WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
- Shabbat Services December 21, 7:30pm
- Religious School on Break December 23 and 30
- Notes from Nancy
- Landscape Committee Invites New Members
- Mussar Study Group, January 3
- New Member Dinner, January 12
- Book Club, January 17
- New! Great Spaghetti Showdown & Movie Night, January 26
- Coffee House Night, February 2
- Yom Tikkun Olam, February 10
- Toy Drive - Thank You!
- Support Food Pantries with Interfaith Council
Israel Awareness
- Did You Know? Facts About Israel
- SHOP Shir Hadash
- Simcha Tree Leaves
- Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
- Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
Shabbat Evening Services December 21, 7:30pm -- Shabbat Vayechi -- "Just Shabbat" - Simple, quick, no-frills Shabbat davenen, and traditional tunes. Bring a treat to share at our pot luck oneg refreshments.
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.
December 21-22, 2018 / 14 Tevet 5779 / Shabbat Vayekhi
Torah - Genesis 47:28 - 50:26 / Haftarah - I Kings 2:1-12
“Joseph”
Dear Friends,
What can we learn from the story of Joseph? His story is the longest in the book of Genesis. So much detail is shared from his childhood and the ‘Coat of Many Colors’ to being sold into slavery and brought to Egypt. The story tells of his rise as viceroy of Pharaoh and his reunion with his brothers and father. We learn that Joseph had many facets and many experiences that shaped his life. Through each moment, he grew in wisdom and matured in spirit.
Thomas Mann wrote this about Joseph: “Joseph is the ideal manifested, as the union of darkness and light, feeling and mind, the primitive and the civilized, wisdom and the happy heart – in short as the humanized mystery we call man.”
Through the story of Joseph, our tradition teaches us to live life to the fullest, become our best selves, learn from the blessings and challenges that life brings us, and above all, be a good person.
Zay a mentsch – Be a mentsch.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Winter Break Schedule -- There will be no religious school sessions on December 23 and December 30. School will resume on January 6. Have a happy and revitalizing break!
Notes from Executive Director Nancy Kleine Kekst -- Hello Friends: It's December and things are both winding down and picking up......winding down as it will be fairly quiet here at the end of the month and picking up for year-end financial planning and events in the second half of the year!
1. A win-win for year-end donations! If you itemize deductions on your 2018 income tax return, it may be advantageous pay your dues, fees, and make a year-end donation to the synagogue before the end of 2018, as those payments are potentially tax deductible to the extent covered by tax law. Please contact your own tax advisor for further information, and please do remember us when you are making your year-end donations.
2. The synagogue will be closed from Saturday, December 22 until we re-open on Thursday, January 3.Many staff members will be out of town and there is no religious school; this will allow us to save on energy and maintenance. But we will be checking our voice mails and emails occasionally. If there is an emergency contact Nancy at 216-789-2452. Please plan on completing your synagogue business prior to Friday December 21. My last day in the office was Monday, December 17th.
1. A win-win for year-end donations! If you itemize deductions on your 2018 income tax return, it may be advantageous pay your dues, fees, and make a year-end donation to the synagogue before the end of 2018, as those payments are potentially tax deductible to the extent covered by tax law. Please contact your own tax advisor for further information, and please do remember us when you are making your year-end donations.
2. The synagogue will be closed from Saturday, December 22 until we re-open on Thursday, January 3.Many staff members will be out of town and there is no religious school; this will allow us to save on energy and maintenance. But we will be checking our voice mails and emails occasionally. If there is an emergency contact Nancy at 216-789-2452. Please plan on completing your synagogue business prior to Friday December 21. My last day in the office was Monday, December 17th.
3. Volunteers Needed for Sunday mornings (Starting January 6)
- We need a volunteer to pick up our Sunday bagels and set up the bagel bar and make the coffee, as well as clean it up.
- We also need volunteers to sit at the front desk and buzz people in and answer the phones.
While these may not be glamorous jobs, they are very important to our Sunday morning programming. Please call Nancy to let her know when you can help out!
4. Our freezers are full! We have tons of frozen bagels (earmarked for a Social Action birdfeeder project), hot dog buns, hot dogs, and latkes. Please check our kitchen freezer before making a food purchase.
There are many events coming up in 2019, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at them! Have a happy, healthy New Year and stay safe and warm.
New Landscape Committee Looking for New Members! -- Are you wondering what is happening with our two acres of green space? Get in the know by being part of our Landscape Committee! Do you have ideas for our green space, and would you like to help with landscaping? Are you a gardener, or would you like to be? This is a great group for you! Contact Deb Harrison, dlharrison6@comcast.net, to learn more.
