WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
- January 11: Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service and "SHED Talk"
- Religious School, January 13
- Adult Education Programs, January 13
- Tonight! Mussar Study Group, January 10
- Saturday! New Member Dinner, January 12 (Register now!)
- Book Club, January 17
- Israeli Film Series, January 19
- Great Spaghetti Showdown & Movie Night, January 26
- New! Town Hall Meeting, January 27
- Coffee House Night, February 2
- Yom Tikkun Olam, February 10
- New! Trivia Night, February 23
- Tzedakah for California Wildfire Relief
- Support Food Pantries with Interfaith Council
Israel Awareness
- Israeli Film Screening at SH, January 19
- Did You Know? Facts About Israel - Literary Edition!
- SHOP Shir Hadash
- Simcha Tree Leaves
- Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
- Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service, January 11, 7:30pm – "Life Journeys" -- Join us this Friday for "SHED Talks - Shir Hadash's version of TED Talks! We begin with a brief Kabbalah Shabbat to welcome the Shabbat with song and story. Then, Shir Hadash members offer personal reflections on life, living, and Judaism.
- Rabbi Marcey Rosenbaum - "My Journey from ER Nurse to Rabbi”
- Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow - “How Jewish Summer Camp Changed My Life”
Oneg refreshments to follow, sponsored this week by Nat Romero and Kevin Swagel in honor of their anniversary.
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.
January 11-12, 2019 / 6 Shevat 5779 /Shabbat Bo
Torah - Exodus 10:1-13:16 / Haftarah - Jeremiah 46:13-28
“Kol Hakavod – All Honor to You”
Dear Friends,
When the Israelites finally left Egypt, the Torah tells us that they took gold and silver from the Egyptians. Were they justified? Some commentators suggest that the Israelites demanded, robbed, pilfered or even looted. Others suggest that they merely asked for their back pay for 430 years of slavery. I like the comment from Josephus who claims that the Israelites did not steal anything. Rather, the Egyptians offered the gold and silver as departing gifts to celebrate their friendship.
The way I see, after centuries of slavery and plagues upon Egypt, the Israelites finally developed an identity of freedom and independence under the leadership of Moses. Thus, they saw themselves as equals to the Egyptians and were ready to head out into the world to reclaim their Promised Land. When the Egyptians witnessed this, they could only stand in honor of this new nation forming before their eyes.
In our lives, we need not fear starting new projects or striking out on new paths. We need not be concerned that others will be upset or try to stop us. Hopefully, like the Egyptians and their gifts to the Israelites, others will be inspired by our example and will cheer us on. They will support us, take pride in our achievements, and say Kol Hakavod – All honor to you.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
To past entries of view Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow's blog, please visit our website.
Youth Religious School, January 13 -- Welcome back! We're looking forward to hearing all the news about Winter Break from our students and families. See you at 9:15 on Sunday morning.
Adult Education Programs, January 13 -- Learning is a lifelong activity! Discover these Sunday morning adult ed classes, now underway:
Living Judaism: Introduction to Jewish Spirituality & Civilization -- 11:15am to 12:25pm; Jan. 13, 20, 27; Feb. 3, 10, 24; Mar. 3, 10; April 7, 14; Instructor Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow. A survey of essential and fundamental concepts of Judaism - its roots, history, sacred texts, holidays, and life cycle celebration. This class offers a great opportunity to learn what Judaism offers us to live, learn, celebrate and relate to life’s challenges in a Jewish way, today! This class is for everyone – from those with no Jewish background to those with a strong Jewish background, and all in between.
Torah Study/Modern Jewish Philosophy -- 9:30 to 10:30am; Instructor Fred Andes. Are you interested in what the Torah has to tell us as modern Jews? Spend some time with us looking at the upcoming week’s Torah portion (in English, don’t worry about your Hebrew) and, as we Jews do, taking it apart, digging deep inside, and trying to figure out what it meant to Jews back then and what it should mean to us now. Then, we’ll take a look at modern Jewish philosophy.
Hebrew Reading Crash Course -- Sundays, 11:15am to 12:25pm; Instructor Steve Lewin. This course is the continuation of the Fall semester and concentrates on teaching basic Hebrew alphabet and reading skills.
Tonight! Mussar Study Group, January 10-- The next meeting of the Mussar study group will be tonight, January 10, at 7:30pm. The core text we are studying is Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, by Alan Morinis, and this month's topic is Equanimity. The final meeting, on February 7, will discuss Honor. There is no charge for participation in the Mussar Study Group and all are welcome. Please email Lynn Liebling, lliebling@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in attending or if you have any questions.
New Member Dinner, January 12 - Thanks to everyone that will be joining us as we come together to celebrate the growth of Shir Hadash at this casual evening with our community. We are looking forward to a fun evening and an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.
Book Club, January 17
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. Melanie Andes will lead what is sure to be a fascinating discussion. We will meet on January 17 at 7:30pm at the home of Donna Torf, 2210 Ash Lane in Northbrook. For questions contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.
