WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Sunday! End of School Year Celebration, May 20
- Tuesday! Book Club, May 22
- Recap: Coffee House Night – Concert Series
- Registration Open for Reconstructing Judaism Convention, November 15-18
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Evening Service, May 18
- Shavuot Programs, May 19
- Oneg Volunteers Needed -- Sign Up Today
The Rabbi’s Corner
- “Counting the People”
School News
- Last Day of Religious School! May 20
- End of the Year Party, May 20
- Teacher Appreciation Gift Donations Being Accepted Now
- Tzedakah Challenge - Help Our Students Meet Their Goal
Adult Education
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi, May 17
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, Sundays
- Living Judaism: Introduction to Jewish Spirituality & Civilization, Last Class on May 20
- A Taste of Mussar Class, Thursday Evenings
Israel Awareness
- Did You Know? Fun Facts About Israel
Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
- Sock Drive for the Homeless Going on Now
- More Events and Programs from Interfaith Council
- Seeking an Additional Shir Hadash Rep for Interfaith Council
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Simcha Tree Leaves
- Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
- Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
- SHOP Shir Hadash
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
End of School Year Celebration, May 20
Our Religious School students and families and invited to enjoy a great send-off party to celebrate a wonderful school year. Scroll down to the School News section for details!
Next Tuesday! Book Club, May 22
The Book Club’s next selection will be The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich. This is an exciting historical novel about the artist Marc Chagall: his personality, his physical flight from Russia to Paris (later Nazi-occupied) to America, and his daughter’s love. Our meeting will be on May 22, 7:30pm, at the home of Rebecca Rice, 3641 Bernay Drive in Northbrook. For more information, contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
Recap: Coffee House Night – Concert Series
What a night! Thank you to Mitchell Green, Classical Guitarist for providing a fabulous evening of incredible music. It was a beautiful program with a stunning interpretation of 11 works of music by various traditional/classical and contemporary composers. It was a thrill to see so many Shir Hadash members and non-members in attendance – about 100 in all. Our baskets were very generously filled during the event! All in attendance remarked at how special this evening was and that they are anxiously awaiting our next Coffee House Night Event.
Many thanks to our Front of the House team, Kayla, Maureen, Scarlett, Stuart, Melanie and Ken who helped with set-up and check-ins. Don, as always, was a rock star at setting up our sanctuary to look like a downtown music club. Scarlett, Melanie and Maureen kept the treats coming and the coffee flowing with their gracious hospitality at our Dessert/Beverage Bar which was jam packed with delicious sweet and savory items contributed by so many generous Bakers & Treat Makers. Scarlett, Carolyn, Rachel, Glenn and Julie were invaluable in helping to create the Posters, Flyers, Programs and getting the word out to the diaspora. Finally, clean up was magically accomplished by a host of Shir Hadash members and non-members who transformed the room back to Sunday School-ready.
Watch for our next Coffee House Night – Open Mic Style event in the fall on November 10. As always, many thanks go to Rabbi Eitan, the Board, the Administrative & Executive Staff, and the entire Shir Hadash family for continuing to support these Coffee House Night Events with interest and bravado.
Registration Open for Reconstructing Judaism Convention, November 15-18
The annual convention for the Reconstructing Judaism Movement will be held November 15-18 in Philadelphia. Registration is open for this exciting event filled with workshops, music, worship, and fresh ideas. Click here for registration details, or contact Executive Director Geoff Prass, geoff@shir-hadash.org, for more information.
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Shabbat Evening “No Frills” Service, Friday May 18, 7:30pm
Join us for a simple and straightforward one-hour Shabbat prayer service. We’ll use lots of traditional tunes and move through our worship with ease and grace. Bring a treat to share at the oneg afterwards.
Shavuot Programs, May 19, 7:00pm
"Shavuot Under the Stars"
Don’t miss our very special Shavuot programs on Saturday, May 19. That night, we study - and we eat dairy and wheat, in the form of our Famous Blintz Bar! We also have exciting twist to our study this year: after a short service, we will study the stars in a Jewish way - with the help of SH member and science teacher Sean Fisher-Rohde, who will bring a pop-up planetarium to Shir Hadash. (Kids and families especially welcome!) Then, we have a very special speaker, the Mayor of Deerfield, Harriet Rosenthal. She will talk about the assault weapons ban that Deerfield recently enacted - and her Jewish perspective on the actions that she has taken on that issue.
Oneg Volunteers Needed for Services
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
May 18-19, 2018 / 5 Sivan 5778
Omer Day 49
Shabbat Bamidbar
Torah: Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 / Haftarah: Hosea 2:1 - 2:22
“Counting the People”
Dear Friends,
As the fourth book of the Torah begins, the Book of Numbers or BaMidbarin Hebrew, Moses calls for a census of the people. There already was a census taken back in the Book of Exodus. So, why count the people again? Why now? One obvious explanation is that whole year has passed since leaving Egypt and it is important to ‘take inventory’ regularly and find out how many people are on hand.
Torah commentator Yehuda Nachshoni teaches that “the census brings home the message to each and every one. Each sees that one does not stand alone but is a part of the totality of things. Yet, the entire world is dependent on each individual… By being counted, we know our place in and our worth to the community at large."
Everyone has infinite worth and immeasurable value. Each person is created “in the image of God.” The message is clear. Everyone counts, Everyone is important. Do your best to see the beauty in each and every soul, those close and far, those with whom you agree and disagree, those known and unknown. We are all part of humankind. We all matter.
