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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Multigenerational Shabbat Service, December 6, 7:00pm
- Hanukkah Party and Singalong, December 14
- Sponsor an Oneg
- Religious School, December 8
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed on December 8
- Torah & Jewish Philosophy, 9:30
- Hebrew Reading Meeting, 10:30
- History of Jews in America, 11:15
- Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi, Thursdays
- Hanukkah Gifts on Sale
- Book Club, December 19
- Coffee House Night Recap and Thank Yous
Social Action
- Relief Efforts for Ugandan Flood Victims
- Holiday Gift Drive, Now Through December 15
- JCFS Gift Sorting, "Shopping" and Packing Event, December 8
- 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
Multigenerational Evening Service, December 6, 7:00 p.m. -- Join us for an engaging service enjoyable for all ages. Rabbi Eitan will be reading Torah, so feel free to bring your tallit.
Hanukkah Party and Singalong! December 14, 6:15 p.m. -- Light the Lights and celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of freedom. Our evening begins with games and activities at 6:15pm. At 7pm, we’ll enjoy a great Hanukkah show and Menorah lighting. Our dancers will perform and then we will hear some great Hanukkah jokes. Our Mighty Shir Hadash Klezmorim will get us on our feet for some great dancing and our Lahaka Adult Choir will lead us in song. Our children will enjoy hearing a great Hanukkah story. Rabbi Eitan will share lessons of our tradition. Then, we will wave glow lights as we sing Hanukkah songs. And when all is done, join us for potato latkes and doughnuts, traditional Hanukkah delicacies. Bring a treat to add to our refreshments. Don’t miss it!
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.
December 6-7, 2019 / 9 Kislev 5780 / Shabbat Vayetze
Torah - Genesis 28:10-32:3 / Haftarah - Hosea 12:13-14:10
Dear Friends,
How do we envision the connection between heaven and earth? This week’s Torah portion tells how Jacob ran from his enraged brother Esau after stealing the birthright and the blessing of the first-born. Jacob camped at a place called Beth-El, which means “God’s Place.” He fell asleep and dreamed of what we often call “Jacob’s Ladder.” Yet the Hebrew word is sulam, which really means a ramp. So, what Jacob saw was not a ladder with rungs, but a rampway reaching up to the heavens. A ramp should make more sense as the Torah describes how angels were moving up and down between heaven and earth. Perhaps the Torah account was inspired by the ancient temples or zigurats of Babylonia which had ramps to guide worshipers upward and downward from level to level.
Consider the holy places that are special to you. How do you envision the connection between heaven and earth, between the holy and the ordinary?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Religious School Resumes December 8 -- We look forward to seeing all our students on Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.
Adult Ed Classes this Week: Our three Sunday morning adult ed programs will meet this week:
- Torah & Jewish Philosophy with Fred Andes, 9:30am
- Hebrew Reading with Steve Lewin, 10:30am
- History of the Jews in America with David Liebling, 11:15am.
Hanukkah Gift Sale -- We have a large pile of items left from the gift shop which will be put out for sale in the weeks leading up to Hanukkah. This will replace the traditional Hanukkah bazaar we used to hold for students, as we are reluctant to give up instruction time for the kids to shop. But the items are very low-priced and students can shop before and after school. The table will be staffed during school hours on November 24, December 8, and December 15, as well as during the December 14 Hanukkah program and regular office hours. We could use some volunteer help for the sales events, which would be a perfect project for any high school students who need volunteer hours. If you can offer any volunteer time, please contact admin@shir-hadash.org.
Book Club, December 19 -- At our next meeting we will be talking about The Lake on Fire, a novel by Rosellen Brown. The epic narrative follows 19th-century Jewish immigrants as they move from rural Wisconsin to industrialized Chicago at the time of the Columbian Exposition. Join us for a lively discussion at a member's home and bring a nosh to share! To RSVP and for location details, contact the office at admin@shir-hadash.org or (847) 498-8218.
Coffee House Night - Open Mic Style: Recap and Thank Yous – Our Coffee House Night on November 16 was truly wonderful, with 22 acts and 26 performers taking the stage and over 85 people in attendance. Thank you to our attendees who contributed generously to our baskets. Plenty of schmoozing and wonderful performances from our talented entertainers made the evening a real delight!
Thank You for our delicious mostly sold-out Bake/Beverage Table, graciously attended by our A+ team of Michele and Maureen, and also to Mickey and Joy who contributed goodies. Big thanks go to our Front of the House team - Jack, Jack, and Julie, and our tech master Dave who filled our Coffee House Night environment with fantastic professional sound. Thanks also to Ernie who took awesome professional pictures documenting the evening and to everyone who pitched in with clean up at the event’s conclusion. Rabbi Eitan, Nancy, Melanie and Carolyn deserve hearty thanks for getting the word out and supporting this event! Finally, a huge thank you to our Set-up/Break-down expert Don, who transformed our sanctuary into our Coffee House Night venue.
Our next Coffee House Night – Open Mic Style event is Saturday, February 22, 2020! Hope to see you there; you never know who’s going to drop in at an Open Mic!
SOCIAL ACTION
Ugandan Jewish Community Devastated by Flooding - Food Sources and Housing are Gone
"No One expected this kind of terrible disaster to happen which actually destroyed my property and
So many families lost their homes, lives, animals, and their food .
Many of the victims have nothing to feed on and
Nowhere to sleep.
In this kind of situation there is need of an emergency support for the affected families.
Our region was affected by the floods
Would you please help...
Get them food, tents
People are starving and have no Where to sleep...
This is an emergency please"
The Ugandan Jewish community of Abayudaya experienced devastating flooding.
If you would like to assist with this crisis, donations can be placed in the tzedakah box near the prayer books or made online here. For online donations, select Social Action for Type and indicate Uganda Flood Recovery in the Notes field. Contact our Social Action Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely, at SocialActionSH@gmail.com or Lynne Arons at lynnearons1@gmail.com if you have questions.
Holiday Gift Drive- New, Unwrapped Presents Welcomed until December 15 -- Not all children at Jewish Child and Family Services have a holiday sponsor, so Shir Hadash is having a toy drive to make sure every child receives a gift during the holidays. New, unwrapped presents can be left in the Shir Hadash lobby any time until December 15. Toys, puzzles, games, sports equipment, dolls, craft supplies, and other non-violent presents are appreciated. Please do not donate items that need batteries because many families can't afford replacement batteries. Email SocialActionSH@gmail.com or ask Lisa Burton Radzely if you have questions.
Sort, Shop the Donations, and Prepare Holiday Gift Packages for Children In Need- December 8 All Ages Welcome -- On December 8, 1pm-3pm, Shir Hadash members will go to JCFS Northbrook to sort and "shop" the holiday gift donations to fulfill children's wish lists, and then we'll get the packages ready for delivery. This project will fill the wish lists of unsponsored children, and we will get all children's gifts ready for delivery. Feel great knowing that you are helping children receive the present they were hoping to get. All ages welcome to participate, but children under 13 must be supervised by an adult. JCFS Northbrook is located at 255 Revere Dr. #200. Email SocialActionSH@gmail.com to register or to ask any questions.
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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