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
- New: Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund
- Invite Your Friends -- Religious School Open House, April 6
- Pizza Dinner and Movie Night Postponed
- Community Passover Seder, April 15
- New: “Israel in a Shifting Middle East”, April 29
- Save the Date: Annual Meeting, May 18
- Be Kind – Donate In-Kind!
- Help Shir Hadash by Shopping Smart at iGive
- Book Club, April 24
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Services: Friday, April 4
Volunteer Opportunities
- New: “Passover in the Matzah Aisle”, April 6 and 13
- Passover Food Basket Distribution, April 6
Music Notes
- Online Resources for Passover
- Lahaka Adult Choir
Education
- Visit the Education Director’s Blog
- Yom Tikkun Olam, April 13
Teen News
- Shir Hadash Ra’am BBYO Announcements
Adult Ed
- Crash Course in Basic Judaism
- Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes
Donations
Wellness Section
- This Week’s Wellness Tip
Community Events
- Dr. Amy-Jill Levine at OLB, April 3 and 4
- New: "This Cup is for All of Us" Interfaith Seder, April 10
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming Events
New: Matching Opportunity for Scholarship Fund
We are
thrilled to announce the creation of the Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund, a
need-based fund for children whose families cannot afford to pay for their
Jewish education at Shir Hadash.
Our congregation
strongly believes that all of our children should be able to attend our
religious school and become Bar or Bat Mitzvah, even when financial
circumstances make it difficult for their families to afford school
tuition. Melanie and Fred Andes have created this fund in memory of Fred’s
great-uncle Samuel I. Andes, who was a staunch advocate of education, both religious
and secular, and have graciously offered to match all donations to the fund up
to $11,000.00.
Please help
your Shir Hadash community reach this fantastic goal by making as generous a
donation to this fund as you can. You
can donate online by clicking here,
or by mailing a check to Shir Hadash, 200 West Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL 60090.
(Make out checks to Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue and write “Scholarship”
on the memo line.)
Many thanks
to Melanie and Fred for creating this wonderful tribute, and to all of you who
support this effort!
Invite Your Friends! Religious School Open
House, April 6
Make sure to
tell your friends about our Religious School Open House on Sunday, April 6,
from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. We want to share our wonderful, unique school with
more children and more families! Email Emily Asher at eddirector@shir-hadash.org
for more information.
Movie Night and Pizza Dinner Postponed
Our
previously announced Prince of Egypt movie night will be rescheduled for a
later date.
Community Passover Seder, April 15
Join the
entire Shir Hadash community for our first Passover seder in our synagogue! We
will gather on the second night of Passover, April 15, from 6:00 to 10:00pm.
Rabbi Eitan will lead our seder, to be followed by a delicious potluck dinner.
Please plan
to bring veggie/dairy dishes using Kosher for Passover ingredients. Fish is
welcome, as are recipes from Ashkenazi and Sephardic tradition. Visit the website for detailed guidelines on what to bring and how to label ingredients.
Space is
limited, so please register as soon as possible. The final deadline is April
11. Admission is $18 for adult members, $25 for adult non-members, and $10 for
children ages 4 to 12; children ages three and under are free.
We also will
need volunteers to bring supplies for seder plates and help with set-up. Visit the website for details, or contact Melanie Andes at fmandes@comcast.net to
volunteer. We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration on April 15!
NEW: “Israel in a Shifting Middle East”
Presentation, April 29
Save the Date: Annual Meeting, May 18
The Shir
Hadash 2014 annual meeting will be held on Sunday, May 18 at 9:30am at the
synagogue. (Since that is also the last day of Religious School for the year,
the meeting will be followed at 11:30 by the annual School Assembly.) At the
meeting, the Board will share important long-term plans for the synagogue, and
the members will be asked to vote on nominees for open positions on the Board
and to approve the Shir Hadash 2014-15 budget. Please plan to attend this
important meeting of our entire community.
Be Kind – Donate In-Kind!
Did you know
that Shir Hadash has an evolving wish list of items needed around the building?
If you’re doing some spring cleaning, organizing your office, or exploring a garage sale, keep an eye out for items that would be useful for the
synagogue. Click here for some ideas of things that we need – and thank you!
Help Shir Hadash by Shopping Smart at iGive
iGive is
another great way to help Shir Hadash raise much-needed funds, without spending
an extra dime yourself. Every time you shop at any of the 1,400+ online stores
in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits Shir Hadash.
It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through
iGive. In fact, smart shoppers will enjoy iGive's repository of coupons, free
shipping deals, and sales. To get started, just create your free iGive account
by visiting www.iGive.com/shir-hadash. Thanks for your support!
