Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- December 1, 2016

For daily event updates, check our calendar. Like us on Facebook or Twitter.  

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE

"Let's Make Our Building a Home"

Membership News and Upcoming Events

• New Member Havdalah and Dinner, December 3
• Community Hanukkah Party, December 10
• Send a Kid to Israel Partnership (SKIP)  -- Deadline Extended
• Easy Ways to Help Shir Hadash While You Shop!
• Book Club
• Coffee House Night, January 28
• Shir Hadash Gift Shop

Creative Worship and Ritual

• Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, December 2, 7:30pm

The Rabbi’s Corner

• "The Generations of Isaac"

Education Announcements

• Religious School, December 4
• TOV Toy Drive
• Purim Carnival Brainstorming Session, December 4 
• Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes
• Monday Night Adult Ed Class, December 5

Social Action

• Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV) Needs Help
• TOV Holiday Toy Drive

Jewish Community News

• JUF Provides Aid to Battle Israel Fires -- Link to Donate
• Registration Open for Reconstructionist Birthright Trip

Ongoing Fundraisers

• Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGift, and More

SHOP Shir Hadash

MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS  

New Member Havdalah and Dinner, December 3
Last chance to RSVP! Join the Shir Hadash community Saturday night as we celebrate our new members! Everyone is welcome as we honor our new and returning members from the past year. We'll enjoy a vegetarian pasta dinner starting at 6:00pm. Free of charge for new members; suggested donation of $10/adult and $4/child ages 4 to 12. To RSVP, click here.

Shir Hadash Hanukkah Party and Sing-Along Show, December 10

Light the Lights and celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of freedom! Join the Shir Hadash Community on December 10 from 6:15 to 8:30pm. Games and activities will begin our evening, followed by a great Hanukkah show featuring the “Cor Corps” french horn ensemble.  Our Mighty Shir Hadash Klezmorim will get us on our feet for some great dancing and our Lahaka Adult Choir will lead us in song. The children in our religious school have a special song to sing, too. Rabbis Eitan and Seeg will share lessons of our tradition. Then we will light the Hanukkah menorah and wave glow lights as we sing.

Are you a fan of the Great British Baking Show?  Would you like to be a contestant in the Great Shir Hadash Latke Show?  Sign up here, make your latkes at home, and bring them for judging! Or, if latke tasting is more your speed, you can sign up here to be one of our judges. After the judging, everyone will enjoy latkes along with traditional Hanukkah doughnuts. 

This special celebration is free of charge, but please RSVP here to help us plan. Chag Hanukkah Sameach!

Send a Kid to Israel Partnership (SKIP)—Deadline Extended

Shir Hadash and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago offer a very special opportunity to help families send their children on meaningful Israel experiences. Children in grades 3-6 may be enrolled, with combined contributions from parents, Shir Hadash and the Federation accumulating up to $2000 that can be used toward approved programs. Enrollment and annual contributions must be completed by December 4. Click here for detailed information or contact Cindy Grills, homes@cindygrills.com, to learn more.

Easy Ways to Help Shir Hadash While You Shop!

SHOP Shir Hadash is here to help you share the season of giving by making it easy to get gifts for your friends and family (as well as buy your groceries, gas, restaurant cards).  Hundreds of gifts cards are available to make your holiday shopping a snap.  There are multiple easy ways to get your gift cards: 

1. Pick them out in person on Sundays during Religious School
2. Send an email to SHOP@shir-hadash.org to place your order, or
3. Order online through https://www.shopwithscrip.com/.  

For more information about SHOP, go to http://www.shir-hadash.org/shop/.

Online Shopping Helps Too! Remember to use both iGive and Amazon Smile as you shop for the holidays.  iGive is a shopping portal that not only donates a portion of the proceeds to Shir Hadash, but also collects money saving coupons.  Amazon Smile is an official part of Amazon.com and is exactly the same as regular Amazon, but going through Smile will direct a portion of your purchase to Shir Hadash.  These are effortless ways to help your Shir Hadash community, so please sign up before you shop!

