WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Community Seder, April 11 -- RSVP by March 31
- MOSH Game Night, April 15
- Coffee House Night, April 22
- Chili Cook-Off, April 29
- New! Synagogue Open House for Prospective Members, April 30
- Annual Meeting and Elections, May 21
- Support Susan Cohen's "Bathrobe Heroines"
- Book Club Recap
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat "Learners' Service" Friday, March 31, 7:30pm
The Rabbi’s Corner
Youth Education Announcements- "Give unto God"
- Religious School on Spring Break, April 2
- Family Passover Program Special Schedule, April 9
- Sunday Morning Torah & Philosophy Class Meeting Off-Site
- Adult Hebrew Reading and Modern Hebrew on Spring Break
- Thursday Lunch 'n Learn
Social Action
Community Events
- Help Deliver Food for Passover, April 2
- Four Buckets of Mac & Cheese Donated to ARK Food Pantry!
- Subscribe to Reconstructionism Today Newsletter
- Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
SHOP Shir Hadash
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Please RSVP by Tomorrow, March 31
MOSH Game Night, April 15
If you like Risk, Stratego, or Monopoly as as kid, come try out the modern wave of European, thematic strategy, and social strategy games. Ira and Susan Kalina will host a game night for adults on Saturday, April 15, starting at 7:30pm. Learn a new game and make some new friends! To RSVP, click here.
Our next Coffee House Night evening will be Saturday, April 22. Did you know you don't have to be a performer to share in the Coffee House experience? Everyone is invited to enjoy a relaxing evening, with delicious treats and amazing talent provided by our friends in a club-like atmosphere. We love a big audience and we already have a great line up of talent developing! The doors open at 6:30pm with performances running from 7:00 to 10:30.
Attention Talent: All types of acts are welcome to take the stage! If you are planning to perform, please click here to register so we can coordinate with the tech crew to help you look and sound your best. Plan on a two-song or 10-12 minute set. If you'd like to help in any other way (baking, tech crew, front of house, etc) let us know that too. See you all April 22!
Chili Cook-Off, April 29
Mark your calendar and get ready to show off your chili-making skills -- or just enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by fantastic SH cooks! It is the biggest Kosher food event in all of Wheeling, Illinois (...and the only one)! The Great Shir Hadash Chili Cook-Off will be April 29, beginning at 6:30pm. To register or learn more, visit our website by clicking here.
New! Synagogue Open House for Prospective Members, April 30
Do you know families who would like to make a change or are
ready to start religious education for their children? Would they love our
amazing one-day-a-week school? Encourage them to come to our Open House on
Sunday, April 30 from 10:00am to noon!
Families will meet with our Rabbi, Education Committee Members, and
Director of Education. Click here for more information to pass on to your
friends.
The Shir Hadash 2017 annual meeting will be held on Sunday, May 21 at 9:15am at the synagogue. (The meeting will be followed by the annual end-of-the-year School Assembly.) You will be asked to vote on nominees for open positions on the Board of Directors, and to approve the Shir Hadash budget for 2017-18.
We have several open positions on the Board for the coming year. Interested in getting involved? Contact Fred Andes, fandes@btlaw.com, for information. Completed nomination forms must be returned to the office by March 31.
Support Susan Cohen and "Bathrobe Heroines" -- Voting Ends April 2
Support Susan Cohen and "Bathrobe Heroines" -- Voting Ends April 2
Shir Hadash founding member Susan Cohen is a finalist in the Lyric Opera’s Community Created Performances competition. The top three groups with the most votes will create and develop their original work, driven by the participants and supported by Lyric Opera professional artists and staff.
Susan has created “Bathrobe Heroines,” in which individuals affected by ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) tell a poignant, stirring musical tale of a misunderstood disease aiming to bring increased awareness and understanding. Susan, her daughter, and other members of our community have all dealt with this devastating illness.
Click here to learn more and vote for Bathrobe Heroines. You can vote once every 24 hours until April 2.
Book Club Recap
On Tuesday, March 21, we had one of our largest Book Club turnouts. Seventeen of us, including Rabbi Eitan, met to discuss The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret. This Israeli author's memoir appealed to many of us with its big-hearted, eloquent, and witty narratives. We thank Cheryl Schultz for her incredible hospitality. Watch for details about our next Book Club selection, coming soon.
On Tuesday, March 21, we had one of our largest Book Club turnouts. Seventeen of us, including Rabbi Eitan, met to discuss The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret. This Israeli author's memoir appealed to many of us with its big-hearted, eloquent, and witty narratives. We thank Cheryl Schultz for her incredible hospitality. Watch for details about our next Book Club selection, coming soon.
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
We come together this Friday night for a Fifth Friday Learners' Service, a unique opportunity to ask your questions about the Shabbat worship service, the meaning of the prayers, and just about anything else in Judaism, including the upcoming Holidays. Rabbi Eitan is ready to take your questions in this creative, lively, informal, and inspiring service. See you Friday -- and don't forget to bring something for the oneg!
