WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Tonight! Women in Shir Hadash Fall Kickoff, September 22 -- plus more!
- Book Club, October 25
Creative Worship and Ritual
- New! Shabbat No'ar, Friday, September 23, 7:00pm
- Selichot Service, Saturday, September 24, 7:30pm
- Register Now for High Holidays
- High Holiday Service Volunteers Needed -- Teens or Adults Welcome!
The Rabbi’s Corner
Education Announcements- "Seek the Joy"
- Religious School, September 25
- School Advisory Committee Meeting, September 25
- New! Introducing Shabbat No'ar Services
- New! Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV) Family Social Action Program
- New! Adult Ed Class, Learning the Shir Hadash Prayer Book, Starts September 25
- Sunday Morning Torah and Philosophy Class for Adults
Volunteer Opportunities
Donations
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Help Needed: High Holiday Food Delivery
- Travel-Size Toiletries Needed to Help Those Facing Domestic Violence and Homelessness
Jewish Community Events
- Birthright Israel Reconstructionist Adventure, December 18-29
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGift, and More
SHOP Shir Hadash
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
WISH is having our “Fall Kickoff Wine and...” at Shir Hadash on Thursday, September 22 at 7:00pm. Bring a nosh and let's re-energize.
Also, mark your calendars: We already have one event on the horizon! WISH is participating in the Great Big Challah Bake, November 10 at 7:00pm at the Northbrook JCC Tickets will go fast, so we have to give a count ASAP! Please contact Cindy Grills to register. Text or call Cindy at 847-409-3707 or email homes@cindygrills.com.
Book Club, October 25
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Services this Week
Believe it or not, the High Holidays are almost here! We are heavily involved in our planning process, so we really need to know who's coming. If you have not yet registered on Shul Cloud, please do so. This is especially important if you are planning to buy High Holiday Member or New High Holiday Member tickets - you'll need to do that in order to be admitted to services. We want you there, so please register! All questions should be directed to cwr@shir-hadash.org.
High Holiday Volunteers Needed
- New! Introducing Shabbat No’ar, Friday, September 23, 7:00pmShabbat No'ar (Youth Shabbat) is a new once-a-month Shabbat service geared towards our middle and high school students, but open to any student in 3rd grade or above. Each service (whether Friday night or Saturday morning) will be casual, maximum one hour long, and done in the Jewish summer camp style. There will be lots of music, Torah reading (Saturday mornings only), either a story or conversation in lieu of a sermon, kiddush, challah, and a small oneg. The services will be led by Rabbi Seeg, but any student who wishes to help lead any part of a service is encouraged to do so. These services do count towards the students' expected service attendance. The Shabbat No'ar services are intended for students only (sorry grown-ups) but if a parent needs to be present for a specific reason that can be accommodated.The first Shabbat No'ar will be Friday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. Click here for a complete schedule of future services. Questions? Contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.
- Selichot Service, Saturday, September 24, 7:30pm -- Selichot is a brief Saturday evening service of reflection, study, and friendship to prepare us for the spiritual work of the High Holidays. Its readings and melodies are meditative and stirring. For our evening study, we will view and discuss the award-winning documentary Dolphin Boy, a powerful story of how a community of Israeli Arabs, Jews, and dolphins came together to heal a traumatized young man. (Click here to view a trailer.) Join us to share in the film's powerful message, and please bring a treat to share after the service.
Help us make the Shir Hadash holiday services enjoyable for everyone! Adult and teen volunteers are needed during all services. Volunteers help us monitor the doors, assist our holiday guests, prepare food for the onegs, hand out and/or collect ARK bags for our food drive for the needy – what would you like to do? Email Suzanne at volunteer@shir-hadash.org to be placed on the volunteer list (if you have a particular job and/or day preference, please let her know).
THE RABBI’S CORNER
September
23-24, 2016 / 21 Elul 5776
Shabbat Ki
Tavo
Torah:
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 / Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22
“Seek the Joy”
Dear Friends,
These days, the news is filled with anxiety and doom. There
is plenty to have us question whether life will ever feel ‘normal’ and
calm. While so much is beyond our
control, there is a lot we can do as individuals to live moral and responsible
lives and to look for the good everyday – to seek the ‘shehecheyanu moments,’
that fill our days with blessing and plenty.
That’s what this week’s Torah portion tells our ancestors to
do. It instructed the tribes to come
together before God to express deep thanksgiving for the abundance with which
all Israel had been blessed. They were
to celebrate true ‘shehecheyanu moments’ – finding time to appreciate the
wonder of life amidst all that troubles.
This weekend, we at Shir Hadash will have the opportunity to
do just that, celebrate some ‘shehecheyanu moments.’
On Saturday evening, we will gather to study and celebrate
the Selichot service, which introduces us to the High Holiday season of
repentance and introspection. The study
portion will include a screening of the award winning movie, “Dolphin Boy,” an
engrossing and tender documentary about a traumatized Israeli Arab boy who is
brought back to health through dolphin therapy.
He is aided and supported by a loving and caring community in Israel.
The movie will be followed by a brief havdalah service to
bid farewell to the Shabbat and the Selichot service. The evening ends with a lavish pot-luck
dessert table. Bring something special
to share. Friends and family are most
welcome! (7:00 pm).
The great Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav taught us never to
despair. Even in the most troubling of
times, we must find moments of celebration and thanksgiving.
L’shana tova – I wish you all a healthy, happy, blessed, and
abundant New Year.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
New! Introducing Shabbat No'ar for Teens, September 23
We are excited to launch our new monthly Shabbat services designed for middle school and high school students. Please see this week's Creative Worship and Ritual section, above, for complete details about this new program and Friday evening's service.
