Shir Hadash Newsletter -- June 15, 2017

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

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE

Membership News and Upcoming Events

MOSH Shabbat Morning Bike Ride, June 24
Popsicles and a Playdate in the Park, June 25
New! "Gift of Membership" Event, June 28
Sunday in the Park with Bagels, July 9
An Evening of Dining and Schmoozing, July 16
New! Coming Soon: How Can We Make Our Building a Home?
Shir Hadash App Available Now
New Book Club Selection

Creative Worship and Ritual

Shabbat Evening Service, June 16, 7:30pm
Speaker: Rick Rosenfeld, Executive Director of Hands of Peace
Shabbat Morning Bat Mitzvah Service, June 17, 9:30am
Upcoming Services:
Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, June 30, 7:30pm
"Hot Tub Havdalah," Saturday, July 1, 7:30pm at the Schleichers'
Shabbat Morning Service and Blessing of Animals & Pets, July 22, 10:00am
Shabbat Under the Stars, August 4
Oneg Volunteers Needed -- Sign Up Today

The Rabbi’s Corner
"Badge of Freedom"

Adult Education

Thursday Lunch 'n Learn on Break Until September

Social Action

iWalk 5K for Food Pantries, June 25
Tikkun Olam Opportunity, July 30 - August 3

Community 
Subscribe to Reconstructionism Today Newsletter

Donations

Ongoing Fundraisers
Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
SHOP Shir Hadash

MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS  

Shabbat Morning Bike Ride, June 24
Join MOSH (Men of Shir Hadash) and Rabbi Eitan on a Shabbat morning 15-mile round-trip bike ride to the Chicago Botanic Garden. All are welcome: men and women, younger and older. We will meet in the parking lot of the Blue Star Woods on Lake Street in Glenview (enter across from the Wilmette Golf Course - between Harms and Wagner Roads - just east of the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Lake Street). Then we’ll ride the paved North Branch Trail to the Chicago Botanic Garden for coffee, tea, a nosh, and Shabbat Torah study.  Bring money to purchase food/and/or drink. Click here for details and free registration.

Popsicles and a Playdate in the Park, June 25

Join our new Director of Education, Geoff Prass, for a Sunday morning play date from 10:30am to noon, complete with bubbles and playground fun. Meet current and prospective members in a relaxed atmosphere.  We will meet outside of the synagogue and walk over to the Northside Park Playground across the creek from the building.  Rain or Shine.

New! “Gift of Membership” Event, June 28

Please join the Membership Committee on Wednesday evening, June 28 between 7:00 and 9:00pm. There will be good wine, yummy desserts, fun conversation, and an opportunity to renew your synagogue membership and receive a “Gift of Membership” certificate!

The “Gift of Membership” certificate can be given to any friend or relative who has never been a member of Shir Hadash (either full year or High Holiday), and it will provide them with one year of membership at no cost. What a wonderful gift to give and to receive!

Sunday in the Park with Bagels, July 9

Sunday in the Park with Bagels is a free, family-friendly “tour of the Jewish calendar” through food and activities.  The program runs from 10:00 to 11:30am and is open to all families with young children. The location is Peterson Park, by Hawthorne Mall and off Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills.

An Evening of Dining and Schmoozing, July 16

Mehran Farahmandpour is hosting a social evening for adults at his home in Long Grove. There will be dinner, fun, and the most important ingredient of all, schmoozing. Registration will be $18/person. Watch for details and RSVP forms in upcoming newsletters or on the website.

New! Coming Soon: How Can We Make Our Building a Home?

How can we make our building a home?  What does Shir Hadash need to make this happen?  Well, we need your help to let us know.  Soon, we will be emailing a survey of possible projects and will ask you to rate them as to how you see their importance.  The quicker we receive the responses, the sooner we can get started on these capital projects!  Let's work together to make our building our home.

Shir Hadash App Now Available

We are excited to announce the Shir Hadash App is live and ready to be downloaded!   Simply go to the Apple App store and/or Google Play Store, search for "Shir Hadash," download it, and voila!  Some of the things you can do with the app are:

* Access your synagogue account

* RSVP for upcoming events

* Make Donations easily from your account

* Access to the synagogue membership directory and call from within the app

* Make payments and more!

* View our calendar and add events to your personal calendar

Click here for the iOS version and here for the Android version.

New Book Club Selection

The upcoming Book Club discussion will be on Daniel Silva's The English Assassin. This book is the first in a spy mystery trilogy about the Nazis. The story involves an Israeli spy, Nazi art heists, and of course a murder. Our next meeting will be in July or August. We're looking for a host to sponsor at this time. For this and questions, please contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com

CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL

This Week's Services:
Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, June 16, 7:30pm

This Friday, we have a speaker: Shir Hadash member Rick Rosenfeld, who is Executive Director of Hands of Peace.  Hands of Peace is an interfaith organization that empowers young people to raise their voices as leaders of change. Through the power of dialogue, Palestinians, Israelis and Americans partner to pursue peace, equality, freedom and justice.  Rick will discuss the incredible work being done by Hands of Peace, as well as what we can do to promote peace, understanding, and dialogue within our own community.

