim online? Look no further than Jacob Richman's Purim Holiday Hotsite for 2014/5774. Educational, musical, video, and all sorts of resources from around the
world.
Lahaka (Adult Choir)
Our adult
choir, Lahaka is meeting regularly on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month
at 7:30pm. If you like to sing and be part of a warm, friendly, fun-loving
group, come join us. For more information contact Adrian Durlester at
music.director@shir-hadash.org.
Education
Visit the Education Director’s Blog
Education
Director Emily Ascher’s blog has loads of pictures and news about everything
happening at Religious School. Click here to see it all.
Sunday School Purim Festivities, March 16
We are
thrilled to announce a Shir Hadash Day of Purim Festivities! Teachers and
Students are encouraged to wear costumes.
- Schedule for the Day:
- 9:15 a.m. -10:15 a.m Purim Studies (students go to their classrooms)
- 10:20 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. Purim Shpiel (All Members Welcome), Costume Parade (with Prizes), and More
- 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Shir Hadash Youth-Run Purim Carnival – see Teen News below for ticket information.
Join in with
the fun! Any parents, members, or students interested in helping with any
aspect of our Day of Purim Festivities, please email Education Director Emily
Ascher at eddirector@shir-hadash.org or Music Director Adrian Durlester at
music.director@shir-hadash.org.
Yom Tikkun Olam, April 13
The Education
Committee is looking for help with our Annual Yom Tikkun Olam (Day to Repair
the World), to be held on Sunday, April 13th. If you have ideas and/or would be
available to lead a group that Sunday, please contact Education Director Emily
Ascher at eddirector@shir-hadash.org.
Teen News
Shir Hadash Ra’am BBYO: Cosmic Bowling,
March 1
Everyone is
invited for an evening of Cosmic Bowling at Brunswick in Deerfield on Saturday,
March 1st from 7:00 - 9:00. $20 includes
bowling, shoes, popcorn & soda. All
8th-12th graders are invited to this event. You don’t have to belong to
BBYO or Shir Hadash – bring your friends! Please RSVP to raambbyo@gmail.com so
we know to save a spot for you.
NEW! Purim Carnival Sponsored by Shir Hadash Ra’am
BBYO, March 16
Our first Shir Hadash Ra'am BBYO-run Purim Carnival will be held from 11:30 to 1:00 on Sunday, March 16, after
a shortened Sunday School day (featuring a Purim spiel and Megillah reading).
We will offer a pizza lunch, bake sale, games, and prizes. Tickets will be sold in $5 increments.
Shir Hadash Ra'am BBYO Board meeting, March
6
The Ra’am
BBYO Board will meet on Thursday, March 6th at 7:00pm in the Shir Hadash Board
Room. All members are welcome to attend.
JRF National Kallah
The weekend
of March 21 - 23, 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 Chicago! This amazing
weekend will be a great opportunity for you to meet other teens, have fun, take
part in experiential Jewish learning, sing and dance, hang out, explore
Chicago, and be part of our exciting youth movement.
REGISTER
NOW! The cost of the weekend is only
$375 for registration forms that are postmarked by March 3. Included in this amount are accommodations at the Embassy
Suites Chicago - Downtown/Lakefront, meals (Friday dinner through Sunday
breakfast), and all program and entry fees. Click here for registration and
more info!
The Rabbi’s Corner
February 28-March 1, 2014 / 29 Adar I 5774
Shabbat Pikudei
Torah: Exodus 38:21 - 40:38
Maftir: Exodus 30:11 - 30:16 | Shabbat Shekalim
Haftarah: II Kings 12:1 - 12:17 | Shabbat Shekalim
“Acting with
Integrity and Honesty”
Dear
Friends,
‘Tax season’
is upon us. It is time to collect our
records from 2013 and either submit them to qualified accountants or sit down
and fill out the paperwork at home.
Hopefully everyone is working on this important project now and not
waiting until the last stressful minute. I do all my record keeping on the
computer, updating from week to week throughout the whole year. That way, I can generate reports each month
and keep files with receipts clipped and arranged chronologically from January
to December. So, when it comes to tax
preparation, everything is ready to go with a few mouse clicks.
This week’s
Torah portion, Pikudei, describes how Moses kept track of all the donations
that came from the Children of Israel towards the construction of the mishkan -
the portable desert tent of worship....
Click here to
read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner on the Shir Hadash website.
Adult Education
NEW! Crash Course in Basic Judaism
- Five Monday evenings (2/4, 3/31. 4/28, 5/26, and 6/9), 8 to 9:30 p.m., led by Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
In this
free, five-part crash course, Rabbi Weiner-Kaplow will explore: Belief in God,
Prayer, The Shabbat, Jewish Observance and Sexuality. Participants will learn
the basics of Judaism and receive a free copy of the Companion Guide chock-full
of thought-provoking, extra-curricular reading to enhance their understanding
and appreciation of the depth and breadth of Judaism. This program is presented
in conjunction with the National Jewish Outreach Project. All are welcome:
members and non-members, Jews and non-Jews, family and friends. Click here to
view the program flyer.
Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan
Weiner-Kaplow
Join Shir
Hadash members and friends for a refreshing and contemporary exploration of the
weekly Torah portion. This informal
group meets on Thursdays from noon to 1:00 in the Shir Hadash Kitchen/Café. All
are welcome.
Sunday Morning Adult Ed
We hope you
will join us for Torah and Philosophy at 9:45 with Fred Andes, followed by
Hebrew Reading at 10:45 with Steve Lewin. For more information, contact Fred
Andes, frederic.andes@btlaw.com.
Community Events
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine at OLB, April 3 & 4
Our Lady of
the Brook parish invites Shir Hadash members for a special “scholar in
residence” program featuring Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of Jewish Studies
at Vanderbilt Divinity School and author of The Misunderstood Jew – The
Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus. Dr. Levine will speak on
Thursday evening, April 3, and Friday morning, April 4, at OLB, 3300 Dundee
Road in Northbrook. More details on times will be coming soon. Her
presentations are free of charge and open to all. For more information, contact
Deacon Peery Duderstadt, peery@olb.org.
SHOP Shir Hadash
SHOP is our
congregation’s ongoing fundraiser – and the easiest way to support the shul
without spending an extra dime! Purchase gift cards 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.
Brookstone® is pleased to offer a 2% bonus contribution
through Friday, February 28. Customers who purchase Brookstone ScripNow® eCards
will receive a 14% contribution instead of the standard 12%.
TGI Friday’s Bonus Bites: Get a FREE $5 TGI Fridays Bonus Bites
electronic coupon simply by order TGI Fridays products on ShopWithScript.com
redeemable between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2014.
Bass Pro Shops® is excited to announce a 4% bonus contribution
starting Saturday, March 1 and running through Friday, March 14.
Thanks to the
following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Fisher-Rohde
- Fargotstein
- G. Graff
- Idelman
- Andes
- Friedman
- Wexler
