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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Evening Service, July 19, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Service and Blessing of Animals, July 20, 10:00am
- Bike Shabbat, July 27
- High Holiday Torah Parts Available
- Sponsor an Oneg
- Adult Ed: Torah and Jewish Philosophy, Summer Sundays
- School Registration Now Open
- A Fond Farewell to Rabbi Marcey
- BBQ Pool Party, July 27
- Membership Renewal Forms are Open
- Lahaka Invites Singers and Instrumentalists
- In Search of Nametags
- Visit our Reading Corner
- Shir Hadash in the Community this Summer
- Reconstructing Judaism Today - Link to e-Newsletter
Israel Awareness
- Israeli Film Series
- Sponsor a Bimah Ark Panel
- SHOP Shir Hadash
- Simcha Tree Leaves
- Don’t Forget Our Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers!
- Shir Hadash Memorial Wall
- Links to Fundraisers: Amazon, iGive, and More
Upcoming: Shabbat Evening Service, July 19, 7:30 p.m. -- Shabbat Balak: Our Adult Hebrew Class will offer teachings about the main prayers. Dan Wellisch will speak on his family history – “Escaping Austria Just In Time: My father, Eric Wellisch, and his sister, Trudy, share their experiences through video interviews on escaping Austria in 1939.” Bring a delicious summer treat to share at our pot-luck oneg refreshments.
Shabbat Morning Family Service and Blessing of Animals and Pets, Saturday, July 20, 10:00 a.m. -- Join Rabbi Eitan and Rabbi Marcey in celebrating our love and care of our pets. Our out-of-doors 30 minute Shabbat morning service will include a ceremony to welcome our beloved animal pets into our Shir Hadash community and offer them special blessings. Make sure your pets are properly leashed, caged, etc. If rain is forecast, the service will be in our large garage. Please check the website for details.
Please bring animal toys, treats, bedding and other animal care supplies to donate to area animal shelters. Tasty refreshments will be provided following the service.
Bike Shabbat, July 27 -- Join Shir Hadash friends for an invigorating bike ride culminating in a Shabbat Torah study and a nosh at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Details and registration here.
High Holiday Torah Parts -- High Holidays will be here before we know it, and planning is already underway! One very important element is to assign Torah portions for reading or chanting. We already have some parts assigned, we have a particular need for readers oon Rosh Hashanah Day 2 and Yom Kippur afternoon, as well as a few slots on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur morning.
We encourage our recent bar and bat mitzvahs to chant Torah, and new adult readers are welcome too! We will e-mail to you an MP3 of the Rabbi chanting the portion, plus a written copy of the portion in Hebrew and English - and you can get help with your preparation from the Rabbi and Dawn. For more information, contact Fred Andes at fandes@btlaw.com or (773) 354-3100.
Sponsor an Oneg! Having a birthday, anniversary or remembrance? You can sponsor an oneg to celebrate. A dessert oneg is $136 and everybody appreciates and enjoys your hospitality. The donation covers all food, including a special celebration cake. Please contact Nancy Kekst, execdir@shir-hadash.org to make arrangements.
July 19-20, 2019 / 17 Tammuz 5779 / Shabbat Balak
Torah Portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9 / Haftarah Portion: Micah 5:6-6:8
“Privacy”
Dear Friends,
In this week’s Torah portion, the Moabite prophet Bil’am was sent to curse the Children of Israel as they made their way to the Promised Land. However, instead of cursing Israel, Bil’am blessed them. One of the most famous lines from his poems of blessing is, “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!"
The medieval Torah commentator Rashi interprets this line by suggesting how impressed Bil’am was by the layout of the Israelite tents encamped on the plain below. According to Rashi, Bil’am noticed that the Israelite tents were not directly facing one to the other. Thus, no one could look into someone else’s tent and see what was going on. Rashi understood this as a Jewish value assuring privacy for each family.
In as much as Judaism stresses the power of community and sharing our lives together, it also recognizes that each home should have its needed seclusion and separateness.
Zay a Mentsch – Be a Good Person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
To read past entries of the Rabbi's blog, please visit our website.
Torah and Jewish Philosophy Summer Schedule -- While Religious School is on summer break, our Torah/Jewish Philosophy Adult Ed class with Fred Andes will continue to meet every other Sunday morning, at an off-site location that involves coffee and baked goods. Anyone who is interested in sitting in for any part of the summer should contact Fred at fandes@btlaw.com for details.
