Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- August 11, 2016

For daily event updates, visit our calendar.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE

Membership News and Upcoming Events

• Membership Renewal Forms Past Due
• Annual Pot Luck BBQ, August 28
• Save the Date! Coffee House Night-Open Mic Style, September 17

Creative Worship and Ritual

• Shabbat Morning Minyan Service, August 13, 10:00am
• Tisha B'Av Service, August 13, 7:00pm

The Rabbi’s Corner

• "Tisha B'Av -- Redemption Through Justice"

Education Announcements

• Register for Religious School Now

Ongoing Fundraisers

• Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGift, and More

SHOP Shir Hadash

MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS  

Membership Renewal Forms Past Due -- Please Complete Now!
It's time to renew your membership in Shir Hadash for the coming year. In an effort to streamline the process and reduce the use of paper, all our forms are now available on Shul Cloud. Click here for detailed information. (If you prefer to use paper forms for your registration, please contact our office at 847 498 8218.)  If you need assistance, contact Executive Director Geoff Prass at info@shir-hadash.org.

Annual BBQ, August 28
Mark your calendars for our annual Pot Luck Cookout on Sunday, August 28, at 4:00pm. It is a wonderful opportunity to visit with old friends and make ones. You can bring your relatives and friends too! This event is perfect for people who are thinking of joining Shir Hadash. Click on the event in the Shir Hadash calendar to learn more and to RSVP. Want to help plan the festivities? Contact Melanie Andes, fmandes@comcast.net. 

Save the Date! Coffee House Night – Open Mic Style, September 17

Be prepared for another wonderful evening of talent and treats! Coffee House Night – Open Mic Style is on the calendar for Saturday, September 17. from 7:00pm to about 10:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm). Enjoy a laid back Saturday night with low lighting, comfortable seating, friendly conversation, a Bake Sale with Coffee/Beverages, and the amazing talent of our friends. Everyone is welcome to participate! Dancers, Actors, Musicians, Storytellers, Magicians, Group Acts, Comedy, Readings, Actors … it’s your time to come forward and hear the applause.

If you’re interested in performing at our Coffee House, please contact Margie at MargiePromoPro1@aol.com and put “Coffee House Talent” in the subject line. Bakers, Tech Help, Set-up Roadie Crew, we need to hear from you too! Please contact Margie at MargiePromoPro1@aol.com and put your area of expertise in the subject line.

CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL

Shabbat Morning Minyan Service, August 13, 10:00am 

We will celebrate Shabbat on Saturday morning with a Torah service and discussion, followed by a light potluck lunch.

Tisha B’Av: From Sadness to Joy… Sisu et Yerushalayim – Rejoice O Jerusalem! August 13, 7:00pm

Join us for an evening of story, song, reading, and reflection on the eve of Tisha B’Av, as we recall the many destructions, calamities, setbacks and misfortunes that have shaped so much of Jewish history.  Each time misery befell us, our people’s resilience and tenacity revealed a passion to live and grow. Time and time again, our Jewish tradition has taught us to rise up from destruction to renewal, from sadness to joy. Tisha B’Av is a traditional fast day, so no oneg or refreshments following the service.

THE RABBI’S CORNER

August 13-14, 2016 / 9 Av 5775

Shabbat Devarim

Shabbat Chazon – Preceding Tisha B’Av

Torah: Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22 / Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1 - 1:27

“Tisha B’av – Redemption Through Justice”

Dear Friends,                                                                                                     

Earlier this year, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was convicted of bribery.  While no cause for celebration, we must also acknowledge that in its willingness to convict a former prime minister for a significant crime, Israel sent a strong message not only to its own citizens, but to the rest of the world. The Jewish state is a country of law and justice for all. The morning he entered prison, Olmert declared his innocence, but also acknowledged that his sentence, “is an unusual, serious event that shows the strength of Israeli democracy.”

The critical importance of justice and fairness is an underlying theme of Tisha B’av. This Shabbat morning we will read “The vision of Isaiah”—in which the prophet foretells in great detail the destruction of the First Temple and Jerusalem. Isaiah describes a nation that was governed by corruption and graft. Yet, Isaiah concludes on a positive note. God will one day return to Zion, “And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterward you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice...” (1:26-27).

While Israel is far from perfect, we can say with pride that the modern state of Israel indeed represents a nation of justice. Recently, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer noted, “The idea that all are created equal in the image of God, that no one is above the law, that compassion for the most vulnerable is a sacred obligation—ideas which have been a moral compass for generations of Americans—were ideas first championed thousands of years ago by the prophets of the Jewish people and which today are fused into the national identity of the Jewish state.” Isaiah was of course correct: “Zion shall be redeemed with justice…”

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

To read past entries of the Rabbi's blog, please visit our website.

EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

School Registration Now Open

Shir Hadash Religious School registration forms are now open for grades K-7. Click here to access the forms on Shul Cloud. Based on input from members and the School Advisory Council, our Director of Lifelong Learning Rabbi Seeg has put together a curriculum for the upcoming year that will provide an interesting, innovative, and fun Jewish education for our students. Complete your registration by August 15 to receive a $50 early bird discount! Questions? Contact Rabbi Seeg, at 847-498-8218 or learning@shir-hadash.org.

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

Summertime SHOP

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. Orders can be picked up in the Shir Hadash office.

Click here for information about current bonus offers!

Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP this week:
Zinbarg
Schleicher
Herbin
Farahmandpour
Fargotstein
Fields
G. Graff
M. Graff
Singer

To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website.