Zay a Mentsch – Be a Good Person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
To enjoy past entries of the Rabbi's Corner, please visit our website.
SCHOOL NEWS
Last Day of School Year, May 20
Be there at 9:15 for our final session of the school year! And plan to stay for the big celebration afterwards (see below).
Free End-of-Year Party After School on May 20
After school on the last day, we will have a free end-of-year bash. Lunch and all activities will be provided compliments of Youth Group. There will be pie-eating contests, sack races, slime making, hula hoop contests, relay races geared to younger children and ones for tweens and teens, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and more! Fun for all ages.
Families are welcome, or students can attend by themselves. The picnic and party begin immediately after school on May 20, and the fun continues until 2:00. Join us to celebrate the fabulous school year and Shavu’ot.
Tzedakah Challenge - Help Our Students Meet Their Goal!
We are so close to our goal of collecting $500 in tzedakah contributions this year, and Sunday is the last day! If we collect $500, all students will receive a prize to celebrate how much they've done to help others.
ADULT EDUCATION
Torah and Jewish Philosophy Class, Sundays
- Instructor: Fred Andes
Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 to dig deep into the weekly Torah portion and take a look at modern Jewish philosophy.
Living Judaism: Introduction to Jewish Spirituality & Civilization, Last Class on May 20
- Instructor: Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
A survey of essential and fundamental concepts of Judaism - its roots, history, sacred texts, holidays, and life cycle celebration. Our final class for the school year will be Sunday May 20 at 11:15am.
Lunch and Learn at Shir Hadash, May 17
Join Rabbi Eitan and Shir Hadash members and friends for refreshing and contemporary Jewish learning. We are studying the books of Joshua and Judges, which cover the fascinating period of Jewish history from the crossing of the Jordan River until the first kings of Israel. Everyone is welcome. No prior study, expertise, or background required. Feel free to bring your lunch.
A Taste of Mussar
An introduction to the study and practice of Jewish spiritual ethics. Mussar is a centuries old Jewish body of teachings, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions any thinking person asks about life. Our concluding class will be tonight, May 17.
ISRAEL AWARENESS
Did You Know? Fun Facts About Israel
- Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song about women's empowerment called "Toy".
- This was Israel’s first win since 1998, and fourth win overall. Israel's entry beat competitors from 42 other countries.
- About 200 million people watched this year’s contest, held in Lisbon, Portugal. Next year's event will be in Jerusalem since Israel won the competition.
- Netta Barzilai, the winning singer, is a 25-year-old Israeli who incorporated the Chicken Dance into her winning song.
NORTHWEST SUBURBAN INTERFAITH COUNCIL
Sock Drive Going on Now
Interfaith Council’s annual Knock Your Socks Off collection for mens’, womens’, and childrens’ new socks is going on now. Please bring new socks to help fill the box near in the Shir Hadash lobby through the end of May. Donations will be distributed to our homeless neighbors in the Northwest Suburbs.
Other Events and Projects from the Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
Shir Hadash is an active member of the Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council. We look forward to the summer with the following upcoming programs:
- 5th Annual i-Walk Against Hunger, June 24: A family walk from St. Mary Parish to Hope Lutheran Church and back. All donations collected go to assist our food pantries. We need walkers, sponsors and volunteers.
- 5th Annual Service Trip to Detroit, August 1-5: Volunteers will work with Cass Community Social Services to repair, maintain and build facilities to benefit the hungry, homeless, and unemployed. For more information and to register, click here.
- Interfaith Trip to Israel, summer 2018: details forthcoming.
- Food Donations: Please remember those less fortunate. Donations of canned goods are accepted throughout the year at our food pantries located at Congregation Beth Am (1370 Abbott Court, Buffalo Grove), Kingswood Methodist Church (401 W. Dundee, Buffalo Grove) and St. Mary Parish (10 North Buffalo Grove Road.)
We are discussing ideas for further educational programming. If you have any suggested topics, please contact Suzanne Wexler at skwexler@yahoo.com or 847-769-8257.
Seeking Shir Hadash Representative for Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
Please consider joining Suzanne Wexler in representing SH at the Interfaith Council.. The council members meet on the first Monday of each month from 7:30-9:00pm. We share ideas from our congregations as well as plan and execute community-wide programs to serve our communities, including our neighbors in need. Please contact Suzanne if you are interested in hearing more: skwexler@yahoo.com or (847) 769-8257.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Simcha Tree Leaves Available for Purchase
Our Tree of Joy—a Simcha Tree—is situated in our Community Room to remind us of all the joys of our lives. The leaves come in copper, silver, and gold. Each leaf marks a lasting memory of a joyous simcha in the lives of members of Shir Hadash. We invite you to add your loved ones’ simchas to our Tree and share your nachaswith our congregation or just add your loved ones’ names out of love. Leaves can be purchased to mark your special family or individual accomplishments. Click here to see additional information and make your purchase.
Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
The Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove or Butterfield’s Restaurant in Northbrook will donate 5% of your total bill to Shir Hadash! No flyer needed – just mention Shir Hadash when you are paying or fill out the Shir Hadash book behind the desk.
Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
Having a Memorial Plaque for a loved one in Shir Hadash’s Memorial Wall 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 Teacher and Grad Gifts!
It’s the end of the school year, and you know you’ll be picking up lots of gift cards for the teachers and graduates in your life! 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. 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.
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