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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Evening and Morning Services, August 16 and 17
- Upcoming: Shabbat Service with Guest Speaker, August 23
- 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
- Tonight! Book Club, August 15
- School Supply Drive, now through August 25
- Mussar Study Group Resumes in September
- Rides Needed to Services
- In Search of Nametags
- Visit our Reading Corner
- Shir Hadash in the Community this Summer
- Reconstructing Judaism Today - Link to e-Newsletter
Jewish Community
- Jewish Federation Fund for Asylum Seekers
- Volunteer Opportunity for Spanish Speakers with HIAS
Israel Awareness
- Israeli Film Series
- Sponsor a Bimah Ark Panel -- Only Three Left!
- 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 Service, Friday, August 16, 7:30pm, Shabbat Va’etchanan: “Recon 201: Seeking God - Jewish Spirituality for the 21st Century” Don’t miss our annual exploration of Reconstructionist theology - Recon 201. Throughout the course of our worship, Rabbi Eitan will offer explanations on what Reconstructionism teaches about the meaning of prayer and what we mean when we pray to God.” Please bring a treat to share at our pot-luck one refreshments.
Upcoming: Shabbat Evening Service with Guest Speaker, Friday August 23, 7:30pm -- Continuing our theme of learning about the Reconstructionist Movement, Rabbi Maurice Harris, Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist, Reconstructing Judaism, will speak on 'The State of the Reconstructionist Movement Today." Come learn and celebrate with our honored guest!
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.
August 16, 2019 / 16 Av 5779 / Shabbat Va’etchanan
Shabbat Nachamu (Shabbat of Consolation) –The Shabbat after Tish'a B'Av
Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11 / Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1 - 40:26
“Who Can Retell?”
Dear Friends,
We Reconstructionists love Jewish history. Through the study of our people’s past we see how Jewish civilization has evolved over the millennia. We see how each generation has encountered and interacted with its neighbors and even added its own creativity in order to make Judaism alive and meaningful for its day. That is the very essence of our movement philosophy. Each generation ‘reconstructs’ Judaism – and that is a good thing.
This week’s Torah portion commands us to retell the story of the Exodus from Egyptian slavery. This is what we do each time we celebrate the Passover seder. We recall and retell the story of the Exodus.
And there are many, many other events in Jewish history that should be retold as well. We should retell the Biblical period from Abraham right up through Joshua and first kings of Israel. We should retell the Rabbinic period, when Judaism confronted Greece and Rome and developed the Talmud. We should retell the Medieval period, when our ancestors traveled and settled throughout the world. We should retell the Modern period, when Judaism encountered the Enlightenment. We should retell the Contemporary period from World War I to the present.
By telling our story, we are reminded of our history and we strengthen our sense of Jewish identity and solidarity. Am Yisrael Chai – the People of Israel lives.
Zay a mentsch – be a good person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
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 -- We are thrilled that over half of our members have already renewed their membership and we have nine new members already! (watch for the email announcement soon!) Is your renewal in yet? Our membership forms are online and awaiting your information! Simply visit this link to renew your current membership, become a new member, and register for religious school! You must be a member in order to register for school. High Holiday ticket information and forms will be posted soon. We encourage you to complete the process on a computer, as the forms are not fully functional on phones or tablets. If you do find any issues that need correcting, simply write us at admin@shir-hadash.org and we will assist you, or call the office at 847-498-8218. We have transitioned to a Voluntary Commitment model in lieu of set dues. To learn more, click here.
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. We will meet at the home of Katy Zwick, 385 Castlewood Lane in Deerfield. Please bring a nosh to share. Click here for more details.
Parking Lot Repaving, August 19 -- Please be aware that the parking lot and entryway at Shir Hadash will be undergoing repaving next Monday, August 19. Lahaka rehearsal will be held offsite -- call the office for details.
25th Anniversary Kickoff and Welcome Back Picnic, August 25, 4:00 p.m. --All are welcome to join in as we kick off the year with food, fun and friends! Price of Admission: Bring a new item for the Social Action Committee School Supply Drive. (See below) Click here for more information and to register!
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.
Rides Needed to Services -- Steve Perlis is one of our newest members. He's 71 and a retired Navy veteran, who found us when he attended a Jewish War Veterans meeting at Shir Hadash. He no longer drives. Steve lives on Mill Creek Drive in Buffalo Grove, and would like to find members willing to offer him a ride to and from Shabbat services as well as High Holiday Services. Are you willing to be added to a list of potential drivers that could help Steve when you both plan on attending? If so, please let Suzie Sabransky and Stuart Aizenberg know. Thanks!
Shir Hadash is offering an opportunity to get some background in what Mussar is all about. There will be two Intro to Mussar sessions, on Thursday, September 5 and Thursday, September 12 at 7:30 pm at Shir Hadash. Members who attend these sessions will then have the option of joining our ongoing Mussar group, which meets one Thursday evening per month. Our core text is Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis. Please obtain the book either through your local library or purchase and begin reading Part One.
The first regular session for the entire group is on Thursday, September 19 at 7:30 pm. We will discuss the middah (character trait) of Yirah (Awe or Wonder). Subsequent meetings TBA. For more information, contact Lynn Liebling, lliebling@sbcglobal.net or Kayla Shonberg, klashon74@gmail.com.
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? It is now located in the hallway outside the sanctuary, across from the restrooms. 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!
Reconstructing Judaism Today e-Newsletter -- Learn about what’s going on in Reconstructionist communities around the world, and gain access to exciting online learning opportunities and resources from the central organization of the movement, Reconstructing Judaism. To subscribe to the e-newsletter Reconstructing Judaism Today, and receive other vital communication from Reconstructing Judaism, just click on this link.
JEWISH COMMUNITY
Aid to Asylum Seekers through JUF -- In response to hearing from many who are anguished about the situation at the nation's southern border, the Jewish Federation has opened the Jewish Federation Fund for Asylum Seekers. The Fund will provide temporary housing for those legally in the U.S. released from detention centers, legal representation, and case managers and advocates for unaccompanied and/or separated children, through three organizations.
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego (San Diego Rapid Response Network) runs a shelter for families released from detention while waiting for an asylum court hearing. The families—who frequently have only the clothes on their backs when they are released—are provided with food, toiletries, clothing and toys for the children.
- The Young Center, based in Chicago, provides case management for unaccompanied and separated children. The laws governing asylum do not require proceeding in the "best interests of the child," so the volunteer case managers provided by the Young Center work to achieve that level of care.
- RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services to asylum seekers and refugees at its five Texas offices.
Volunteer Opportunity with HIAS in El Paso/Juarez -- There are currently more than 13,000 asylum seekers in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. These asylum seekers are not aware of their legal rights and don’t understand the very complicated process of seeking asylum in the U.S.
HIAS is seeking volunteers to stay in El Paso, Texas and travel into Ciudad Juarez daily to assist local staff in serving asylum seekers by providing Know Your Rights presentations and screening asylum seekers for potential legal representation. Each delegation of two to eight volunteers will last from Sunday-Friday. All volunteers must be at least advanced-proficient Spanish speakers, but need not have any experience working with asylum seekers or in immigration law. You can find out more information about this opportunity here.
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
Twelve Tribes Bimah Panels: Only Three Panels Left to Dedicate! -- 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 --The Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove, Butterfield’s Restaurant in Northbrook, and 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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