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
- Annual Meeting, May 17
- Meditation Group, April 18
- Yoga Moves to Wednesdays: Free Class on April 22
- New! Sitter Directory on Shul Cloud
- Book Club
Creative Worship and Ritual
- This Week’s Services: Pausing in the Wilderness, April 17, 5:30 and 7:00pm
Volunteer Opportunities
- LifeSource Blood Drive at Shir Hadash, May 3
- Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
- SHOP Needs You
The Rabbi’s Corner
- "Matzah Ball Soup"
Education
- Religious School, April 19
- Last Day of Religious School Moved to May 31
- Tefillin Needed
- Geocaching Mitzvah Project, April 18
Teen News
- Madrichim Meeting, April 19
- BBYO GMR Spring Convention, April 24-26
- Upcoming Teen Events
Adult Education
- Adult Ed Class on American Jewish History, May 3
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi, Tuesdays
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Class
Community Events
- Response Parent & Family Connection Events, April 19 and 26
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Help Shir Hadash Earn Free Donations with iGive
- Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
SHOP Shir Hadash
Membership and Upcoming
Events
Annual Meeting, May 17
On Sunday, May 17 at 9:30am, we will have our Shir Hadash
Annual Meeting. At the meeting, you can vote on the election of new Board
members and the approval of the annual budget. You will hear reports on
synagogue activities and plans, and you can ask questions and participate in
the discussion. Please come – we need a quorum!
Meditation Group, April 18
Our member-led meditation group will have its next meeting on Saturday,
April 18 at 2:00pm at Shir Hadash. If you have ever practiced meditation and
would like to try practicing in a group, or you haven’t ever practiced but are
curious to give it a try, please come join us! Our meditations have been
informed primarily by the mindfulness approach, but if you practice another
form of meditation please come and introduce us to your favorite meditation.
For more information, contact Rick Zinbarg at 847 902 9703 or
rzinbarg@northwestern.edu.
Yoga Moves to Wednesdays: Free Class on April 22
Yoga at Shir Hadash is moving to Wednesdays at 6:00pm. Next Wednesday,
April 22, we will have a free class for all so you can see what all the buzz is
about! We have a fabulous certified yoga instructor who modifies the class for
all levels, from yoga first-timers to advanced. Everyone over 12 years of age
is welcome: men and women, members and non-members. Please bring a yoga mat.
Weekly classes will continue on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00pm. For more
information, contact Joanne Litman at jolitman@gmail.com.
New! Sitter
Directory on Shul Cloud
We are creating a member-to-member directory for baby sitters, pet
sitters, and house sitters. This list will only be available to logged-in
members, so your information will be secure. To be part of the listings, click
here to visit the Shir Hadash Shul Cloud
page, log in, and enter your information.
Book Club
Our next book club selection will be What
We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander. Our
meeting date and location will be announced soon. For more information, contact
Meryl Abensohn, abenkras@aol.com.
Creative Worship and Ritual
This Week’s Services
Friday, April 17 -- “Pausing in the Wilderness”
This year, our annual Pausing in the Wilderness event includes
two special services: an early service for families with younger children (tots
to grade three), and a second service for families with older kids and adults.
Both should be fun, educational, and inspiring for everyone!
First, for the younger set, we start at 5:30pm with matzah ball
soup! (Read more in "The Rabbi's Corner, below.) Then we’ll take a “journey” through the wilderness while listening to a
story and participating in a service at an indoor “campfire.” Bring a pillow
and blanket or sleeping bag, and your favorite stuffed animal. And there will
be ‘smores at the campfire!
Then for everyone else, we will start at 7:30. We will begin
with a brief service in the sanctuary and then split into three tribes that
will wander to various stations around the building, having Jewish experiences
in poetry, craft, and dance. Then we will re-gather as a community in the
sanctuary to finish the service, after which we will have our pot-luck oneg.
Don’t forget to bring something to share!
