WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- New! Grand Opening of Shir Hadash Gift Shop, February 28
- Design Committee Meeting, February 28
- Village Approves LED Sign for Shir Hadash
- Book Club, March 24
- MOSH at Chicago Wolves
- Wrap-up: Coffee House Night Concert Series with Lil Rev
Creative Worship and Ritual
- This Week: Shabbat Morning Service, Saturday February 28, 10:00am
- Upcoming:
- Family Purim Service, Friday, March 4, 5:30pm
- Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, March 4, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Service and Bat Mitzvah, Saturday, March 5, 9:30am
The Rabbi’s Corner
Education Announcements- "Partners with God"
- Sunday School February 28
- School Advisory Committee Meeting, February 28
- Parent Town Hall Meeting, March 13
- Purim Carnival, March 20
- Upcoming Service Dates -- Grades 4, 5, and 6
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbis, Thursdays
Jewish Community
- Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
Donations
- 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
The new Shir Hadash Gift Shop officially opens this Sunday morning! Come shop between 9:30 and 12:30 for beautiful mezuzot, jewelry, Passover items, and more. Be sure to stop by!
Design Committee Meeting, February 28
The next meeting of the design committee will be this Sunday at 10:30am. Everyone is welcome to come and share their ideas for our building.
LED Sign for Shir Hadash Approved
Shir Hadash has received approval from
the Village of Wheeling for the installation of a new LED sign in front of our
property. With the sale of our excess land, our current sign is no longer
on our property and must be removed. The Board of Directors viewed the
fact that we are on a busy street as an exceptional opportunity to create an
electronic sign which can show the many exciting things happening at Shir
Hadash, as well as visual images and messages. The final sign design was
created by Mehran Farahmandpour (an architect and our Treasurer) after input
from the Design Committee and the Board and Staff. We hope that the sign
will be installed this Spring. If you are interested in helping program
and manage the sign, please contact Marc Fargotstein at marcfargo@att.net.
Book Club, March 24
Mark your calendar for our next meeting: March 24, 7:30pm, at the home of Melanie Andes, 945 Creek Bend Drive in Vernon Hills. We will discuss The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, a historical fiction about the mother of the painter Camille Pissarro, set on the tropic island of St. Thomas
.
Wrap-up: Coffee House Night – Concert
Series with Lil Rev
A Big Thank
You to our fabulous 90+ audience who came out and made our inaugural Coffee
House Night - Concert Series evening with Lil Rev a huge success! It was a magical evening. Coffee was flowing,
a plethora of professional looking goodies graced our Bake Sale Table, and generous
contributions in our Free Will Donation Baskets allow us to continue to offer
special programming like this. Thank you to all the people whose time
commitment and hard work made this event the success it was: Coffee House Night event organizer Margie S, the Bake Sale Team
(Katy Z, Mira Z, Maureen R, Deidre B) and all of our fabulous bakers, the Tech
Team (Rabbi Eitan) without whom we would not have natural, robust, balanced
sound, the Front of the House Team (Bonnie K, Sarena G, Joy A, Maureen R,
Carrie M, Bill M, Neil Z, Rabbi Eitan, Don J, Marilyn D, Dawn W-K), and the
host of others who put in yeoman's efforts transforming our sanctuary into our
beautiful Coffee House Night venue and turning it back into the regular
sanctuary.
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
We will
continue our new practice of periodically holding Shabbat morning services on
Shabbats that don't have a bar or bat mitzvah.
We particularly encourage families with kids in the school to come -
especially the 5th and 6th graders, who have bar/bat mitzvahs coming up before
long. It's a great chance to experience a Shabbat morning service at Shir
Hadash, so you can see what it's like!
All ages are
welcome to come and enjoy the Shabbat morning service - and the kiddush and
light lunch afterwards. Remember to
bring your tallit. And if you'd like a
part in the service, or would like to help with bringing, setting up, or
cleaning up the kiddush/lunch, please let us know - it would be such a
mitzvah! If you are planning on coming,
please RSVP to fandes@btlaw.com, so we can do some food planning.
Next Week:
- Purim Family Shabbat, Friday, March 4 -- Join us some Purim fun on March 4! We’ll enjoy hotdogs and tater tots at 5:30pm, a family-friendly service at 6:00, followed by an oneg and special Purim arts and crafts. We will be making Hamen hats (boo), and Esther crowns.
- Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, March 4, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Service and Bat Mitzvah, Saturday, March 5, 9:30am
THE RABBI’S CORNER
February
26-27, 2016 / 18 Adar I 5776
Shabbat Ki
Tissa
Torah:
Exodus 30:11 - 34:35 / Haftarah: I Kings 18:1 - 18:39
“Partners with God”
Dear Friends,
If God gives us the Ten Commandments incised on two stone
tablets, then where will we keep them?