New! Introducing Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV), October 9
Our new family social action program is nicknamed "TOV"
because tov is the Hebrew word for "good" and that is just what we
are trying to do; we are trying to do good in the world. We will be offering
tikkun olam (means "repairing the world") opportunities once each
month for students, families and the whole Shir Hadash community. These
programs will take place immediately after Sunday School (12:30 p.m.) and will
seek to support different causes and the organizations that champion them.
Our first event will be on October 9 from 12:30-1:30 and includes
lunch. Luggage for Freedom is an initiative of National Council of Jewish Women
(NCJW) Chicago North Shore Section. Its goal is to provide a sense of dignity
to women who are staying at and transitioning out of domestic violence and
homeless shelters, by giving them gently-used suitcases packed with personal
and household items, including new towels, new sheets, and new toiletries. Luggage
for Freedom has an incredible ability to directly impact women and children in
a positive way, at a time when they are most vulnerable.
We will play our part in this gimmilut chassadim (act of loving
kindness) by collecting, sorting, and packing the toiletries that will go in
the suitcases. We are asking for RSVPs by October 6 so we can know how much
food; please click here to
sign up.
School Advisory Committee (SAC) Meeting, September 25
The first School Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting of this school year is Sunday, September 25, 10:30-12:30 in the kitchen. All school parents are encouraged to come. We'll discuss what's happening in the school now and down the road. Contact the SAC Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely, with any questions at shirhadashsac@gmail.com.
New! Adult Ed Class, Learning
the Shir Hadash Prayer Book, Starts September 25
We will be commencing our Learning
the Shir Hadash Prayer Book course on Sundays from 10:30-11:15. The course
is intended for those interested in supporting their children's learning, those
who are interested in preparing for their own adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or anyone
else wanting to more completely participate in Shir Hadash services.
The class will cover the prayers and blessings for Shabbat and Holidays,
focusing on both the Hebrew words and their meaning. We will discuss the origin of the prayers and
how they have been adapted to the tenets of modern Judaism including the
Reconstructionist modifications and their rationale. We will be using adult
version of the Hineni text used in our Religious School.
The first class session on this Sunday, September 25, will provide an
introduction and the ability to ask questions to determine if the class will be
of interest for you. If you have
questions, or cannot meet on Sunday, please contact Steve Lewin at
stevelewin@yahoo.com.
Our Sunday morning discussion group on Torah study and modern Jewish philosophy is back! The class, led by member Fred Andes, runs for about an hour beginning at 9:30am. We split the hour discussion between review of that week's Torah portion (in English) and discussion of modern Jewish philosophers, who have sought to help us deal with the challenges of being Jewish in our time.
If you can't come every week, you can still pop in anytime and participate in the discussion. No special expertise required. If you have questions, please contact Fred at fandes@btlaw.com.
TEEN NEWS
BBYO -- One More Advisor Needed
Our Ra’am BBYO group is looking for a new female co-advisor (to work with our current female advisor). BBYO advisors are volunteers who encourage and support the BBYO teens who are ultimately responsible for chapter programming with their peers. If interested, please contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.SOCIAL ACTION
Sunday! Help Needed: High Holiday Food Delivery
Once again this year, Shir Hadash will be joining with Maot Chitim of Greater Chicagoland to help pack and deliver High Holiday food boxes for needy Jewish families all over the Chicago area. Delivery of food packages will take place on Sunday, September 25, from 9:30 to 11:30am in the Buffalo Grove/Wheeling area. We will be delivering 105 food packages, which will be in large boxes weighing approximately 20 lbs. each. We deliver to several large complexes and use a rental truck to transport the boxes. If you are interested in helping on Sunday, please contact Mark Lenhart, mjlenhart@comcast.net.
Travel-Size Toiletries to Help
Those Facing Domestic Violence and Homelessness
In support of Shir Hadash's new TOV program, please bring travel-size toiletries when you come to Shir Hadash
between now and October 9 to support our Luggage For Freedom donation activity. (Please see our Education section, above, for a detailed description of the TOV initiative.) Toothpaste
and toothbrushes are especially needed.
Soap, shampoo, and other items for personal hygiene also are
appreciated. A collection bucket will be
in the lobby.
On October 9, 12:30-1:30, we will sort the items and then donate them
to Luggage For Freedom, which provides household and personal necessities to
individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness and domestic
violence situations. They still need travel-size
toiletries as well as new or gently used luggage, new sheets (preferably queen
or full), and new towels to distribute at domestic violence and homeless
shelters. Thank you for your support!
JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS/NEWS
Registration Open for Birthright Israel Reconstructionist Adventure, December 18-29
Camp JRF, the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College invite individuals ages 21 to 26 to explore Israel over ten days this December with the Birthright Israel: Israel Experts – Reconstructionist Adventure program. Hike, learn, sing, and connect with the land, people, history and culture of Israel. The team from Birthright Israel: Israel Experts is preparing a uniquely Reconstructionist journey that will stop at the major sites and more out-of-the-way places. Registration is open now. Click here for more information.
DONATIONS
To the General Fund
To the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
- Luba Rothblatt, in memory of Lloyd Idelman, father of Andrea Idelman and Marilyn Soglin, grandfather of Spencer and Lizzy Soglin
To the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
- Sandy and Jerry Weiss, in memory of Lloyd Idelman
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
Fall into 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:
Schleicher
Friedman
G. Graff
Fisher-Rohde
Sultan
Kalina
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP this week:
Schleicher
Friedman
G. Graff
Fisher-Rohde
Sultan
Kalina
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