Book Club

The next Book Club selection will be By Fire, By Water by Mitchell Kaplan. This is a historical novel set during the turbulence of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the Inquisition. The story revolves around Luis De Santangel, a converso , who was the Chancellor of the King of Aragon and the  chief financier of Christopher Columbus. The Book Club meeting will be held in early January, date and time TBA. For more information. contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.

Save the Date! Coffee House Night -- Open Mic Style, January 28

Our next Open Mic will be Saturday, January 28.  If you want to share your talent with our supportive audience or be part of the Coffee House Night team, please contact Margie at MargiePromoPro1@aol.com and put “talent” in the subject line to sign up.

Shir Hadash Gift Shop -- 10% Off Til December 10
The first Hanukkah candle will be lit on December 24! We have loads of fantastic new items for Hanukkah as well as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and more. Remember that when you shop at Shir Hadash, you're not just buying a gift -- you're helping the synagogue!   

Our gift to you: purchase by December 10 and enjoy a 10% discount. Click here to learn about our new selections. Happy Shopping!

There is a sign-up form on our website for those who would like to donate three hours of time on a Sunday morning to help us through the "Gift Giving Season".  For any questions, contact Julie Wellisch at 847 345 9073 or stop by Shir Hadash during office hours for assistance. 

CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL

Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, December 2, 7:30pm -- Shabbat Toldat: Come experience an up close and personal reading of the week’s Torah portion featuring the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau. It’s a special portion that offers many important lessons for contemporary life – from parenting to family harmony. Rabbi Eitan will open the Torah for all to see and will answer your questions about how Torah scrolls are made and the finer points of reading the text.  We’ll offer a special blessing for December birthdays and usher in the Hanukkah season as we welcome the Jewish month of Kislev. Please bring a treat to share at the oneg.

THE RABBI’S CORNER

December 2-3, 2016 / 3 Kislev 5777

Shabbat Toledot

Torah: Genesis 25:19 - 28:9 / Haftarah: Malachi 1:1 - 2:7

“The Generations of Isaac”

Dear Friends,

The story of Jacob and Esau goes beyond sibling rivalry.  As important, if not more, is the element of parents favoring one child over the other.  For that is exactly what happened.  Isaac favored Esau.  Rebecca favored Jacob.  Ruth Brin so beautifully captured the pitfalls and lessons learned from this situation in her poem “The Generations of Isaac.”  I share it with you.

The Generations of Isaac

Genesis 27

It is written that Isaac loved Esau because

he brought meat,

but Rebekah loved Jacob, and for his mother’s

love no reason is given.

To Jacob, who had his mother’s love, his father’s

blessing was given,

but from Esau, who had not his mother’s love,

his birthright was taken away.

Jacob became at last a father of his people,

but not until he had run away in fear and

dreamed his dream,

Not until he wrestled with his angel and labored

twice seven years for the wife he loved,

for he who had deceived his blind father was

himself deceived.

Now while we have a measure of strength and

vision, Lord,

let us consider the birthright of our children.

Grant us wisdom to favor no child, and to be

deceived by no child,

Grant that we never weep the tears of Rebekah,

who had to send away her dearest son,

Grant that we never love a child for the gift

he brings,

lest we tremble with the tremblings of Isaac.

Help us give all our children their mothers’ love

and their fathers’ blessings from the beginning;

Help us give all our children their share

in the heritage of our people.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

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

EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

Religious School, December 4
We look forward to seeing our students and families return on December 4 at 9:15.

TOV Toy Drive Continues to December 11
We are collecting unwrapped toys to brighten the holidays for children who otherwise might feel forgotten. Please scroll down to our Social Action section for details about dates and suggestions for donations. Thank you for your support!

Want a better Purim Carnival? Brainstorming Meeting, December 4

We want a bigger and better Purim Carnival this year!  Share ideas what we can do to make the Purim Carnival even more fun. We will meet Sunday, December 4, at 10:30 am, to brainstorm. If you can't make the meeting but have ideas, please email Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org.

Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes 

Check out these engaging Adult Ed opportunities that meet during our Religious School hours. All are welcome. (We are on Thanksgiving Break this week.)

