WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- MOSH and WISH Combined Shabbat Cookout, May 7
- Shir Hadash "Solarbration," May 15
- Book Club, May 23
- Visit the Shir Hadash Gift Shop
Creative Worship and Ritual
- This Week:
- Tot Shabbat, Friday, May 6, 6:00pm
- Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, May 6, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Bar Mitzvah Service, Saturday, May 7, 9:30am
The Rabbi’s Corner
Education Announcements- "We Must Speak Out"
- No Sunday School on May 8
- New! "Wise Aging" Adult Education Program -- Info Meeting May 11
- New Date for 6th Grade Friday Night Service, June 3
- New! School Open House, June 9
- New! Be Part of the New Adult Education Committee
Volunteer Opportunities and Recognition
Jewish Community News
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Kol Hakavod to our Volunteers
Jewish Community News
- Reconstructionism Today Newsletter
Ongoing Fundraisers
SHOP Shir Hadash
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Men and Women of Shir Hadash and their families are invited to a pot-luck Shabbat cookout at the home of Marc Fargotstein, 427 Lamont Terrace in Buffalo Grove, on May 7 from 5:00 to 9:00pm. Click here to RSVP and sign up for what you'd like to bring. All items should be Kosher Parve (no dairy). Questions? Contact Dan Wellisch, danwellisch@gmail.com.
Please save the date for Shir Hadash’s Solarbration on Sunday, May 15 from 11:30am to 12:30pm. We will be celebrating the installation of the massive 117 kW Solar Energy System on our roof and learning what it means for the environment and our budget. Local community leaders will join us and we will enjoy the exciting sounds of our Mighty Shir Hadash Klezmer Band. Religious School students will join us around noon. Join us for some sun-themed refreshments following the program as we rejoice in our congregation's incredible accomplishment!
Book Club, May 23
Our next selection will be The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a novel about two sisters in France choosing different paths during World War II. Our meeting will be May 23, at the home of Mickey Herbin, 4050 Dundee Road #103, in Northbrook. Questions? Contact Meryl at abenkras@aol.com.
Visit the Shir Hadash Gift Shop
Visit the Shir Hadash Gift Shop
Don't forget to stop by the Gift Shop, open during Sunday School. There are great gifts for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, housewarming, and more. Come explore!
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
- Tot Shabbat Service, Friday, May 6, 5:30pm -- This program is intended for
families with young children – infants to kindergarten. We will start with a pasta dinner. Then at 6:00, Rabbi Eitan and Rabbi Seeg will
lead a lively service that includes the Shabbat prayers along with a Puppet
Show story, song, and dance. Following the service, we will join in oneg
refreshments and a Shabbat activity in honor of Israel’s 68th year of
Independence.
- Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, May 6, 7:30pm -- In honor of Mother's Day coming this weekend, our Shabbat
evening service will be centered around the role of women in Judaism. We will read one of Judaism's most
significant texts about women: “Eishet Chayil - A Woman of Valor.” From there, we will discuss how Judaism has
(or, in some cases, has not) addressed the contributions of Jewish women
throughout the ages. Should be a lively
discussion!
- Shabbat Morning Bar Mitzvah Service, Saturday, May 7, 9:30am -- We welcome Louie Kanter to the bima as Bar Mitzvah. All are welcome to participate in the service.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
May 6-7, 2016 / 29 Nisan 5776
Shabbat Aharei MotTorah: Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30
Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18 - 20:42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
“We Must Speak Out”
Dear Friends,
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds of Knoxville, TN served as a
non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the U.S. Army and fought in Europe during
World War II. Shortly after participating in the landing of the American forces
in Europe, he was taken prisoner by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.
Edmonds was held at Stalag IX A, a POW camp near Ziegenhain, Germany. In
January 1945, the camp commander announced that all Jewish POWs in Stalag IX A
were to report the following morning. Edmonds, who was the highest-ranking
soldier in the American section of the camp, ordered all of the men, Jews and
non-Jews alike, to fallout the following morning. When the German officer,
Major Siegmann, saw that all the camp’s inmates were standing in front of their
barracks, he turned to Edmonds and exclaimed, “They cannot all be Jews!” To
which Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews here.” Siegmann took out his pistol and
put it to Edmonds’ head, but the Master Sergeant did not waver, giving only his
name, rank, and serial number as required by the Geneva Conventions. According
to his son, Rev. Chris Edmonds, Master Sergeant Edmonds then said, “If you are
going to shoot, you are going to have to shoot all of us because we know who
you are and you’ll be tried for war crimes when we win this war.” The officer
turned around and left the scene. This year, Yad Vashem recognized Master
Sergeant Edmonds, who passed away in 1985, as a Righteous Among the Nations, an
honorific title to describe non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from
extermination by the Nazis. He became only the fifth American and the first
U.S. service member so honored. He is also the only one honored for saving
American Jews.
A Midrash story teaches us that Pharaoh had three advisors at the time
that the terrible plot to murder Jewish babies was announced: Balaam, who
devised the plan, Jethro, who fled rather than play any role in fratricide, and
Job, who remained silent. Later, Job recognized that he would one day suffer
for his unwillingness to protest against the mass murder of Jewish babies in
Egypt.