- Yes, it's winter, but we are already thinking spring. Here are some ideas we are looking at: community garden, with donations to Wheeling food pantry; a Tu B'Shevat celebration; spring /fall clean-ups on our own landscaping; Earth Day celebration with the school... and more. What would you like to work on?
- If you are changing landscaping at your home, please contact Deb, as Shir Hadash may be able to use perennials (grasses, sedum, rudbeckia, etc) that you no longer want.
Mussar Study Group, January 3--All are welcome to join the Shir Hadash Mussar study group, which will meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. The core text we are studying is Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, by Alan Morinis. There is no charge for participation in the Mussar Study Group. The schedule for the remaining months is January 3: Equanimity; and February 7: Honor. Please email Lynn Liebling lliebling@sbcglobal.netif you are interested in attending or if you have any questions.
New Member Dinner, January 12 - Join us as we come together to celebrate the growth of Shir Hadash at this casual evening with our community. All members are encouraged to attend, especially those who gifted a membership to a new family. The program will start with Havdallah, followed by introductions, dinner, trivia and special entertainment by noted classical guitarist Mitchell Green. There is no cost for the dinner for our new members who have joined since January 2018. We appreciate a donation of $18 per adult and $7 per child ages 4-12 for our members of more than one year. Children three and under are free. RSVP here.
The next book we discuss will be Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler. The book's subtitle gives a taste of the story: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom, and Revenge. We will meet on January 17 at the home of Donna Torf, 2210 Ash Lane in Northbrook. For questions contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
New! The Great Shir Hadash Spaghetti Showdown & Movie Night, January 26 -- Following in the footsteps of two successful years of The Great Chili Cookoff, this year you are invited to attend The Great Spaghetti Showdown!
The Details: Saturday, January 26, 6:00pm
The Rules:
- Anyone can enter! We will provide regular and gluten-free pasta -- You will provide the sauce!
- Sauces and meatballs must be made with Kosher meat (beef, bison, chicken, turkey, etc.) OR can be vegetarian/pareve. No dairy will be served. (Sorry, no parmesan cheese!)
- Bring your sauce in a crock pot or Dutch oven to compete for bragging rights to best meat, best vegetarian, most innovative, fan favorite sauce, etc.
- BYOB and pot luck pareve dessert!
- $10/person; $20/family. Entrants admitted FREE! Reduced admission for movie-only attendees; Showdown attendees pay no fee for the movie. (Crossing Delancey for adults; kids’ movie TBA.)
To register for the event and/or enter the cookoff, go to www.shir-hadash.org.
Save the Date! Next Coffee House Night, February 2 -- Mark your calendar for another great evening of entertainment! Coffee House Night will return in February for more wonderful performances in an open-mic setting. Watch for more details and sign-ups in January.
Save the Date! Yom Tikkun Olam, A Day of Repairing the World, February 10 -- Our congregation will come together for one special day to repair the world. There will be projects for adults and children that are enjoyable and meaningful as we help make the better world a better place. More details coming soon. Save the date to be at Shir Hadash on Sunday, February 10, 11:00am-12:30pm!
Please contact Burton Kopulsky atbkopulsk@chicagobooth.edu with both suggestions for future films and/or if you can help by sponsoring a showing.
Did You Know? Facts About Israel - Basketball Edition!
- Basketball is very popular in Israel - just behind soccer in popularity. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the top team, winning nearly every league championship. In recent years, however, new challengers have arisen. In Europe, Maccabi scored several achievements in the Euroleague Final Four, having reached the final in 2006 and 2008 and won the competition in 2004 and 2005.
- In 2009, former Maccabi player Omri Casspi made history as the first Israeli to play in the NBA, after he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings.
- The Basketball Without Borders program sponsored a camp in Israel featuring current and former NBA players and coaches during August 2017. Sixty of the top under-17 basketball players throughout Europe and the Middle East participated in the program and trained under the professional players. Additionally, Basketball Without Borders brought Israeli and Palestinian children together to play games and sponsored a new area for children at the Jerusalem YMCA. Basketball Without Borders has held camps in 26 countries since its founding in 2001, and this was the first time that Israel hosted a camp.
Toy Drive: A Big Thank You!-- Thanks to the three buckets of toys that generous members donated, Jewish Child & Family Services and Fill a Heart 4 Kids were able to give holiday gifts to dozens of children in our area. Both JCFS and Fill a Heart asked that we convey their gratitude to the Shir Hadash community. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Food Pantry Donations Continue--Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council supports local food pantries throughout the year. Please remember those less fortunate by donating canned goods 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.)
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 nachas with 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 - Now Including Flappy’s!--The Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove, Butterfield’s Restaurant in Northbrook, and now all three locations of Flappy’s 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 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 SHOP SHOPl!--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.
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