School Registration is Open -- Early Bird Discount Closes July 25! Along with other membership materials (see below) Religious School registration is now available online. Sign up the kids before by July 25 and save $50! Access the forms by clicking here (note, forms function best on computers rather than handheld devices).
A Fond Farewell -- As announced yesterday, Rabbi Marcey Rosenbaum has decided to leave her position with Shir Hadash's Religious School at the end of August, in order to have more time with her family. We want to thank Rabbi Marcey for all that she has done for Shir Hadash and our students and hope that in the coming weeks, you will have a chance to share your appreciation and wish her well in what comes next for her.
Poolside BBQ Party, July 27 -- You're invited for an evening of food, friends, and relaxation at Mehran Farahmandpour's house in Long Grove, beginning at 6:00pm. We will BBQ, enjoy some wine, sit poolside and enjoy an evening of community. The menu will include Kosher hot dogs, burgers, vegetarian burgers, and more, plus dessert, of course!
If interested in swimming, you are welcome to bring your swimsuit. On the chance of rain, we will relocate indoors. Bring a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, or a favorite cousin. More details and registration here. The final day to RSVP is Friday, July 26.
Membership Forms Now Available Online -- Shir Hadash's membership forms are now live and awaiting your information! Simply visit this link to renew your current membership, become a new member, and register for religious school! We encourage you to complete the process on a computer, as the forms are not fully functional on phones or tablets. If you encounter any difficulties, let us know at info@shir-hadash.org.
We have transitioned to a Voluntary Commitment model in lieu of set dues. To learn more, click here.
Lahaka is Looking for Singers/Instrumentalists; Rehearsals start August 5 --If you were at our High Holiday Services last year, you experienced the wonderful sounds of our Lahaka (Shir Hadash's choir), led by our music director, Marek Rachelski. If you sing or play a musical instrument and want to learn more about participating in Lahaka, contact Maggie Cain, magcain@mac.com or (847) 436-8771. All are welcome!
In Search of Nametags... -- We have inventoried the congregant nametags in the drawers by the sanctuary and seem to be missing almost 50 of them. Are they in your car? Your kitchen? Your Tallit bag? Coat pocket? Please help us conserve resources by bringing your wandering nametag back to Shir Hadash. In August we will make new ones to welcome our many new members!
Visit our Reading Room -- Have you seen our new mini-reading room? Located in our former gift shop space (which will reappear for specific events) there are many books of interest. Please feel free to take one, enjoy it, and pass it along to a neighbor, but DON"T return it! We have more books to put out!
Shir Hadash in the Community -- Watch for the Membership Committee and various Shir Hadash members who will be spreading our name far and wide this summer!
- Wheeling Shop Local Campaign, going on through July. Our Shir Hadash gift basket is at the Buffalo Grove Bank and Trust.
- National Night Out with Wheeling Police and Fire, Tuesday August 6, 6:00-9:00 pm
- Fall Fest, Sunday September 15 (NW Connectors)
ISRAEL AWARENESS
Israeli Film Series at Shir Hadash: Our next Israeli film showing will be after Yom Kippur in the fall. If you have any suggestions, please contact Burton Kopulsky, bkopulsk@chicagobooth.edu.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Dedication of Twelve Tribes Bimah Panels -- Celebrating our fifth anniversary in our building, our Twelve Tribes bimah ark panels are a combined creation of artists Maureen Fisher Schweit and Abe Schor, who worked together on concept, design and colors.
You are invited to participate in this fundraising historic project by dedicating all or part of a panel. Each panel dedication is $1,800; panels may be dedicated by more than one person and families may pool resources to dedicate one panel (e.g, $180 each by 10 people). Donors will be acknowledged on our new donor wall next to the Simcha Tree. The panel dedications will remain in perpetuity, or as long as the art remains in our sanctuary. (They will not expire in 18 years as originally stated.) To learn more about the Bimah Panels, click here. For questions, panel reservation, choice and payment options, contact Executive Director Nancy Kleine Kekst at (216) 789-2452 (mobile) or email execdir@shir-hadash.org.
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 SHOP!--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.
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website.
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