Few have the great courage of a Roddie Edmonds to stand up and protest
in the face of great personal danger. Yet, all of us have the ability and the
obligation to speak out when we witness evil in the world.
This Thursday is Yom HaShoa v’Hagvurah – Commemoration Day for the
Holocaust and Heroic Acts of Resistance. But memory alone is not enough. We
must see ourselves as obligated to speak out and protest when we hear others
express and support evil in the world. This applies of course, to all forms of
hatred and intolerance, but as Jews living in the United States, we have a
special role of protecting the state of Israel from words and acts that hide
hatred for Jews behind anti-Israel rhetoric and actions.
President Obama noted that, “All of us have a responsibility to speak
out, and to teach what’s right to our children, and to examine our own hearts.
That’s the lesson of the Righteous we honor today—the lesson of the Holocaust
itself: Where are you? Who are you?”
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
No Sunday School, May 8
Our Religious School is off this week. Happy Mother's Day!
New! "Wise Aging" Adult Education Program -- Info Meeting May 11
Our Religious School is off this week. Happy Mother's Day!
Shir Hadash is excited to offer to our members the Wise Aging program
that has been inspired and developed by the Institute for Jewish
Spirituality. Through
contemplation, discussion, and study we can learn how to encounter our own
aging with creativity, humility, and joy.
- We will hold an informational meeting on Wednesday, May 11 at 10:00am for those who would like to find out more details about what Wise Aging is and why it is such a valuable addition to our Adult Education program.
- We will also be offering a four-session “Taste of Wise Aging” that will give people a chance to experience a few aspects of the program. The dates for “Taste of Wise Aging” will be May 25, June 8, June 22, and July 6.
The sessions will be guided by Lynn Liebling and Rabbi
Seeg. Both are experienced group leaders and have had specific training in the
Wise Aging program by the institute for Jewish Spirituality. If you have questions or know that you would like to
participate and cannot attend the informational meeting please contact Rabbi
Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org or by phone at 847-498-8218.
New Date for 6th Grade Friday Night Service
Our Kitah Vav (6th grade) class Shabbat Evening Service has been changed from Friday, May 6 to Friday, June 3, still at 7:30pm.
New! School Open House, June 9
We will welcome prospective families to an informational open house on Thursday, June 9, at 7:00pm. Watch for more details coming soon!
New! Be Part of the New Adult Education Committee
Rabbi Seeg is starting a new volunteer committee to help guide Adult Education Programming. Come share your ideas! Contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.
We will welcome prospective families to an informational open house on Thursday, June 9, at 7:00pm. Watch for more details coming soon!
New! Be Part of the New Adult Education Committee
Rabbi Seeg is starting a new volunteer committee to help guide Adult Education Programming. Come share your ideas! Contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.
TEEN NEWS
We have loads of fun events planned for the next few weeks! Mark your calendars!
May 15: A movie night and chapter bonding!
- Where: TBD
- When: 6:00pm - 9:30pm
May 30: Chapter board elections!
- Where: Shir Hadash Synagogue (200 W. Dundee, Wheeling)
- When: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
June 9-10: Chapter convention and sleepover!
- Where: Shir Hadash Synagogue (200 W. Dundee, Wheeling)
- When: 7:00pm (June 9) - 10:0 am (June 10)
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND RECOGNITION
Kol Hakavod to our Volunteers!
At a recent meeting, the Shir Hadash Board recognized the following individuals for their volunteer efforts. Thank you to everyone for
your commitment and hard work!
- Roy Settler -- for leading the installation of our new LED sign
- Cindy Grills -- for leading the Design Committee on new projects
- Fred Andes -- for leading the By-Laws Committee on proposed revisions to the by-laws and drafting the proposed revisions.
- Stuart Aizenberg, Harry Goldman, Alan Bernover, and Glenn Graff -- for work on the by-law revisions.
- Brad Steinback -- for work on the budget
- Julie Wellisch and Suzanne Wexler -- for leading the Ra'am BBYO Youth Group
The Board also recognized the multitude of volunteers, too numerous to list here, who made the Purim Carnival and Purim Bake Sale a fantastic success. Click here to see a complete list of everyone who helped. Thank you again!
JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
Reconstructionism Today Newsletter
You can enjoy the current edition from the RRC/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities by clicking here.
DONATIONS
To the School Fund
- Chana Sulpar, thanking Rabbi Seeg for making her laugh and smile and for the wonderful Shir Hadash Religious School program, and also thanking Fred Andes for taking Kyle under his wing, leading and guiding him.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Fundraiser Information Now Available on Shul Cloud
You can help Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you by taking advantage of a variety of ongoing
fundraisers, including iGive, Amazon Smile, and more. For complete details, click here.
SHOP SHIR HADASH
SHOP for Spring Break!
SHOP is 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.
Click here for information about this week's special bonus offers!
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP last week:
Low Denomination Gift Cards
We have a limited number of special small denomination gift cards available, perfect for teacher gifts and grad parties! These cards will only be available while supplies last, so don't wait to place your orders. Click here to view all our low denomination cards and place your order before they're sold out!Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP last week:
- Schleicher
- Zinbarg
- Herbin
- Sulpar
- G. Graff
- Farahmandpour
- Fargotstein
- Fields
- M. Graff
- Singer
- Soglin
- Andes
- Rice
- Green
No comments:
Post a Comment