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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- No Shabbat Service December 13
- Saturday! Hanukkah Party and Singalong, December 14
- Sponsor an Oneg
- Religious School, December 15
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed on December 15
- Torah & Jewish Philosophy, 9:30
- Hebrew Reading Meeting, 10:30
- History of Jews in America, 11:15
- Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi, Thursdays
- School Bowling Party, December 15
- Hanukkah Gifts on Sale
- Book Club, December 19
- Save the Date! New Member Dinner, January 25
Social Action
- Relief Efforts for Ugandan Flood Victims
- Ends Sunday! Holiday Gift Drive, Now Through December 15
- 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
Saturday! 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, including a gourmet latke-making demonstration. At 7pm, we’ll enjoy a great Hanukkah show and Menorah lighting. We will hear some great Hanukkah jokes and enjoy a moving poem about our Festival of Lights.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 13-14, 2019 / 16 Kislev 5780 / Shabbat Vayishlach
Torah Reading: Genesis 32:4 - 36:43 / Haftarah Reading: Obadiah 1:1-21“Meeting our Neighbors”
Dear Friends,
What does Judaism say about meeting our neighbors of other faiths and traditions? This week’s Torah portion tells the story of Jacob’s daughter, Dinah. While Jacob’s family was encamped near the city of Shechem, now called Nablus (just north of Jerusalem), Dinah would go out to meet the women of the town. They were Canaanite and she was a Hebrew. Eventually, she met the son of the king and they fell in love. I encourage you to read the rest of the biblical story or the novel it inspired, “The Red Tent.” What is important here is how comfortable Dinah was to meet the locals and get to know them.
Some traditional commentators criticize Dinah for leaving camp and mixing with the others, saying that she invited trouble. These commentators wanted to limit a woman’s right to move about freely. Thankfully, Judaism has evolved in modern times to recognize the equality of women in our Jewish community. Beyond that, we also see that getting to know our neighbors of different religions and backgrounds does not bring difficulty upon us. It is just the opposite. Connecting with our neighbors in fellowship and understanding brings blessing and healing to our world. May God bring peace upon us, all Israel, and on all who dwell on earth.
Zay a mentsch – be a good person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Religious School, December 15 -- We're looking forward to seeing our students at school this Sunday morning for regular classes, beginning with services at 9:15 in the Sanctuary. In addition, we will hold our regular Adult Education classes this Sunday, along with special classes, committee meetings and social action opportunities.
- Hanukkah Gift Shop Sale in Lobby
- Teacher Appreciation Breakfast 8:00 am
- All-School Parent Meeting in the Sanctuary at 9:45 am
- Family Activity Committee Meeting 11:15 am
- 6th Grade Parent Meeting in Sanctuary 11:15 am
- 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.
Shir Hadash Bowling Party, December 15 – Join your friends from Shir Hadash Religious School at Arlington Lanes! Open to students grade K-12 and their families and parents. Price per person is $14.00 and includes 2 games of bowling, shoes, pizza and soda. We need parents to accompany students in grades K-5 but they do not have to sign up to bowl. We also need parent volunteers! Click here for details and registration.
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 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.
Save the Date! New Member Dinner, January 25 -- Welcome our congregation's new members at a special evening including Havdalah, wine, dinner and entertainment. Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m. Free admission for new members and their immediate families, $18/person for others. More details coming next week!
SOCIAL ACTION
Relief Efforts for Jewish Ugandan Flood Victims --
"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.
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
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