Volunteer Opportunities
LifeSource Blood Drive at Shir Hadash, May 3
Shir Hadash will be hosting a
blood drive with LifeSource on Sunday, May 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at our building located at
200 W. Dundee Rd, Wheeling. This drive
is very important because the recent weather conditions have prompted a
significant drop in donations at all of LifeSource’s 18 donor centers. Remember
that each pint of blood donated helps save three lives!
To schedule your appointment with
LifeSource, go to www.lifesource.org; Donate Blood; Make an Appointment (Scroll
down) and Search by group code 528B. If you need assistance, you can email Mark
Lenhart at mjlenhart@comcast.net. There will also be a sign up sheet in the
lobby of the building during Sunday School hours the morning of the drive.
Appointments are every 15 minutes starting at 8:30 a.m. until 1:00, and we can
accommodate up to three people per 15 minute slot.
Donors need to be 16 or older to
donate. 16 year olds will need a signed
parent consent form which will be available on site.
If you have any specific medical
questions, please call LifeSource at 877-543-3768 or 800-486-0680.
“Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive
Have you received a post card from
your letter carrier about the Postal Service’s “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive on
May 9? The Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council, which includes Shir Hadash,
will be distributing the food collected in Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Wheeling,
Lincolnshire, Northbrook, Highwood, and Skokie to local food pantries. Please
support this effort by leaving non-perishable food donations in your mailbox on
May 9 for your letter carrier to pick up. For more information about Interfaith
Council community programs, contact Marla Callistein at marlandan@yahoo.com.
SHOP Needs You!
Our ongoing, and vital, SHOP Shir Hadash fundraiser needs
volunteers to staff our table at Sunday School. It’s an easy job and a great
chance to schmooze with other Shir Hadashniks! Can you spare one Sunday morning
to help – just one – from 9:00 to 12:30? Click here to sign up for a day of your choice on Shul Cloud, or contact Gina
Zinbarg, gzinbarg@sbcglobal.net, for more info.
The Rabbi’s Corner
April 17-18, 2015 / 29 Nissan 5775
Shabbat Shemini
Torah: Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47
Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18 - 20:42 |
Shabbat Machar Chodesh
“Matzah Ball Soup”
Dear Friends,
As a child, when visiting and playing with my cousins, I
could always count on the wonderful aroma of my Aunt Lilly’s matzah ball soup
wafting through the house. If I was
lucky enough to be there during lunchtime, I could enjoy a bowl of that
delicious nectar. I grew up in a family
of cooks. My grandmothers, aunts, mother
and father were constantly cooking exciting Yiddishe delicacies for family
gatherings and Jewish holidays. It
rubbed off on me. I love filling my 16 quart soup stock pot with delicious
soups – maybe a rich chicken broth that might turn into a red lentil or a split
pea soup. Soups don’t last long around
my home. When a full pot is ready to be served,
we dig in as a family. When friends
catch wind of it, they show up around mealtime.
The rest is either frozen or quickly bundled up to be delivered to
friends and family who are ill to support them towards a refuah shlaimah - a
complete recovery.
Jews and food. Food
and Jews. That’s a big part of this
week’s Torah portion - our first lesson in the kosher laws. In a way, we have here a primer on what kinds
of land animals, birds, fish and insects are safe and appropriate to eat - and
which are off limits. In a larger way,
our tradition is telling us that eating is a holy act. When we eat, we give thanks to the Eternal
One for providing us with sustenance. We
recognize with gratitude the family, friends and community with whom we share
our meal and our lives. Jews and
food. Food and Jews. It’s what we do. We eat and we celebrate how wonderful it is
to be Jewish and how fantastic it is to be alive.