New! Israeli Film Series at Shir Hadash, January 19 - Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem - Our next film will be on January 19 at 7:30pm. We will be showing "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" about the struggles of obtaining a Jewish divorce. This fascinating film has won multiple awards. Admission is free and snacks will be available for purchase.
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!
When: 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!
- Movies: Crossing Delancey for adults; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for kids.
- Dinner: $10/person; $20/family. Entrants admitted FREE!
- Admission to the movies is free, although donations to help cover licensing fees and security will be appreciated.
Register today via the Shir Hadash online calendar.
New! Town Hall Meeting, January 27 -- Please join us on Sunday, January 27 at 10:00am for a very important town hall meeting. We will be discussing the findings and implementations of our Security Taskforce led by Jerry Weiss. The taskforce was created in response to the tragedy that took place in Pittsburgh last October to insure the safety and wellbeing of all who enter our doors.
We will also be sharing the experiences and information from the first Reconstructionist convention in eight years, which was held in November in Philadelphia. In attendance were Stuart Aizenberg, Scarlett Andes, Nancy Kleine-Kekst and Marc Fargotstein.
Coffee House Night-Open Night Style, February 2 -- Members and non-members, join us at Shir Hadash for a wonderful evening of live local talent , a club atmosphere with phenomenal sound, goodies, beverages, and an amazing evening of friendship and camaraderie. Be part of the audience, help behind the scenes, or perform onstage at our next Coffee House Night on February 2. If you are interested in performing or participating behind the scenes and have not yet contacted Margie, please visit the event on the Shir Hadash calendar and follow the prompts. As you know, "it takes a village" to put on a successful show.
Be sure to mark your calendar so you don't miss this event - you never know who will be there!
Yom Tikkun Olam, A Day of Repairing the World, February 10 --
February 10 will be a day that you feel good about helping so many. All Shir Hadashniks will come together at the synagogue to do tikkun olam (repair the world). There will be projects that appeal to everyone, from adults to young children. We will make meals for the homeless and cook dog biscuits for an animal shelter; create care packages for troops; do art projects benefiting veterans, children in the hospital, children in foster care, and others who need cheering up; write letters to people recently diagnosed with breast cancer; create bird feeders; and make personal care kits for people facing domestic violence. With so many choices, we guarantee that you can find projects that interest you, and you will make the world a better place.
To help us know how many supplies we need, it is appreciated if you register here. Also, please consider making an in-kind or monetary donation to help with the many needed supplies. See below.
Supplies for Yom Tikkun Olam: In-Kind and Monetary Donations Needed!
Our day of repairing the world - Yom Tikkun Olam - will require a lot of supplies. Please help us offer projects benefiting children, animals, homeless, veterans, the troops, people facing serious illness, domestic violence victims, the environment, and more. Sign up for what you would like to donate or make a monetary contribution. Use this signup link to donate specific supplies. Monetary contributions can be made by clicking here and then selecting Social Action under Donation. Thank you for doing the mitzvah of helping others!
New! Trivia Night, February 23 -- Save the date for the Third Annual Shir Hadash Trivia Night, scheduled for February 23 at 6:00pm. More details will be coming soon!
Singers Welcome to Join Lahaka! We are always looking for congregants to join our choir, Lahaka. We are a congregational choir, led by a music director, and we sing at various holidays and special Shabbat. Below are our rehearsal and, in bold, performance dates. Please join us! Contact Julie Wellisch in the front office, admin@shir-hadash.org.
Lahaka Schedule: Rehearsal and Shabbat
- January: Monday 1/14; Friday 1/18 Shabbat Shira
- February: Monday 2/4;
- March: Friday 3/1 Shabbat; Monday 3/18
- April: Tuesday 4/2; Friday 4/5 Passover; Monday 4/29
- May: Friday 5/3 Shabbat; Monday 5/20
- June: Tuesday 6/4; Friday 6/7 Shabbat
Israeli Film Series at Shir Hadash, January 19 - Our January film will be Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem. Scroll up to the Membership and Events section for details.
Did You Know? Facts About Israel - Literary Edition!
- First held in 1963, The Jerusalem International Book Fair is a unique biennial event which draws over 1,200 publishers from more than 40 countries who exhibit more than 100,000 books in different languages.
- Amos Oz was an internationally renowned Israeli writer whose works have been translated in 41 languages. He received numerous awards for his work, including the Israel Prize in 1998. Sadly, Amos Oz passed away last week.
- Haim Nahman Bialik was a famous Jewish poet who wrote in both Hebrew and Yiddish. He was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry and is regarded as Israel’s national poet.
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966 and was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction. His works dealt with the conflict between the traditional Jewish life and language and the modern world emerging around the State of Israel.
The damage caused by the California wildfires is the worst in the state's history. Tzedakah donations through the end of January will help individuals and synagogues needing assistance with their devastating losses. All contributions appreciated. Checks can be made to JUF. Please leave contributions in the tzedakah box near the prayer books, or they can be given to the office in person or mailed to the synagogue. 100% of donations will go toward helping the fire victims because Jewish United Fund is absorbing all administrative costs. Contact our Social Action Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely, atsocialactionsh@gmail.com if you have questions.
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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