During this service, we will also: (1) have a special send-off for those attending summer camps; (2) have a baby-naming ceremony; and (3) give an anniversary blessing to Melanie & Fred Andes.  So don't miss it - and don't forget to bring something for the oneg!

Shabbat Morning Bat Mitzvah Service, Saturday, June 17, 9:30am
We welcome Caitlyn Guth to the bima as our Bat Mitzvah.

Upcoming Services:

Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, June 30, 7:30pm

Saturday, July 1, 2017, 7:30pm

“Hot Tub Havdalah” -- Community Havdalah, Social, Dessert and Hang-Out at the Schleicher home. Details to come.

Shabbat Morning Service and Blessing of Animals & Pets, July 22, 10:00am

Join us in celebrating our love and care of our pets on the Shabbat when we read in the Torah about Noah and the Ark.  Our out-of- doors one-hour Shabbat morning service will include a ceremony to bless our beloved animal pets.  Make sure your pets are properly leashed, caged, etc. The service begins at 10:00am, rain or shine!

Mark Your Calendar! Shabbat Under the Stars, August 4
Family Service at 5:30pm, Community Service at 7:30pm

Grab your family and friends and usher in Shabbat Under the Stars.  This outdoor evening is open to the community at no cost.  Bring your own chairs/blankets for a Ravinia-style dinner.  Seats will be available for services.  Following services, we'll roast marshmallows and make s'mores during the oneg. In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors.  

Oneg Volunteers Needed for Services

Please sign up to help as an oneg volunteer for one of our upcoming services. It's easy: just click here to pick a date, bring a challah, and show up! You'll receive a reminder email the week before with more details. For more information, contact Sean Fisher-Rohde at oneg@shir-hadash.org.

THE RABBI’S CORNER

June 16-17, 2017 / 23 Sivan 5777

Shabbat Shelach Lecha

Torah: Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 / Haftarah: Joshua 2:1 - 24

“Badge of Freedom”

Dear Friends,

What is our Jewish ‘badge of freedom”?  For more than 2,00 years, Jews have been persecuted and sidelined in world society.  Since the Enlightenment era and especially the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews are recognized as true citizens of countries and the world. So, what is the symbol that declares to all of our liberation?

In this week’s Torah portion, the Children of Israel are instructed to wear fringes on the corners of their clothing – tzitzit.  Rabbinic sages note that before and during the Egyptian enslavement, Israelites did not wear fringes. As Egyptian slaves, they were Pharaoh’s property and probably wore some kind of sign to that affect.  Similarly the Jews of Europe were forced to wear the “yellow star” during Nazi rule.  Now that the Israelites are free and on the way to the Promised Land, fringes are required.  According to the rabbis, tzitzit serve as an insignia of the Israelites’ liberation and relationship to God. Thus, wearing the fringes is our Jewish way of declaring that we are truly free.  Never again will be persecuted and oppressed.

Whether you wear tzitzit daily, or when you put on a tallit only at worship services, recognize the significance of the message you send when the fringes are worn.  Never again will Jews be slaves.  We serve only God.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

To enjoy past entries of the Rabbi's Corner, please visit our website.

ADULT EDUCATION 

Thursday Lunch 'n' Learn -- On Break Until September

Enjoy your summer, and join Rabbi Eitan in the fall for his refreshing and contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion.

SOCIAL ACTION

iWalk 5K for Food Pantries, June 25
Join the Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council for a fun 5K and support four local food pantries! Event registration opens at 1:30pm on June 25 at Saint Mary Parish, 10 N. Buffalo Grove Road in Buffalo Grove. For more info, click here.

Tikkun Olam Opportunity, July 30 - August 3

Interfaith Council presents the Fourth Annual Mission trip for families to help rebuild the lives of those who have suffered extreme loss in the St. Louis area, rebuilding homes destroyed by flooding in 2015.  Skilled and unskilled help is needed. 35 people have already signed up! Please consider joining with our interfaith community on this special trip. Click here for more information.

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Subscribe to Reconstructionism Today

Are you receiving the latest news from the Reconstructionist Movement? Interested in finding some resources for you and your family, and perhaps a few nuggets of wisdom? If so,  click here to subscribe to the Reconstructionist movement's monthly email newsletter!

DONATIONS

To the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund

• Laura Grossman and Daniel Nye, in honor of Oliver's Bar Mitzvah
• Sissy and Alan Eirinberg, in honor of Peggy Sharpe's 80th Birthday

ONGOING FUNDRAISERS

Shir Hadash Memorial Wall

Shir Hadash is installing a Memorial Wall in the sanctuary, with individual plaques recording the Hebrew and English name of the deceased and the date of birth and passing. Having a Memorial Plaque for a loved one ensures that Yahrzeit will be observed for them in perpetuity by our congregation.The cost for a plaque is $360. Many congregants prepay and reserve plaques.You may register for the plaque(s) through our website, 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 Summer -- Grads Love Gift Cards!
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. For more information, email Michelle at SHOP@shir-hadash.org.

Thank you for supporting Shir Hadash with your SHOP purchases!

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