Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- December 31, 2020

 

December 31, 2020

Please note our building remains closed, and our staff will be out through January 3, returning on Monday January 4. Please contact President Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579 if you have a question or issue that cannot wait, or Rabbi Eitan on his cell at 847-525-7746 if you have an emergency.  For more information about our COVID-19 response plan,  click here .  WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE Creative Worship and Ritual  Tomorrow: Kabbalat Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday January 1, 7:30 p.m. Next Week: Multigenerational Service via Zoom, Friday January 8, 7:00 p.m. Upcoming: Shabbat Service with SHED Talk, Friday January 15, 7:30 p.m. The Rabbi's Corner Religious School Winter Break: No Religious School Youth Classes on January 3 Adult Education Winter Break Schedule for Sunday Morning Classes and Thursday Lunch & Learn .. Membership News and Events Caution: Avoid Fraudulent Emails Mussar Study Group, January 14, 7:30 p.m. Save the Date: Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Sites of Jewish History: Alexandria, January 20, 7:30 p.m. Family Activities Committee Virtual Bingo Party, January 24, 1:00 p.m. Social Justice New Participants Invited for Multi-Session White Fragility Discussion Additional Anti-Racism Learning Opportunities  ​​​​​​ Social Action Host a "Dinner Party" - By Not Eating Out! Ongoing Fundraisers iGive,  Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip   CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL Kabbalat Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday, January 1, 7:30 p.m.  Let’s welcome Shabbat together with an on-line Kabbalat Shabbat service via ZOOM. Rabbi Eitan will lead the service from his home with meditations, prayer, readings, story, and song. Next Week: Multigenerational Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday, January 8, 7:00 p.m. --  A Family Friendly service for all school families, seniors, not-yet seniors, and anyone else who would like to come worship with us as a community.  Enjoy a Shabbat service with fun music, delightful stories, and Shabbat joy. Upcoming: Shabbat Evening Service with SHED Talk via Zoom, Friday, January 15, 7:30 p.m. THE RABBI’S CORNER Rabbi Eitan's blog will return next week.  Read past editions of The Rabbi's Corner on the  Shir Hadash website .   RELIGIOUS SCHOOL  No Religious School Youth Classes on January 3 -- Have a safe and happy Winter Break!  We will be back in session on January 10.  If you have any questions, please contact  Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover. ADULT EDUCATION Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs: Our adult education classes will meet on January 3. Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on Sunday mornings: 10:00 a.m. -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy via Zoom. Contact Fred Andes for details.  11:00 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading via WebEx. Contact Steve Lewin.     No Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan on December 31 --  There will be no Lunch and Learn session this afternoon. Join Rabbi Eitan next week, January 7 at 1:00 p.m. for an engaging examination of the week's Torah portion via Zoom.    MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS Caution: Avoid Fraudulent Emails -- Please ignore any emails coming from the email address "seniorpastor@ shir-hadash. org" and claiming to be from Rabbi Eitan. Some congregants have received emails like this, which are not coming from us. We are working on resolving the issue, but for now please ignore them and do not click or reply to them.  Mussar Study Group, January 14, 7:30 p.m. -- Mussar is a centuries-old Jewish body of teachings, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions any thinking person asks about life. Mussar provides guidance in identifying your uniquely personal path of spiritual growth and offers practices to help bring about that growth.  To join our monthly discussion group, contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg. Save the Date for Upcoming January Programs! Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Sites of Jewish History: Alexandria, January 20, 7:30 p.m. Family Activities Committee Virtual Bingo Party, January 24, 1:00 p.m. SOCIAL JUSTICE As MLK Day approaches, many are thinking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to racial justice. Here are program recommendations to further your understanding of racial injustice. Whether you are at the beginning of antiracist learning or already have learned a lot about it, everyone has more to learn. Below are three upcoming free virtual programs. 1. New Participants Invited for White Fragility Discussion Group, Sundays beginning January 17 Four-session series for Shir Hadash and Or Shalom members,  Sunday mornings, 10am-11:30am, on January 17, 24, and 31 and February 7 If you couldn't participate in our multi-session discussions of White Fragility in September, another group will have an opportunity to learn about white privilege in January 2021. This series will ask us to engage in personal reflection about our experiences with racism in the world and will challenge us to grow in new ways as we uncover the toll systemic racism takes on all our lives. The series is free for Shir Hadash and Or Shalom members, and all are invited to attend. This in-depth, four-part Zoom conversation about the book White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism will be facilitated by Or Shalom members. The book can be found at bookstores, your local library, as an ebook, as an audiobook, or you can purchase it from Semicolon , Chicago’s only Black woman-owned bookstore. The program is a continuation of Shir Hadash and Or Shalom's partnership as both congregations continue to learn about anti-racism.  Register here . Please contact racial-justice@orshalomlc.com  with any questions. 2. Jewish Racial Justice Literacy 101, January 13, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. Facilitators will lead an examination of microaggressions that take place every day in our Jewish institutions and hold space for Jews of Color, Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, and White/Ashkenazi Jews to engage in a dialogue about identity. This event will scratch the surface of a very deep issue, while encouraging people of all experience levels to think about how we join collectively in the movement for equity and inclusion. Register here . Hosted by Repair the World, Atlanta. Spots are limited, so sign up now.   3. Jewish Perspectives on Racial Justice, January 14, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Join in an evening of studying and exploring texts by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from a Jewish perspective. Hosted by Repair the World, Detroit.  Sign up here .   SOCIAL ACTION Host a Dinner Party – By Not Eating Out! With so many of our neighbors suffering from food insecurity, we at Shir Hadash can make a difference.  Hosting a “dinner party" is one easy way to help.  For many months now, the coronavirus has prevented most of us from going out to a restaurant for dinner. So what will you and your family “save” by not eating in a restaurant this weekend?  $15, $25, $50, or more? Why not take this “saving” and host a dinner party for those in need?  Every dollar donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (which serves not only Chicago, but many surrounding communities) can provide three meals!  Consider funding a dinner party for a family in need by by donating to such organizations as  The Greater Chicago Food Depository The Wheeling Food Pantry The Ark Or your own local food pantry. As we head into 2021, helping to feed others is one way our Shir Hadash community can make a difference. ONGOING FUNDRAISERS Gift Card Purchases Help Shir Hadash - SHOP Shir Hadash allows members to order physical and electronic gift cards from thousands of stores and Shir Hadash receives a portion of every purchase.  Purchase can be for gifts or your personal use.  Thousands of dollars can be generated for Shir Hadash at no cost to you.  Click here for more information.  Once registered, electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com.  Contact Glenn Graff  for more information. When you’re shopping online, be sure to consider these donation programs that support Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you! iGive -- There are 2500 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive.  Click here to learn more or contact Sandi Schleicher.. Amazon Smile -- Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase to when you sign up at smile.amazon.com . Be sure to select "Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue-Congregation Shir Hadash" in Wheeling as your charity of choice. To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website .

Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- December 17, 2020

 

Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter

December 17, 2020

.  Please note our Building remains closed, and our Staff will be out from December 24 through January 4, returning on Monday Jan 4. Please contact President Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579 if you have a question or issue that cannot wait, or Rabbi Eitan on his cell at 847-525-7746 if you have an emergency. For more information about our COVID-19 response, click here .    Please Note: There will be no weekly newsletter next Thursday.  Watch for the next edition to arrive in your inbox on Thursday, December 31. WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE Creative Worship and Ritual  Tonight: Hanukkah Nightly Candle Lighting, December 17, 6:15 p.m.. Friday: Shabbat Evening Service, December 18, 7:30 p.m. Next Week: Shabbat Dinner Blessings, December 25, 6:15 p.m. Upcoming Services Kabbalat Shabbat, January 1, 7:30 p.m. Multigenerational Shabbat Service, January 8, 7:00 p.m.   The Rabbi's Corner -- "Heirlooms" Religious School Religious School Winter Break, December 20 - January 3   Adult Education Winter Break Schedule for Sunday Morning Classes and Thursday Lunch & Learn    Membership News and Events Tonight! Book Club, December 17, 7:30 p.m. Virtual Travels to Jewish History Sites, December 23, 7:30 p.m. Shir HaNosh TV, December 27, 5:00 p.m.   Social Action Shir Hadash: The MVP of JCFS Toy Drive ​​​​​​ Ongoing Fundraisers Gift Cards for the Holidays Help Shir Hadash iGive,  Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip   CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL   Tonight! Hanukkah Nightly Candle Lighting with Rabbi Eitan, December 17, 6:15 p.m. --  Join Rabbi Eitan on the final night of Hanukkah for a special 15-minute candle lighting ceremony of song, readings, and blessings. Have your hanukiyot (Hanukkah menorahs) ready and we will all light together. Apart/Together - What a great way to celebrate our Festival of Light this year!   Friday: Shabbat Evening Service, Friday December 18, 7:30 p.m. --   “Our Favorite Jewish Books” - Join us for a Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat experience.  Be ready to hold up and describe your favorite Jewish book.  Let's create a Jewish book list to inspire more reading over the winter break.   Next Week: Shabbat Dinner Blessings, Friday December 25, 6:15 p.m. -- Join us on Zoom as we light candles, bless our families, sanctify the wine, and bless the challah before Shabbat dinner. Rabbi Eitan will lead a 20-minute ceremony to welcome our Shabbat dinners at home.   Upcoming: Plan to join us via Zoom! Kabbalat Shabbat, Friday January 1, 7:30 p.m. Multigenerational Shabbat, Friday January 8, 7:00 p.m.   THE RABBI’S CORNER December 18-19 2020 / 4 Tevet 5781 / Shabbat Miketz Torah: Genesis 41:1-44:17 / Haftarah: I Kings 3:15 - 4:1 “Heirlooms” Dear Friends, When Joseph was elevated as assistant to Pharaoh, the king gave Joseph a ring.  It symbolized the new title, authority, and power which had been bestowed upon Joseph. An item like a ring has meaning and often conveys a sense of history. Think about the heirlooms that you might have from family members.  Think of the items that were once cherished by those before you and were passed on to you and other relatives – rings, watches, pins, broches, bracelets, and necklaces – jewelry of all kinds.  Do you know of silverware, candlesticks, dishes, Hanukkah menorahs, a tallit, a kippah, a shofar, or seder plate that have been passed to you?  As the winter comes upon us and we spend more time indoors, take some time to visit your family’s heirlooms.  Tell the stories to future generations.  One day these cherished items will be theirs. Zay a mensch -- be a good person. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow RELIGIOUS SCHOOL  Religious School Winter Break, December 20 - January 3 --  Enjoy a relaxing winter break! Youth classes will resume on January 10. If you have any questions, please contact  Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover. ADULT EDUCATION Adult Ed Schedule Over Winter Break: Torah and Jewish Philosophy will meet every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom . PW is 756071. Contact  Fred Andes for details. Call in number is 312 626 6799. Hebrew Reading will meet on December 20 at 11:00 a.m. via WebEx  No class on December 27. Contact Steve Lewin. Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan meets today, December 17, 1:00 p.m. via Zoom.  There will be no session on December 24 or 31.   MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS   Tonight! Book Club, December 17, 7:30 p.m. -  Our Book Club will be discussing The Physician, a novel by Noah Gordon.   Next Week! Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Jewish History Sites, December 23, 7:30 p.m.  -- David will take us on a virtual tour of Cairo, continuing in the footsteps of Maimonides, who arrived there around 1168. The Cairo Geniza, found in the Ben Ezra Synagogue by Solomon Schechter, later gave scholars an incredible glimpse of Medieval Jewish life in Cairo.  Click here and register to receive the Zoom link.  Next Week! Shir HaNosh TV, December 27, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (with a break from 11:00 - 1:00) Shir HaNosh TV Presents: Whole Wheat Everything Bagels with Rabbi Eitan! Click here for ingredients and tools so you can be ready to bake along, or sit back and relax while watching. Class starts at 10 a.m. and goes until 11, then we'll have a break for the dough to rise. At 1 p.m. we'll tune back in for the rest of the bagel baking process, using the same Zoom link. Rabbi Eitan has some new bagel tips and tricks up his sleeve--you won't want to miss it!  SOCIAL ACTION "Shir Hadash was the MVP of JCFS Holiday Gift Drive" -- A very big thank you to everyone who participated in the JCFS Holiday Gift Drive. Haley Zimmerman, the project coordinator, called Shir Hadash the MVP of the project. Not only were our members' sponsorships and donations very much valued, but JCFS also appreciated our help in publicizing this project throughout Chicagoland. At one point, the low level of participation was alarming, and there was grave concern that there would be many children not receiving holiday gifts this year. Once the word got out about this problem, we had an outpouring of member involvement, and Rabbi Eitan's publicity suggestion also made a huge difference. Without exaggeration, Shir Hadash is viewed as the reason many children are feeling joy this holiday season. Thank you, Shir Hadash members and staff!   Shir Hadash is involved annually with numerous projects supporting Jewish Child & Family Services. If you would like to get involved in helping to plan or implement all or part of a project, contact our Social Action Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely, at socialactionsh@gmail.com. ​​ ONGOING FUNDRAISERS   Gift Cards for the Holidays Help Shir Hadash - SHOP Shir Hadash allows members to order physical and electronic gift cards from thousands of stores and Shir Hadash receives a portion of every purchase.  Purchase can be for gifts or your personal use.  Thousands of dollars can be generated for Shir Hadash at no cost to you.  Click here for more information.  Once registered, electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com.  Contact Glenn Graff  for more information.   When you’re shopping online, be sure to consider these donation programs that support Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you!   iGive -- There are 2500 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive.  Click here to learn more. or contact Sandi Schleicher .   Amazon Smile -- Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase to when you sign up at smile.amazon.com . Be sure to select "Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue-Congregation Shir Hadash" in Wheeling as your charity of choice.

Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- December 10, 2020

Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter

December 10, 2020

.  If you need assistance, please email the office at  admin@shir-hadash.org or call 847-498-8218 (messages left will be picked up remotely if no one is in the office). You may additionally reach the Rabbi on his cell 847-525-7746 at any time, and our President, Marc Fargotstein, who welcomes your calls on any matter, at 847-612-6579. For more information about our COVID-19 response plan,  click here .  WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE Creative Worship and Ritual  Starts Tonight! Hanukkah Nightly Candle Lighting, December 10-17, 6:15 p.m. This Friday: Community Hanukkah Shabbat Service & Celebration! Friday, December 11, 7:00 p.m. Next Week: Shabbat Evening Service, December 18, 7:30 p.m.   The Rabbi's Corner -- "We Are Jews" Religious School Religious School, December 13 Register Your Kids! Religious School Hanukkah Virtual Celebration, December 13   Adult Education Sunday Morning Adult Ed Programs This Week Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi, Thursdays at 1:00    Membership News and Events Shir Hadash Needs Your Support!  Take Advantage of Two New Tax Benefits for Charitable Donations Tonight! Mussar Discussion Group, December 10, 7:30 p.m. Next Week! Book Club, December 17 Save the Date! Virtual Travels to Sites in Jewish History, December 23, 7:30 p.m. Save the Date! Shir HaNosh TV, December 27, 5:00 p.m. Max and Benny's Kits a Big Success   Social Justice White Fragility Multi-Part Book Discussion, Round 2 ​​​​​​ Ongoing Fundraisers Gift Cards for the Holidays Help Shir Hadash iGive,  Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip   CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL   Starts Tonight! Hanukkah Nightly Candle Lighting with Rabbi Eitan, December 10-17 --  Join Rabbi Eitan on Hanukkah evenings for a special 15-minute candle lighting ceremony. The Rabbi will be on Zoom each evening of Hanukkah at 6:15 for a ceremony of song, readings, and blessings. Join on any or all nights, as you wish! (On Friday evening we will light the candles at the Shabbat service at 7:00 p.m.). Have your hanukiyot (Hanukkah menorahs) ready and we will all light together. Apart/Together - What a great way to celebrate our Festival of Light this year!   This Friday! Community Hanukkah Shabbat Service & Celebration! Friday, December 11, 7:00 p.m. -  Light the lights and celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of freedom. Join your Shir Hadash family for a Zoom Hanukkah celebration and candle-lighting. Our Lahaka choir will sing a beautiful version of Ma'oz Tzur and the New Traditions choir will share a special Hanukkah song.  We will hear a great Hanukkah story. Rabbi Eitan will share lessons of our tradition and lead us in song. Then, we will wave glow lights in the dark as we celebrate our Hanukkah holiday. Don't miss it.   Next Week: Shabbat Evening Service, Friday December 18, 7:30 p.m. -- "The Judgment of Solomon"    THE RABBI’S CORNER   December 11-12, 2020 / 26 Kislev 5781 / Shabbat Vayeshev - Hanukkah Torah: Genesis 37:1-40:23 / Maftir: Numbers 7:18 - 7:29 | Hanukkah (Day 2) Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7 | Shabbat Hanukkah   “We are Jews”   Dear Friends,   Hanukkah is our festival of Jewish identity.  This week’s Torah portion carries that lesson as well.  Joseph was sent by his brothers to Egypt as a slave.  Even though he served in the house of Potiphor, was falsely accused and locked up in prison, and later interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, he never forgot who he was.  He was Joseph, the Hebrew.   Likewise, with us in our time.  Even though we live in America, far from the Land of Israel, at a time thousands of years after the Bible, we are still focused on our enduring sense of peoplehood.  In the candles of the Hanukkah lamp, we connect with the generations of our past ancestors and future descendants.  We are Jews – members of a proud people and followers of a grand heritage and life affirming tradition.  The simplest lesson of our Hanukkah celebration is that we are Jews!   Zay a mentsch – be a good person.   Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow   RELIGIOUS SCHOOL  Religious School, December 13 --  Be sure to join your Shir Hadash teachers on December 13 for a special Hanukkah celebration -- details below!  If you have any questions, please contact  Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover. Religious School Hanukkah Celebration, Sunday, December 13, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.   