Book Club
Our April book will be Unorthodox: The Scandalous
Rejection of my Hasidic Roots, by Deborah Feldman. Everyone is invited to
our next meeting, to be held on April 24 at the Zwick family home, 385 Castlewood
Lane in Deerfield. For more information, contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
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
Shabbat Services, Friday, April 4
Family
Service, 6:15pm
Our first
service this Friday is intended for families with children in kindergarten
through 3rd grade. Rabbi Eitan and Lauren Shook will lead a lively service that
includes the Shabbat prayers along with story, song, and dance. It’s an interactive experience not to be missed! Following the service, we will enjoy refreshments and a Shabbat activity with Lauren Shook. Bring treats to share at
the oneg refreshments. Rabbi Eitan will do some wine tasting for the adults.
“Preparing
for Passover: Haggadahs, Songs, Recipes, and Stories for your Pesach Seder,” 7:30pm
What are
your family’s favorite Pesach traditions? Do you sit on the floor for your
seder? Make paper origami frogs for the
Ten Plagues? Beat each other with leeks
during the singing of Dayenu? Have the children hide the afikoman from each
other? Join Rabbi Eitan and fellow Shir
Hadash members for a Shabbat service and discussion about exciting ways to
spice up your Passover seders. This is
an idea swap, so bring your best ideas to share with the community. Of course,
bring great treats to share at the oneg refreshments. Rabbi Eitan will lead another
great wine tasting adventure.
Volunteer Opportunities
“Passover in the Matzah Aisle”
Once again
we will be setting up a table and offering samples of charoset, chocolate matzah
and other Passover treats, as well as recipe cards and information about Shir
Hadash. We will be at TWO locations this year:
- Northbrook Garden Fresh Market on Skokie Blvd, April 6 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
- Buffalo Grove Garden Fresh Market at Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads, April 13 from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Volunteers
will set up the table with food samples, collect contact information and be
friendly! Contact Lynne Arons 847-732-7001, Rzldzl122@aol.com for more
information or to volunteer.
Passover Food Baskets
Once again
this year, Shir Hadash will be joining with Maot Chitim of Greater Chicagoland
to help them pack and deliver Passover food baskets for needy Jewish families
all over the Chicago area. We packed last Sunday; delivery will take place this
Sunday, April 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Buffalo Grove/Wheeling
area. We will be delivering 105 food
packages, which will be in large boxes weighing approximately 20 lbs.
each. If you are interested in helping,
please contact Mark Lenhart, mjlenhart@comcast.net for details.
The Rabbi’s Corner
April 4-5, 2014 / 5 Nisan 5774
Shabbat Metzorah
Torah: Leviticus 14:1 – 15 / Haftarah: II Kings 7:3 - 7:20
“A Blight on our Houses”
Dear
Friends,
Dawn and I
just returned from an exciting spring break trip to San Diego. There we took in the sights and sounds of the
beautiful beaches, tide pools, seals and sea lions, parks, and of course, the
San Diego Zoo. The Gaslamp Quarter has
special historical charm with its lovely restaurants and galleries. But, amidst
all the splendor and delight, the large number of street people in the San
Diego area - the hungry, the needy, the homeless, and the poor - caught our
attention.
While I am
sure that the local officials are doing what they can to help, there is
obviously more assistance that is needed.
The same goes for our own communities, both in Chicago and the suburbs. Throughout America, there are huge numbers of
the homeless that need our help.
This week’s
Torah portion speaks about the plague of tzara’at or leprosy that can affect
both the body and the home. It is a
blight that rips into both healthy flesh and plastered walls and turns them to
rot. The Torah teaches that treatment
can be found in bathing, cleaning, as well as sunshine and fresh air. The most important teaching here is that we
are commanded to do something…
To read the
rest of the Rabbi’s Corner on our website, click here.
Music Notes – News and Ideas from our Music Director
Online Resources for Passover
Looking for ideas and information
to enhance your Pesach celebration? Click here for a collection of outstanding
resources.
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, 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
Religious School Open House, April 6
Make sure to invite your friends to our Open House on Sunday, April 6,
from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. We want to share our school with more children and
more families! Email eddirector@shir-hadash.org for more information.
Yom Tikkun Olam--Sunday, April 13th
Registration
is now open for service activities on Shir Hadash’s Annual Day to Repair the
World (Yom Tikkun Olam). Sunday, April 13 will be our day to give back and make
a difference in the world. Our religious school students and their families,
along with members of the congregation, will participate in activities that will
inspire all of us. Be sure to join us, and bring your friends!
The day starts with a “Community Kick-off” led by Rabbi Eitan at Shir Hadash. After
that, we split into service project groups, some at the synagogue and some
off-site. Click here to review the options and register for
your favorite activities! We encourage families to choose one activity to do
together. We also encourage extended
families and friends who may not be members to participate as well. The cost of the program is $18 for each
immediate family (for example, if grandparents are also attending, please
register for two families for a total of $36). For more information, contact
Education Director Emily Ascher, eddirector@shir-hadash.org.
