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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Family Shabbat Picnic, August 2, 5:30pm
- Evening Shabbat Under the Stars Service, August 2, 7:30pm
- High Holiday Torah Parts Available
- Sponsor an Oneg
- Adult Ed: Torah and Jewish Philosophy, Summer Sundays
- School Registration Now Open
- Membership Renewal Forms are Open
- Lahaka Rehearsals Start August 5
- Book Club, August 15
- School Supply Drive, now through August 25
- 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
Family Shabbat Picnic, August 2, 5:30pm -- Our first service this Friday is intended for families with young children through 3rd grade. Come at 5:30 and BYOP Bring Your Own Picnic light dinner – veggie/dairy please. At 6:00, Rabbi Eitan and Rabbi Marcey will lead a lively service that includes the Shabbat prayers along with story, song, and dance. It’s an interactive Shabbat experience not to be missed! Following the service, we will join for refreshments and a shabbat activity. Bring treats to share at the oneg refreshments.
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.
Shabbat Matot-Masei
Torah: Numbers 30:2 - 36:13 Haftarah: Jeremiah 2:4 - 28; 3:4
“Reuben and Gad”
Dear Friends,
In this week’s Torah portion, the Children of Israel are at the end of the forty years of desert wandering and are nearing the Promised Land. Two tribes, Reuben and Gad, ask to settle on the east side of the Jordan to build sheep pens and towns. Moses agrees, by telling them to build towns and then sheep pens. Here is Ruth Brin’s poem capturing the essence of this moment.
Reuben and Gad
Numbers 32:14-16
And they stepped up to him and said: “We will build here
sheepfolds for our flocks, and towns for our little ones;…”
And Moses said: “Build towns for your children,
and sheepfolds for your flocks;”
By a simple inversion of word order
Moses corrected the leaders of Gad and Reuben,
Telling them they must build houses for their
children before they build barns for their cattle.
Though his forces were decimated from battling
Midian and he faced a new campaign in Canaan
Though he must lead his desert wanderers
against the established kings of the land
Neither military necessity nor the uncertainties
of desert life stopped Moses from teaching that
children come before sheep, human values before
property.
The city we build may have pillars of ivory and
gold, pavements of sapphire, and silken curtains
shot with color,
But we build in vain unless we build
gates of thanksgiving and windows of praise,
gardens of contemplation, and walls of love
to shelter the little ones.
(From “Harvest: Collected Poems and Prayers” by Ruth Brin)
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 -- Along with other membership materials (see below) Religious School registration is now available online. Access the forms by clicking here (note, forms function best on computers rather than handheld devices).
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!
Book Club, August 15 -- The Shir Hadash Book Club will meet on Thursday, August 5 to discuss The Promise of God by David Shapiro. In the author's first work of fiction, readers will take an edge-of-their-seat journey into the religious and powerful structures of Brazil, Israel, Rome and the United States. Click here for more details. Meeting location TBA.
School Supply Drive, Now through August 25 -- Help local youth start the school year on the right foot! We are collecting new school supplies that will be distributed to students in nearby schools.
Children most need:
- #2 pencils, pencil sharpeners, and pencil cases
- Markers (washable), crayons (24 pack), and colored pencils
- Composition books (wide rule)
- Spiral notebooks (wide rule)
- Loose leaf paper (wide rule)
- Pens
- Highlighters
- Glue sticks
- Binders and binder dividers
- Index cards
- Calculators (less than $5 at Target, Walmart, Staples etc)
- Backpacks (only $5 at Five Below and other locations)
Place your donations in the box located in the Shir Hadash lobby. We will collect through the annual picnic on August 25. If you have questions, contact our Social Action Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely, at socialactionsh@gmail.com.
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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