THE RABBI’S CORNER
March 31 –
April 1, 2017 / 5 Nisan 5777
Shabbat
Vayikra
Torah:
Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26
Haftarah:
Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23
“Give unto
God”
Dear
Friends,
This week’s Torah portion, Vayikra, opens the book of Leviticus and is all about sacrifice
- rules and regulations for making offerings of livestock and produce to God at
the mishkan, the tent of meeting. It is all about how our ancestors gave back
to God some of the best gifts that God had bestowed upon them. Perhaps this can best be explained by citing
the verse from the Talmud Book Pirkei Avot or Ethics of the Sages, Chapter 3,
section 8: “Tein lo mi’shelo she’ata v’shelach shelo - Give unto God that which
is God’s, for you and all that you have is God’s.” Our ancestors also knew instinctively that by
giving a korban (Hebrew meaning ‘draw close), one would grow closer to God and
rise in spirituality, holiness, wisdom, and understanding.
What about
us? What korbanot or sacrifices will we
offer that will allow us to draw close and ascend in holiness before God? What precious time will we ‘sacrifice’ that
we may study and learn? What precious
resources will we ‘offer’ toward aiding our community and all in need?
The Book of
Leviticus challenges each one of us to make sacrifices - not the reluctant and
begrudging kind - rather, the kind that will enable us to give back to others
and allow ourselves to grow in awareness and purpose. As you grow Jewishly, what are your
sacrifices? As you act Jewishly, what
can you offer to bring greater holiness and connection to our world?
Shabbat Shalom,
To enjoy past entries of the Rabbi's Corner, please visit our website.
YOUTH EDUCATION
Hope you all have a fun and relaxing break. We'll see you back at school on April 9.
Family Passover Program and Special Schedule, April 9
When we return from Spring Break on April 9, we will have a Family Passover Program as part of Sunday School that morning.
- The day will begin with Hebrew for students from 9:15-10:00am, during which time Rabbi Eitan and Sean Fisher-Rohde will lead a "Seder Swap" program for parents (and non-parents too). The "Seder Swap" will be an opportunity to share best practices from our own Passover seder experiences and learn about ways to personalize the seder that we may not have tried before.
- At 10:00, parents will be reunited with their children and have the opportunity to explore a variety of Passover themed programming at different stations.
- At 11:30 we will bring our program to a close. Parents and students will be released to go get ready for Pesach (or do whatever it is you plan to do that afternoon).
This is a day of Sunday School, so all students are expected to attend and parents are strongly encouraged to participate with them. Please contact Rabbi Seeg at learning@shir-hadash.org if you have any questions.
ADULT EDUCATION
Our Sunday morning Torah & Philosophy group will be meeting offsite while Religious School is on break. Contact Fred for the location and details (fandes@btlaw.com).
Sunday Morning Hebrew Classes on break
Our Adult Hebrew Reading and Modern Hebrew classes are on Spring Break April 2. We look forward to seeing you at future classes. Our regular Sunday schedule is:
- Torah and Philosophy, 9:30-10:30am
- Learning the Shir Hadash Prayer Book, 10:30-11:30am
- Modern Hebrew, 11:30am-12:30pm
Thursday Lunch 'n' Learn
Join Rabbi Eitan or Rabbi Seeg for a refreshing and contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion. We meet every Thursday at 1:00pm, no RSVP necessary. Don’t be surprised if archaeology, sociology, and contemporary world affairs as well as law, medicine, and business ethics enter the lively conversation as we plumb the deeper meanings of Judaism’s core text. Participants are encouraged to share their views, questions, and opinions.
SOCIAL ACTION
Help Deliver Passover Food Boxes, April 2
Shir Hadash will be joining with Maot Chitim of Greater Chicagoland to help deliver Passover food boxes for needy Jewish families all over the Chicago area. Delivery will take place Sunday, April 2, from 9:30 to 11:30am in the Buffalo Grove/Wheeling area. We will be delivering 100 food packages, in large boxes weighing approximately 20 lbs. each. We deliver to several large complexes and use a rental truck to transport the boxes.
We need approximately about 10 - 15 people for delivery on April 2. If you are interested in helping, please contact Mark Lenhart at mjlenhart@comcast.net.
As part of her bat mitzvah project, Caitlyn Guth presents an evening of singing, dancing, and music at Shir Hadash on Saturday, April 8 at 7:00pm. Proceeds will benefit Bright Pink, which strives to save women's lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering them to live proactively from a young age. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children under $10. Click here to learn more.
COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
Are you receiving the latest news from the Reconstructionist Movement? Interested in finding some resources for you and your family, and perhaps a few nuggest of wisdom? If so, click here to subscribe to the Reconstructionist movement's monthly email newsletter!
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
In the next month, Shir Hadash will be installing a Memorial Wall with individual plaques recording the Hebrew and English name of the deceased and the date of birth and passing. The plaques will be located at the back of the sanctuary. Having a Memorial Plaque for a loved one ensures that Yahrzeit will be observed for them in perpetuity by our congregation. On the Yahrzeit, or anniversary of the death, the lights next to the plaques of those whose death occurred on the same Hebrew date will be lit.
The cost for a plaque is $360. Many congregants prepay and reserve plaques. As always, Shir Hadash is extremely grateful for your contributions. What better way to both commemorate a loved one and support our congregation than to purchase a Yahrzeit Plaque on our Memorial Wall? You may register for the plaque(s) through our web site, or request a paper order form by calling the office (847 498 8218),
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. Orders can be picked up in the Shir Hadash office or purchased during Sunday School.
Thank you for supporting Shir Hadash with your SHOP purchases!
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website.