So, this Friday evening we will celebrate our annual
‘Pausing in the Wilderness’ service by starting with a Family service for
families with young children up to third grade at 5:30 and then continue with a
Community service at 7:30. Here’s the
cool part. The Family Service will begin
with serving delicious bowls of “Matzah Ball Soup.” We will eat and enjoy until 6:00 and then
start our special family service. I am
looking forward to unleashing the mystical power of a steaming bowl of matzah
ball soup at Shabbat time and experiencing how it brings us together in
celebration and appreciation for life, our Jewish tradition and our sacred
community. And by the way, if there is
any soup left over, we will be sure to serve it up at the oneg for the
Community Service later in the evening!
Matzah ball soup… enjoy!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
To read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner, or view past
installments of the Rabbi’s blog, please visit our website.
Education
Religious School, April 19
We’re looking forward to seeing
all our students ready to learn at 9:15am.
End of School
Parent-Child Pancake Sports Breakfast
Save the date for a special celebration to end the Shir
Hadash school year! We will come together for a delicious pancake breakfast,
followed by a presentation with former Illini basketball star and current UIC
Assistant Coach Deon Thomas. He will speak about his career as a professional
basketball player, including time in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and will
sign autographs and take photos with students. More details coming soon!
Tefillin Needed
Rabbi Eitan is collecting sets of tefillin for his teaching
of traditional Judaism to our students. If you have an unused and
unwanted set to donate, please contact him at rabbi@shir-hadash.org or call the
office.
Geocaching Mitzvah
Project, April 18
Looking for a fun activity for the whole family? Zoe
Berthold’s Bat Mitzvah Project is both a good time and for a good cause! Drop
by The Grove (1421 Milwaukee Ave) in Glenview any time from 1-3 PM on Saturday,
April 18, for an introduction to a real-life scavenger hunt called Geocaching. There
is a suggested donation of $5, but 100% of the proceeds go to the Greater
Chicago Food Depository! No registration required. Please email Julie Berthold
at Avergirl@gmail.com with any questions. Click here to learn more.
Teen News
Madrichim, April 19
Our final
pre-Sunday School meeting of the year will be this Sunday, April 19, at 8:40am
in the SH kitchen. Bagels will be served.
BBYO-GMR Spring Convention, April 24-26
Registration is Due by April 17
Registration
is now open for the Spring Convention, which will be held at the Marriott Lincolnshire.
Join BBYO GMR for a weekend of fun programming, guest speakers, Regional Board
elections, and lots of socializing with friends. Registration is $299. Open to
BBYO members in grades 8-12. For more information and registration, click
here or contact
Celia Livshin, clivshin@bbyo.org.
Upcoming Teen Events
- May 4, 7:00pm – Stress relief program at Shir Hadash. Learn some great relaxation techniques and hang out with your friends.
- May 18, Time TBA – Ra’am Board meeting.
- June 4, Time TBA – Ra’am fall term elections.
Adult Education
Winter Adult Ed Class on American Jewish History – Final
Meeting May 3
The final session of our
survey course on the fascinating story of the Jewish community in America will
meet on Sunday, May 3 from 11:15am to 12:25pm. Our study is divided into eight
periods spanning colonial times to the present. Each class session will include
lecture, discussion, and reading through historical source documents and
artifacts. We will also touch on Jewish genealogy and tracing our families’
roots. Students are encouraged to bring online/web resources to class.
Instructor: Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow assisted by Shir Hadash members. Everyone
is welcome to participate..
Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
All are invited to join Shir Hadash members and friends for
a refreshing and contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion. We
meet at noon on Tuesdays in the conference room.
Sunday Morning Adult Ed
Each Sunday when Religious School is in session, Fred Andes
leads a casual group as we meet at the synagogue from 9:45 to 10:45 for coffee
and engaging discussion topics. All are welcome.
Community Events
Response Parent &
Family Connection Events, April 19 and 26
Response, a service of JCFS, offers the Parent & Family Connection
group to support and educate families of LGBTQ youth. On April 19 (this Sunday)
from 12:30 to 3:00pm, they will present Bagels & Being: A Discussion on
Gender, Sexuality and Judaism at the Response Center, 9304 Skokie Blvd. in
Skokie. Jewish high school students – LGBTQ and allies – are invited to share
in an exploration of how Jewish culture and Judaism shape our identities and
self-expression. For more information, click here.