That’s is the central question of this week’s Torah portion. What does God do for us and what will we do
for God?
We read this week of how God gave Moses the Ten
Commandments. But, before doing so, the
Children of Israel were instructed to build the Mishkan – the tent of worship
and study. They also had to craft the
implements of worship including the menorah lamp and the Ark to hold the
tablets. Two chief craftsmen were
appointed to lead the project, Betzalel (which means, “In God’s shadow”) and
Oholiav (which means, “God is my tent, my home”).
Thus, the Jewish message becomes clear to all Jews
throughout all time. The covenantal
relationship that we have with God involves responsibilities incumbent upon God
and Israel. God will do God’s part if we will do ours. That’s why we Reconstructionists teach that
God is the power that makes for justice and freedom in the world. God will send us wisdom, insight, support,
and inspiration. We, in turn, will do
the work within our families, communities, and societies to bring forth justice
and freedom for all. We are partners
with God in the constant improvement of our world.
And from this we understand on a deeper level the reading,
“Social Justice,” that we read so often during our worship services. Again, God will do God’s part if we will do
ours....
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday School, February 28
We're looking forward to seeing all our families ready to go at 9:00am!
School Advisory Committee Meeting, February 28
The next School Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting will be on Sunday, February 28 beginning at 9:15am. Even if you have never been before, new faces are always welcome! If you have any questions, please contact committee chair Lisa Burton-Radzely at shirhadashsac@gmail.com.
Parent Town Hall Meeting, March 13
Rabbi Seeg will be hosting a town hall meeting during Sunday School hours on March 13. It will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and get excited about the future of youth education at Shir Hadash. The meeting will take place at Shir Hadash and will not affect the students’ programming for that day. Watch for the specific time to be announced soon, and plan to join Rabbi Seeg for an engaging discussion!
Purim Carnival, March 20
The Purim Carnival is coming on March 20! We will begin with a shpiel (comedic theatrical-type performance of the Purim story) at 11:00am. The carnival itself will open at 11:30 and run until 1:00. There will be games, prizes and food; it’s going to be awesome!
We will still have school programming before the shpiel begins, so come for the learning and stay for the fun!We also will need volunteers to help with set up, running games and food, and take down. You will receive in the coming weeks an invitation to sign up to help out. Please help us make the carnival as great as it can be! For more information, contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.
- Kitah Dalet (4th grade): Friday, March 4 -- Regular Service at 7:30pm.
- Kitah Heh (5th grade): Friday, April 1 -- Regular Service at 7:30pm.
- Kitah Vav (6th grade): Friday, May 6 -- Regular Service at 7:30pm
Lunch & Learn with the Rabbis
All are welcome to join Rabbis Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and Scott Segal for a contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion. We meet on Thursdays from noon to 1:00pm at Shir Hadash. Pack a lunch and come in!
JEWISH COMMUNITY
Shir Hadash is proud to be a member of the Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council (IFC). The IFC was formed 25 years ago, as a result of clergy and community members speaking out to condemn anti-Semitic. Since then, local churches and synagogues have gathered to foster understanding among those of different faiths, encourage cooperative social service efforts, and serve as an ethical and moral voice promoting the growth and unity of our community.
IFC sponsors four food pantries operated by Beth Am,
Kingswood United Methodist Church, St. Mary Catholic Church and St. Alphonsus
Liguori Church. It also sponsors special community events throughout the year,
including several food drives with partner organizations, a 5K walk in June to
raise awareness of hunger in the suburbs, a summer service trip to help
communities in need of rebuilding (going to Detroit in 2016), and an interfaith
Thanksgiving service and celebration. For more information about ways to be involved with IFC, please contact Fred Andes or Glenn Graff.
DONATIONS
To the Samuel Andes Scholarship Fund
- Andrea Idelman, Lloyd Idelman, Marilyn, Dan, Elizabeth, & Spencer Soglin, in honor of Esther Andes's 90th birthday
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.
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! Remember, 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 while it Snows
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.
Darden® Restaurants and Fandango want to pick up the tab for
your dinner and a movie night! Order at least $50 in Darden gift cards,
ScripNow® eCards, or ReloadNow®, and at least $50 in Fandango ScripNow eCards*
from February 27 - March 4, and you'll be entered in a drawing to be reimbursed
for the cost of your order, up to $200. Ten families will be randomly selected
to win, and one grand prize winner will also receive a "Family Movie Gift
Basket" including $50 in gift cards to both Darden and Fandango along with
other fun items.
Darden Restaurants gift cards can be used at Olive Garden®,
LongHorn Steakhouse®, Bahama Breeze®, Seasons 52®, Yard House®, and Red
Lobster®, and Fandango gift cards can be used online at Fandango.com.
Thanks to
the following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Herbin
- G. Graff
- Sulpar
- Green
- Idelman
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website.
