WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Solar Capital Campaign -- First Inverter Donations Received!
- "Meet & Greet" Well Attended; More Events Planned
- Search Underway for Executive Director
- Tonight! Book Club, June 11
- Yoga, June 17
- New! Shir Hadash Golf Outing, August 16
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Speaker Series Welcomes Dean Sluyter, Friday June 12
- Shabbat Morning Service with Adult B'nai Mitzvahs, Saturday June 13
Volunteer Opportunities
- Interfaith Council 5K Walk to Fight Community Hunger, June 28
- Rummage Sale, July 31 and August 2
The Rabbi’s Corner
- "A Land of Milk and Honey"
Teen News
- Tonight! Ra'am Chapter Sleepover, June 11-12
Adult Education
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi, Tuesdays
Donations
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Help Shir Hadash Earn Free Donations with iGive
- Fundraising Opportunity with Amazon Smile
- Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
SHOP Shir Hadash
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Solar Capital Campaign -- First Inverter Donations Received!
The Solar Capital Campaign is underway and making progress on our goal of raising funds to help pay for the Solar Power System that will soon be installed on our roof. We hope to have the system installed this summer. To learn more about our dream to go green, please visit our website where you can make a donation to help purchase a Solar Panel, a Solar Inverter, or donate other amounts. If you have any questions about the Solar Capital Campaign, please contact Art German at artgerman@comcast.net.
"Meet and Greet" Well Attended; More Events Planned
Last Sunday, we held a meet-and-greet for our new Director of Lifelong Learning Rabbi Scott "Seeg" Segal. More than 50 Shir Hadash members and guests stopped by to chat informally with Rabbi Seeg while feasting on ice cream sundaes and watching their kids play in the teen lounge. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative, so we were unable to run our outdoor activities. The potato sacks will have to wait until the next event to be raced! But the kids did enjoy an art project led by Carly Matt and a number of other activities. Many attendees also helped out with Rummage Sale collections -- thank you!
Rabbi Seeg will step into the newly created position on July 1. As Director of Lifelong Learning, he will take over leadership of the Synagogue's religious school, youth programming, and adult education. He is looking forward to leading a fantastic, creative, and progressive 21st century school that will give Shir Hadash's religious school students a leading-edge Reconstructionist Jewish education. Click here for more on Rabbi's Seeg's background.
We are planning to run additional meet and greet events for members and prospective members, so stay tuned for details!
Tonight! Book Club, June 11
"Meet and Greet" Well Attended; More Events Planned
Last Sunday, we held a meet-and-greet for our new Director of Lifelong Learning Rabbi Scott "Seeg" Segal. More than 50 Shir Hadash members and guests stopped by to chat informally with Rabbi Seeg while feasting on ice cream sundaes and watching their kids play in the teen lounge. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative, so we were unable to run our outdoor activities. The potato sacks will have to wait until the next event to be raced! But the kids did enjoy an art project led by Carly Matt and a number of other activities. Many attendees also helped out with Rummage Sale collections -- thank you!
Rabbi Seeg will step into the newly created position on July 1. As Director of Lifelong Learning, he will take over leadership of the Synagogue's religious school, youth programming, and adult education. He is looking forward to leading a fantastic, creative, and progressive 21st century school that will give Shir Hadash's religious school students a leading-edge Reconstructionist Jewish education. Click here for more on Rabbi's Seeg's background.
We are planning to run additional meet and greet events for members and prospective members, so stay tuned for details!
Search Underway for Executive Director
Now that we have had our building for two years and are growing our membership, Shir Hadash is looking for an Executive Director to help us continue our success. The job posting is available on JewishJobs.com. If you know anyone you think is qualified, please send us a referral!
Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 11 at 7:30 at the home off Sandy Weiss, 2144 Walters Avenue in Northbrook. We will discuss What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, a collection of short stories by Nathan Englander. Please RSVP to Meryl Abensohn, abenkras@aol.com.