On the following Sunday, April 26, Parent & Family Connection holds
its monthly meeting from 1:00 to 2:30pm at Beth Emet Congregation, 1224
Dempster in Evanston. New members are always welcome. For more information,
contact Rachel Marro, RachelMarro@jcfs.org or 224-625-2946.
Ongoing Fundraisers
Help Shir Hadash Earn Free Donations with iGive
You can help Shir Hadash every time you shop online – the
iGive Button makes it simple! iGive is a free and easy way to support the shul.
Average shoppers using iGive raise between $30 and $100 a year for their
causes. There are 1480 online retailers helping to make donations happen
through iGive.
Click here to learn more and join iGive. If you have
questions, contact Sandi Schleicher, finance@shir-hadash.org.
Scholarship Fund
To help families in financial need pay for their children’s
Jewish education at Shir Hadash, Melanie and Fred Andes created the Samuel I
Andes Scholarship Fund in memory of Fred’s great-uncle have graciously offered
to match all donations to the fund up to $11,000.00. Click
here to donate online or mail in your
check made out to Shir Hadash with “Scholarship” written in the memo line.
Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
The Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove and
Butterfield’s Restaurant in Northbrook 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.
SHOP Shir Hadash
SHOP for Spring!
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.
SHOP Needs Your Help!
Please sign up to staff the SHOP table for a Sunday
morning. Full details in the “Volunteer Opportunities” section, above.
Low Denomination Gift Cards are Coming Back
Soon!
We have a limited number of special small
denomination gift cards available, perfect for teacher gifts and graduation
parties! The following cards will be
available:
• Albertsons
and Supervalu $10
• Amazon.com
Gift Cards $10
• AMC
Theatres® $10
• Applebee's
$10
• CVS/pharmacy
$10
• Groupon
$10
• IHOP
$10
• Meijer
$10
• Outback
$10
• Panera
Bread® $5
• Pizza
Hut $5
• Regal
Entertainment Group $10
• Starbucks
$5 Teacher Card
• Target
$10
Keep things green for Earth Day with Reload &
ReloadNow®bonuses, plus a chance to win big! From Saturday, April 18 to Friday,
April 24, you will earn a chance to win a bonus $100 Reload every time you
order Reload or ReloadNow from one of the participating retailers below. As an
extra perk, all these retailers will also be running Reload & ReloadNow
bonuses during the promotion.
- Bath & Body Works: 5% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 13%, Total 18%)
- Hallmark: 3% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 4%, Total 7%)
- Dominos: 3% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 8%, Total 11%)
- Aeropostale: 3% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 10%, Total 13%)
- Gap: 2% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 14%, Total 16%)
- Old Navy: 2% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 14%, Total 16%)
- Banana Republic: 2% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 14%, Total 16%)
- Athleta: 2% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 14%, Total 16%)
- Hyatt: 2% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 10%, Total 12%)
- Target: 1% ReloadNow Bonus (Normal 2.5%, Total 3.5%)
If you don't have a card from one of these retailers
already, plan ahead and order one now. Register the card beforehand so you're
ready to Reload. Click
here for more info and a helpful how-to
video, and
click here for terms and conditions.
Bonus Offers Starting
April 18:
- Bath and Body Works – 5% until May 1
- Express – 2% until May 1
- BonTon – 2% until May 1
- Landry’s – 1% until May 1
- Lane Bryant – 1% until May 8
- Home Depot – 1% until May 1
- Restaurant.com – 5% until May 8
- TGI Friday’s – 3% until May 1
- LL Bean – 1% until May 1
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP this
week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Estes-Goldman
- Friedman
- Greenberg
- Fisher-Rohde
- Simon
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