• Torah and Philosophy, 9:30-10:30am 
• Learning the Shir Hadash Prayer Book, 10:30-11:30am -- We will be studying the Sh'ma and V'ahavta, including the origin, meanings, and its basis in Jewish life. 
• Modern Hebrew, 11:30am-12:30pm

Monday Night Adult Ed Class: “To Meat or Not to Meat…” December 5

Join us for our adult education course on Monday, December 5.  We will still have a soup dinner beginning at 6:30pm, followed by the class beginning at 7:00. Please RSVP to Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org if you are planning to attend.

This session will look specifically at the ethics of eating meat.  The discussion will range from whether meat consumption is morally defensible in Jewish tradition to what role the welfare of the animal does (or should) play in determining whether meat is kosher.  We will look at texts and commentaries both ancient and modern as we consider the role of meat in Judaism and the ethical questions surrounding its consumption

Thursday Lunch and Learn, December 1

We will resume our weekly studies today, December 1, at 1:00pm with selections from the Books of the Maccabees.

TEEN NEWS

Global Shabbat, December 2

Be part of a gamechanging Shabbat! Our own Ra'am BBG chapter will be joining two other chapters for AZA BBG Global Shabbat on December 2 at 6:30. Potluck Shabbat dinners with guest speakers are taking place all over Chicagoland. Click here to see a flyer about this exciting worldwide event. For more information, contact Scarlett Andes, scarlettandes28@gmail.com.

SOCIAL ACTION

Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV) Needs Help

Our monthly social action projects (currently called Tikkun Olam Volunteers, or TOV) have gotten off to a great start! It's too much work for a couple of people to put it together every month, so we need help planning and carrying out these activities. Whether you'd like to play a small part or a big role for an activity (or more than one), please help out in some way. Getting some assistance is the only way we can continue having social action projects monthly. Please contact Lisa Burton Radzely at shirhadashsac@gmail.com if you'd like to help or if you have any questions.

TOV Toy Drive Continues To December 11
Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV) will collect holiday toys for children who otherwise will not receive any gifts.  We will focus on teen boys, for they tend to receive the fewest donations at holiday time. Fill A Heart 4 Kids will distribute them to teen boys living in group homes.Their wish lists include Lego sets, model airplane kits, decks of cards and other card games, board games, and science kits. Arts and crafts as well as coloring books would be enjoyed and help strengthen fine motor skills, and stuffed animals provide some physical comfort.  Please no donations associated with violence, no ropes or string, and no toys requiring batteries.  Collection buckets will be in the lobby November 13 through December 11.  

Purchasing SHOP gift cards to buy presents or to donate to the toy drive will benefit Shir Hadash as well as these children! Stop by the SHOP desk at Sunday School or contact the office to make selections.

If you have any questions, please contact Chana Sulpar at csulpar@yahoo.com.

JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS

JUF Provides Aid to Battle Devastating Israel Fires

The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago has advanced $500,000 to its overseas partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, to help Israel cope with the unprecedented 480 fires that have erupted throughout the country.  At least half of the fires have reportedly been the result of arson.  Many of the tens of thousands of Israelis who were evacuated have now returned home, but 1,600 are homeless. Many other Israelis have lost their schools and places of employment. Thanks in part to the advance funds from JUF, on Sunday the Jewish Agency was able to begin providing every homeless Israeli family with a $1,000 emergency assistance grant. 

If you are looking for ways to help, please consider a donation to JUF’s Annual Campaign or its Israel Fire Emergency Fund. Click here to donate on the JUF website.

Register Now for the First Ever Reconstructionist Birthright Tour

Camp JRF, the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College invite Jewish young adults (ages 21 to 26) to explore Israel over ten days this December. Hike, learn, sing, and connect with the land, people, history, and culture. The trip runs December 18-29, 2016. There are only 40 spots available, and they will fill fast! Go to campjrf.org/birthright to learn more and register now. 

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 or purchased during Sunday School.

Use SHOP to benefit the TOV holiday drive as well as Shir Hadash! 
Gift cards can be donated to the toy drive, and those gifts will be pooled together to buy bigger items for the group homes.  This also allows you to skip the store.  Or, if you're selecting donations yourself, buying a SHOP gift card to Target, Walmart, Toys R Us, Amazon, or other places will allow you to give to Shir Hadash before you head to the store.  

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