For daily event updates, check our calendar. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Download the Shir Hadash App for Apple or Android
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Evening Service, January 3, 7:30 p.m.
- Sponsor an Oneg
- Religious School, January 5
- New Adult Ed Class: Judaism's Ten Best Ideas with Rabbi Eitan
- Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi Resumes January 9
- Synagogue Office Reopens January 2
- New Member Dinner, January 25
- Book Club, February 20
- Save the Date! Trivia Night, February 29
Social Action
- Relief Efforts for Ugandan Flood Victims
Community Initiatives
- Help Immigrant Teens
- 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, January 3, 7:30 p.m. - Shabbat Vayigash --
“Just Shabbat” - Simple, quick, no-frills Shabbat worship and traditional tunes. Bring a treat to share at our potluck oneg refreshments.
“Just Shabbat” - Simple, quick, no-frills Shabbat worship and traditional tunes. Bring a treat to share at our potluck oneg refreshments.
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.
Rabbi Eitan is on vacation this week. To read past entries of the Rabbi's blog, please visit our website.
Religious School Resumes January 5 -- We hope all our families had a fun and relaxing winter break! See you back at Sunday School on January 5. In addition, we will hold our regular Adult Education classes, along with special classes, committee meetings
*Torah & Jewish Philosophy with Fred Andes at 9:30 a.m.
*Social Action Committee Meeting 10:00 a.m.
*Hebrew Reading & Prayer with Steve Lewin at 10:30 a.m.
New Adult Ed Class: Judaism's 10 Best Ideas -- Sundays, 11:15 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.: Jan. 5, 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9, 23; Mar. 1, 8 and 15. Instructor: Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
This class is based on Rabbi Arthur Green's book Judaism's 10 Best Ideas. We will explore what Rabbi Green considers the fundamental principles of Judaism and the concepts that exemplify the best contributions that Judaism has made to civilization.
Lunch & Learn, Thursdays -- Join the Rabbi and Shir Hadash members and friends at 1:00 p.m. for a refreshing and contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion, a selected book of the Bible, or a contemporary work of Jewish wisdom.
Synagogue Office Reopens January 2 -- The Shir Hadash office will resume its regular hours on Thursday, January 2. Executive Director Nancy Kleine Kekst will be back in the office on Monday.
Filling out your 2020 calendar? Be sure and add these Shir Hadash events:
- January 25 -- New Member Havdalah and Dinner. All members welcome! Scroll down for details.
- February 1 -- Israeli Movie Night
- February 9 -- Cocktail Night at Mehran's
- February 14-16 -- No'ar Hadash Midwest Youth Kallah (Grades 6-12)
- February 22-- Coffee House
- February 23 -- Yom Tikkun Olam (Social Action Day)
- February 29 -- Trivia Night
- March 7 -- Adult Purim Night
- March 8 -- Purim Carnival
- April 3 -- Pausing in the Wilderness Service
- April 9 -- SH Community Seder
- April 25 -- Israeli Movie Night
- May 2 -- 25th Anniversary Gala
- May 16 -- Coffee House
New Member Dinner, January 25, 6:00 p.m. -- We have more new members this year than at any time in the recent past. Help welcome them at a special evening including Havdalah, wine, dinner and entertainment. Register here for Saturday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m. Free admission for members who joined since February 2019 and their immediate families; for others, $18/per adult, $7 for children 4-12 and free for children under 4. Please RSVP by January 17 so we know how much food will be needed.
Book Club New Selection: Next Meeting February 20 -- 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.
This month's selection is God's Gold: The Quest for the Lost Temple Treasures of Jerusalem. Archaeologist Dr. Sean Kingsley describes the modern-day quest for the priceless icons of the Jewish faith plundered from the great Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.
Trivia Night, February 29 -- Save the date for the 4th Annual Shir Hadash Family Trivia Night on Saturday, February 29 at 6:00 p.m. The event benefits the Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund, which is a need-based fund to assist children who otherwise would not be able to attend the Shir Hadash Religious School due to economic reasons. Trivia buffs - high school-aged and older - will enjoy this fast-paced, high energy, friendly competition! There will be six rounds of trivia with cash prizes for the top teams, plus a live auction and a 50/50 raffle! Pizza, soft drinks and bake sale items will be available for purchase. Free babysitting is available for children up to age 12 (tots must be potty-trained). Online registration will be available soon.
Special Auction Item! Check your calendars and come ready to bid on four choice aisle seat Cubs tickets! The game is against the Phillies on April 25 (2:20 start) in row 3 of section 226.
SOCIAL ACTION
Relief Efforts for Jewish Ugandan Flood Victims -- The Ugandan Jewish community of Abayudaya recently experienced devastating flooding. Many families are homeless and starving due to this flood. There is no insurance to help them. They are worried how they will survive. The above words are a plea for help from a resident for the Abayudaya Ugandan Jewish community and longtime friend of one of our congregants.
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.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
Help Immigrant Teens -- We have heard so much about the issues at our southern border. Now we have a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children directly affected by it. Legal teens have been brought to local suburbs while they await joining their U.S. relatives with whom they will live, heal and recover from the horrors of their experiences. Needless to say, it is a stressful and confusing time.
While these children await transfer to the U.S. family members with whom they will live, they need some essential items for the cold months ahead. They also would benefit greatly from enrichment and entertainment. We will be donating to 12-17 year old males. Most of them do not speak English, so it's best to donate activities that do not involve reading English. Items can be new or gently-used. Please make sure they have all of the pieces. They do not have access to batteries, and please no items associated with violence. The most-needed items are: Headphones, slippers, hats, hoodies, bathrobes, stuffed animals, coloring books (appropriate for teens), lip balm, sunglasses, gel pens, playdough, molding clay, air dry clay, popsicle sticks, painting supplies, glitter sticks, construction paper, sketch books/paper for art, stickers, canvas, wooden crafts to paint, books in Spanish (beginner readers), video games (Wii and Playstation), sand for sand tables, 3D puzzles, therapeutic games to deal with anger, self-esteem, etc.
For your convenience, you can order online and mail items directly to the Illinois location.
For your convenience, you can order online and mail items directly to the Illinois location.
- Send items to Mary Kieger, Project San Francisco, 1150 N. River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016 (the facility's name is not provided for the children's safety and privacy. All donations will be used locally. The national name for the program is San Francisco).
- If possible, include a Gift Message and say that you are a member of Shir Hadash Synagogue.
- A donation receipt can be requested when you mail items to the facility. Shir Hadash cannot provide donation receipts.
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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