Yoga, June 17
Yoga at Shir Hadash now meets every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:00pm. 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. Please bring a yoga mat. For more information, contact Joanne Litman at jolitman@gmail.com.New! Shir Hadash Golf Outing, August 16
Save the date for a day of golf with your friends from Shir Hadash. We will play on Sunday, August 16 at Sportsman's Park in Northbrook, tee times starting at 1:00pm. $57/person for 18 holes, including a golf cart. RSVP to Mitch Whitefield at whitefi@attglobal.net or 224 622 1880.
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
This Week's Services
Friday, June 12
This week we continue our Second Friday Speakers' Series. We begin the evening at 7:30pm, with a brief Kabbalat Shabbat program. Then, at 8:00, we have a wonderful guest speaker. His name is Dean Sluyter, and here is his topic: "Being Still: The Inner Connection to Tolerance and Understanding." Dean is an eminent author and teacher of meditation known for his funny, warm, down-to-earth style. Join him in a deep experience of raphe -- being still. This silent encounter with The Sacred at the core of our being helps us to see it in others and grow in natural tolerance and understanding. More about Dean's work can be found here.
Saturday, June 13
Join us on Saturday morning for another very special event -- a Shabbat morning service (starting at 9:30am) that includes the b'nai mitzvah of four adult Shir Hadash members! Mickey Herbin, Phyllis Levun-Agostino, Sean Fisher-Rohde, and Nat Romero will all be celebrating their mitzvahs during the service. We are very proud of them -- they have studied and worked hard to get to this moment. So come, show your support, and share in their joy! And you can also share in the kiddush and light lunch that follows the service.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Interfaith Council 5K to Fight Community Hunger, June 28
The Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council will hold “iWalk” on June 28, a 5K fundraiser to fight hunger in our local communities. Participants will walk from St. Mary’s Parish in Buffalo Grove to Hope Lutheran Church, enjoy refreshments, and then walk back. No entry fees required – donations will be accepted to help stock local food pantries. Walk registration begins at 1:15, and the actual event starts at 2:15. For more information, contact nwsuburbaninterfaith@gmail.com or talk to Shir Hadash’s council representative, Marla Callistein, at marlandan@yahoo.com.
Rummage Sale, July 31 and August 2
The Rummage Sale is back, bigger and better! This year, we are going to try to do a two-day sale on Friday, July 31 and Sunday, August 2. To make this a success, we need 100% participation from our members. We are asking for two hours from every household over the course of this project – that is on any of the seven different sorting, set up, or sale days. Last year we raised almost $2500 in one day with one-third of our membership actively participating, and we want to beat that this year.
Remember, fundraising like this helps us keep our dues down and provide more programming for everyone! Of course, we also need good quality rummage –click here to see a list of what we are looking for and a form to sign up for a work shift here. Questions? Contact Lise Schleicher at info@shir-hadash.org.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
June 12-13,
2015 / 26 Sivan 5775
Shabbat
Shelach Lecha
Torah:
Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 / Haftarah: Joshua 2:1 - 2:24
“A Land of Milk and Honey”
Dear Friends,
Moses’ twelve spies or scouts all agreed that the Land of
Israel was a very good land – a land flowing with milk and honey. Three thousand years later, Dawn and I will
travel to Israel next week to visit with our children – Elana, who serves in
the Israeli army, and Ayal, returning from seven months serving with an Israeli
NGO in Nepal. While in Israel, we will
hike and tour in the Galilee, the central plain, and Jerusalem. Every time I am in Israel, more than 25 times
by latest count, there come many moments when I think of those spies and what
they must have seen and felt as they scouted the Land.
Israel is a land possessing virtually every ecosystem in the
world. Eilat in the south has tropical
reefs while the Golan heights and Mount Hermon in the north have alpine areas
with tree line and year-round snowpack.
The upper Galilee has rain-forest microclimates and the west coast is
warm and humid with a Mediterranean beachfront.
Jerusalem is a cool and dry mountain region and the Dead Sea area on the
east is the lowest place on earth. The north has flowing rivers and marshes
while the southern deserts get almost no rain at all. All of this is packed
into a land about the size of New Jersey!