Teen News
Shir Hadash Ra’am BBYO Announcements
Four things
to note on your calendar, BBYO members and friends:
- BBYO Spring Convention for Great Midwest Region: April 25-27 at the Westin in Wheeling. Click here to register on-line. Apply before 4/1: $260 after 4/1 the fee increases to $290. Scholarships are available - apply directly to gmr@bbyo.org.
- Important!! Our Board meeting has been rescheduled to April 10 at 7:00pm. If you are in charge of an April event, please be sure to submit your outline at least three weeks prior to the event date.
- Save the Date, Part I – Yom Tikkun Olam event with 5th-8th graders, April 13. We’ll be doing some baking for Passover. Parents are welcome to either drop off kids or join in! Watch for more details to come.
- Save the Date, Part II – Ra’am BBYO Teen Seder, April 17. Again, details coming soon!
Adult Education
Crash Course in Basic Judaism
Monday evenings (4/28, 5/26, and 6/9), 8:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Taught by
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
There are
three sessions still to come in the Rabbi’s crash course, exploring topics like
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 our 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
Sunday
morning classes will be on break March 23 and 30, along with the rest of the
Religious School. We hope you will join us in April 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.
Wellness Section
This Week’s Wellness Tip – Be Moderate in
Alcohol Use
Think of
every beer, glass of wine or cocktail as a glass of calories. Many experts say
that a glass of wine with dinner is basically good for health. But a few
cocktails in the course of an evening slow down your metabolism, reduce brain
function, and help you to put on weight.
Many thanks to SH member Jennifer Dumrauf
for her wellness tips. Watch future issues for more great ideas!
Donations
To the
School Wish List
- Gina and Joel Mandell, in honor of Michael's Bar Mitzvah and in appreciation of Rabbi Eitan's conducting a beautiful and memorable service.
Community Events
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine at OLB, April 3 and 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. Dr. Levine will make two presentations at OLB,
3300 Dundee Road in Northbrook:
- Thursday, April 3 at 7:00pm: “Jesus the Jewish Storyteller: Hearing the Parables in Historical Context – revealing the surprising ways that Jesus’s first followers might have understood his teachings
- Friday, April 4 at 9:00am: “Understanding Jesus Requires Understanding Judaism” – analyzing first-century Jewish views of Torah, Messiah, Temple, gender, and more.
Dr. Levine’s
presentations are free of charge and open to all. To ensure enough materials,
please register at Levine@olbparish.org or call the OLB office at 847 272 5686.
NEW: “This Cup is for All of Us” Interfaith
Seder, April 10
Friend of
Shir Hadash Amram Abraham will once
again be holding his interfaith Pre-Passover Freedom Seder, celebrating the
connections between the Jewish Community, the Black Community and the Black
Jewish Community on Thursday April 10. Our own Rabbi Eitan will be leading the
service, and the Israeli Consul to the Midwest will be there with his family.
Everyone is invited! We will meet at Shir Hadash at 4:30 and car pool to Martin
Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, 6930 S. Cottage Grove in Chicago. For more
information and to RSVP, contact Lynne Arons, rzldzl122@aol.com.
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.
Now available for
Reload – Jiffy Lube
New ScripNow Retailers -- Papa John's and Caribou Coffee
New ScripNow Retailers -- Papa John's and Caribou Coffee
Bonus
Contributions Now Available:
The Children’s
Place – 1% through April 18
MyScripWallet
launches soon. It will enable you to
easily order ScripNow® eCards, reload existing plastic cards, pay for these
products using your PrestoPay® account, and redeem your scrip directly from a
mobile device for retailers that allow it. MyScripWallet will make it easier
than ever to participate on the go, manage your ScripNow and Reload cards, and
earn rebates on even more of your planned and unplanned purchases. With more than 250 brands available in
ScripNow eCards, and over 75 brands that can be reloaded, MyScripWallet will
have the widest selection of electronically delivered products available
anywhere. All of your orders will be tracked on your ShopWithScrip account and
work on any mobile device (Apple, Android, Windows, etc.), regardless of the
operating system. It will only support
PrestoPay payments at launch, so sign up today if you haven't already.
Great Lakes Scrip
Center will be closed from Monday, April 7 through Friday, April 11. To guarantee shipping before they close for
the week, make sure your orders are placed before 3:00 p.m. EST on Thursday,
April 3. ScripNow®, Reload, and
ReloadNow® orders will process as usual while the center is closed. They’ll be
back to work on April 14!
Thanks to the
following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Fisher-Rohde
- Herbin
No comments:
Post a Comment