Register today to join the Shir Hadash Religious School Community for an all-school Virtual Hanukkah Celebration. This event is open to all K-7th Graders of Shir Hadash, even if they are not enrolled in school this year, as well as non-members who have been invited by currently enrolled Religious School students. The program will begin with a song and story session led by Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and our Education Director Rachel Goldberg, followed by small group rotation to special activities led by our madrichim'ot (Teen Leaders) and our Family Activity Committee.  NOTE: All children participating should have paper, pencil, and coloring supplies nearby and ready when they log-in to the zoom event. ADULT EDUCATION Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs:  Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on Sunday mornings: 10:00 a.m. -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy  via Zoom . PW is 756071. Contact  Fred Andes for details. Call in number is 312 626 6799. 11:00 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading via WebEx  -- contact Steve Lewin.    Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan, December 10, 1:00 p.m. -- Join Rabbi Eitan for an engaging examination of the week's Torah portion  via Zoom  -- PW 6121824, call in number 312 626 6799. Lunch and Learn meets on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m.     MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS Shir Hadash Needs Your Support!  Take Advantage of Two New Tax Benefits for Charitable Donations –   In this challenging year, Shir Hadash appreciates any extra support you can give.  The 2020 CARES Act has special provisions to allow certain deductions for charitable giving from personal income tax returns, whether or not the taxpayer usually itemizes deductions.  Click Here for more information, and please plan to include Shir Hadash in your year-end giving. Thank you.     Tonight! Mussar Discussion Group, December 10, 7:30 p.m. – Mussar is a centuries old Jewish body of teachings, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions any thinking person asks about life.  Our monthly Mussar discussion group will meet by Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 10.  To participate, contact Lynn Liebling. Next Week! Book Club, December 17, 7:30 p.m. - Our Book Club will be reading The Physician, a novel by Noah Gordon.  Our virtual meeting will be December 17.  Click here for details. Save the Dates -- Details Coming Soon! Mark your calendar and watch for more details for two great events coming in late December: Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Jewish History Sites, Wednesday, December 23, 7:30 p.m. Shir HaNosh TV with Rabbi Eitan, Sunday, December 27, 5:00 p.m. Max and Benny’s Kits a Big Success -- A big thank you to all the families who supported the Max & Benny's Kit Pickup last week! It was well received and deliciously fun. If you missed out on this one, don't worry - the Family Activities Committee is busy planning another pickup event in the next couple of months. The next one will be bigger and better.  As always, watch the newsletter for details!  SOCIAL JUSTICE     Want to be a New Participant in Multi-Part Book Discussion of White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism?  If you couldn't participate in our multi-session discussions of White Fragility in September, let us know if you might be interested in participating for four consecutive weeks in early 2021. Each session will last 90 minutes. Day and time are to be determined. If you might be interested or if you have questions, email Lisa Burton Radzely at socialactionsh@gmail.com.  ​​ ONGOING FUNDRAISERS   Gift Cards for the Holidays Help Shir Hadash - SHOP Shir Hadash allows members to order physical and electronic gift cards from thousands of stores and Shir Hadash receives a portion of every purchase.  Purchase can be for gifts or your personal use.  Thousands of dollars can be generated for Shir Hadash at no cost to you.  Click here for more information.  Once registered, electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com.  Contact Glenn Graff  for more information.   When you’re shopping online, be sure to consider these donation programs that support Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you!   iGive -- There are 2500 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive.  Click here to learn more. or contact Sandi Schleicher .   Amazon Smile -- Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase to when you sign up at smile.amazon.com . Be sure to select "Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue-Congregation Shir Hadash" in Wheeling as your charity of choice.