In addition to all the beautiful terrain and natural
settings, the Land of Israel is filled with historical sites where so much of
Jewish history occurred. Everywhere are
archaeological sites mentioned in the Bible and the Talmud, as well as ancient
synagogues, Roman era Jewish towns with marvelous mosaics, medieval villages
with places of rabbinic study, and now the modern State of Israel. Being in Israel reminds me that Judaism is
more than a religion. It is also a people, a nation, a language, and a whole
civilization deeply rooted in our homeland – the Land of Israel.
What Moses’ twelve spies saw is still visible today – a good
land, a holy land, a rich land, a productive land, an inspiring land, a land of
milk and honey – the Land of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
PS – Come with my wife Dawn and me to visit Israel on the
Shir Hadash Israel trip in December of 2015.
You, too, will be moved, enriched, and inspired!
TEEN NEWS
It's our big year-end celebration at Shir Hadash! It'll be such a fun night of bonding and saying goodbye to our seniors. You don't want to miss this one! The sleepover starts with dinner at 6:00pm Thursday and ends with breakfast on Friday morning. Please RSVP either by email or Facebook.
Please sign up for Ra’am’s Remind 101 group! It’s a super easy way for you to get quick updates about chapter events. All you have to do is text @raambbyo to 81010 and you’re good!
ADULT EDUCATION
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.
DONATIONS
To the Samuel Andes Scholarship Fund and the Solar Campaign Fund
- Bev and Doug Lieberman
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
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.
Amazon Smile Fundraising Option
Shir Hadash is now registered with the Amazon Smile fundraising program. Just go to smile.amazon.com, search for Shir Hadash (be sure to select the one in Wheeling), and from then on 0.5% of your purchases will automatically be donated to Shir Hadash at no cost to you! Note that this works in conjunction with iGive (see below) and allows for double-dipping: if you go to Amazon through iGive.com or the iGive button, SH will get money from both Amazon and iGive. And to triple-dip, just pay for your purchases with a SHOP Amazon gift card! Happy Shopping!
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. 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 Summer!
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.
Low Denomination Gift Cards are Back!
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
Bonus Offers Now Available:
AMC Theaters: 5% til June 12
Bass Pro Shops: 4% til June 12
Cabela’s: 3% til June 12
Meijer Illinois Grand Opening Bonus: 4% on physical cards between May 16 and August 28.
Buca di Beppo: 2% til June 19
Home Depot: 1% til June 12
Domino's is offering a 2% bonus contribution from June 13 to June 26. Customers who purchase Domino's gift cards, Reloads, or ScripNow products will receive a 10% contribution instead of the standard 8%.
Buca di Beppo: 2% til June 19
Home Depot: 1% til June 12
Domino's is offering a 2% bonus contribution from June 13 to June 26. Customers who purchase Domino's gift cards, Reloads, or ScripNow products will receive a 10% contribution instead of the standard 8%.
Six Flags Tickets Available
Please note, Six Flags® tickets are once again available to order. Tickets cost $44.25 and award a 7% rebate. Tickets ordered now are valid through the 2015 season only, expiring on 12/31/15.
Darden Restaurants and Shell want to pick up the tab for your summer fun! Place an order including at least$50 in Darden gift cards or ScripNow eCards and at leasat $25 in Shell gift cards or ReloadNow from June 6-12, and you'll be entered in a drawing to be reimbursed for the cost of your order up to $250! Darden Restaurant cards can be used at Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Yard House, and Red Lobster. Click here for terms and conditions.
Darden Restaurants and Shell want to pick up the tab for your summer fun! Place an order including at least$50 in Darden gift cards or ScripNow eCards and at leasat $25 in Shell gift cards or ReloadNow from June 6-12, and you'll be entered in a drawing to be reimbursed for the cost of your order up to $250! Darden Restaurant cards can be used at Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Yard House, and Red Lobster. Click here for terms and conditions.
Summer hours for Customer Support at Great Lakes Scrip, one of our Shop vendors: 8:00am - 4:00pm Eastern Monday through Thursday, and 8:00am - 12:00pm Eastern on Fridays. They will resume their normal schedule on Tuesday, September 8.
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Wexler
- Fisher-Rohde
- Friedman
- Estes-Goldman
- G. Graff
- Michaels
No comments:
Post a Comment