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:
THE VIRTUAL EDITION
THE VIRTUAL EDITION
With an abundance of caution and to ensure the health and safety of our staff, the Synagogue building is closed at least through the duration of the Illinois shelter-in-place order.
Our devoted staff will be working from home and messages via phone and email will be responded to within 24 hours.
If you need any assistance, you may call Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579 or contact Executive Director Nancy Kleine Kekst at 216-789-2452. The Rabbi is also available on his cell phone 847-525-7746 at any time.
Our devoted staff will be working from home and messages via phone and email will be responded to within 24 hours.
If you need any assistance, you may call Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579 or contact Executive Director Nancy Kleine Kekst at 216-789-2452. The Rabbi is also available on his cell phone 847-525-7746 at any time.
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Kabbalat Shabbat Services, Friday March 27--now via Zoom!
The Rabbi's Corner -- “Cleaning Out"
Religious Education
- No Religious School on March 29
- Adult Ed Programs Continue Online -- Open to Everyone!
- Worldwide Synagogue Sing, March 29 -- Online!
- Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom on March 26
Membership News and Events
- Communication Channels
- 2020 Event Plans- Updates
- Send us your photos of fun times at home, and great jokes!
Social Action
- Contacting Local Municipalities and Other Social Action Opportunities
Resources for Today
- Links to Help You and Your Family Work Safely, Take Care of Each Other, and Have Fun
Ongoing Fundraisers
- iGive
- Amazon Smile
- SHOP Shir Hadash
Kabbatlat Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. -- Please stay home and join Rabbi Eitan for a Kabbalat Shabbat service on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out Friday morning. Pot luck oneg for your family in your kitchen to follow!
March 27-28, 2020 / 3 Nisan 5780 / Shabbat Vayikra
Torah: Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26 / Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23
“Cleaning Out”
Dear Friends,
The springtime month of Nisan begins this week. This is the first month of the Jewish year, the month during which we celebrate Passover. And if you haven’t noticed, the Passover foods are appearing in our supermarkets, especially the mountains of five-pound boxes of matzah.
Matzah has many meanings and associations for us. This week’s Torah portion mentions matzah, but not in connection with the Passover. We learn that matzah is the perfect kind of bread to accompany animal sacrifices to God. Perhaps matzah is considered ‘cleaner’ or more ‘pure’ because it is not fermented and does not spoil so quickly. In the Passover story, matzah is eaten because our ancestors did not have time to let the bread dough rise during their flight from Egypt. We also know that crackers are a better backpacking food as they are light, compact, and don’t go bad. There is another reason we eat matzah in the springtime, which is often overlooked. Every spring, when the winter rains ended, our ancestors cleaned out and dried the granaries. Old moldy grain and bread starters had to be thrown away to make room for the new crop about to be harvested.
So one of the roots of the Passover celebration lies with cleaning out our homes and our lives. As we prepare for the coming holiday while confined to our homes in this time of COVID-19 quarantine, start cleaning. Use this opportunity to go through closets and drawers to clean out the ‘hametz,’ the clutter that has built up over the years. Get ready to give away the items we no longer use to those who need them. Go through files, bookcases, CD and DVD collections, basements, attics, crawl spaces, sheds, and garages.
It is time to clean. Passover is coming. Freedom is at hand.
Zay a mentsch – Be a Good Person. Zay gezunt – Be Healthy!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
No Onsite Religious School March 29
Sunday Morning Adult Ed Programs: Online! Everyone is welcome to join in. Contact the class facilitator, below, for information.
- 10:00 a.m. -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy Class via Zoom. Contact Fred Andes for details.
- 10:30 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading Class -- contact Steve Lewin.
- 11:15 a.m. -- Judaism's Best 10 Ideas -- contact Rabbi Eitan.
Today! Rabbi's Lunch and Learn, March 26 -- You can participate in this week's discussion of Torah via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to particpate. Contact Rabbi Eitan for details.
Click here to sign up and register for this weekly program and watch for it as SH students will receive Avodah credit for participating! We'll be doing it each Sunday while the shutdown continues -- you only need to register once.
Communication Channels: We will continue our email blasts to congregants at least twice a week: our regular weekly roundup on Tuesdays and the Synagogue newsletter on Thursday mornings, plus additional information as needed and late breaking developments.
For those congregants who do not have computer access, the staff will be making telephone check-in calls.
Another primary way to stay in touch with members is through our closed (private) Facebook group, Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue - Current Members. You need to have a Facebook account to access this group. It’s a great way to watch live streamed services. If you're having a problem creating a Facebook account, contact Nancy Kleine Kekst 216-789-2452, Marc Fargotstein 847-612-6579 or Karen Burnham 847-714-6946 and we will help you.
Also please follow —and encourage your friends to follow — our Shir Hadash General Community page.
Another way to stay in touch is through Zoom meetings—both video and audio or call-in audio only. For adult education classes or committee meetings, the facilitator will send you a Zoom meeting invitation. You do not need to have a Zoom account to participate. You can simply download the Zoom app on your laptop, tablet and/or phone. To establish a free Zoom account for your own personal use, visit zoom.us.
And to learn more about Facebook or Zoom, search for and watch free instructional videos at http://youtube.com.
Overview of Upcoming Events -- Be sure and check the Shir Hadash calendar for the latest updates on events.
- April 3: Pausing in the Wilderness Service – Plans to be determined
- April 9: SH Community Seder - Plans to be determined
- April 25: Israeli Movie Night - Postponed
- May 2: 25th Anniversary Gala - Postponed
- May 16: Coffee House - Postponed
SOCIAL ACTION
Ideas for How to Help -- Please check with your local city or village as to whether they are accepting donation drop offs for their respective food pantries or delivery groceries to the elderly. In addition, local residents are working with their local restaurant associations to send meals into hospital workers and their families. Again, contact your local municipality.
Google also unveiled a new website that links users to data, safety videos and relief efforts.
How to help the elderly during their time at home
Other ways you can help during the pandemic
RESOURCES FOR TODAY
Illinois Department of Public Health COVID-19 Resources
Working from home? Here's a review of the best WiFi routers to keep you connected.
Census 2020 Helps the Community -- Make sure you respond to the Census at https://2020census.gov. Census counts determine vital government funding for infrastructure, schools and social services. Be counted!
Online Storytime -- Kids will love this website with age-appropriate stories read by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Kristen Bell, Wanda Sykes, and others.
Caring for Others, Safely -- Guidance on how to care for a family member suffering from COVID-19.
Meditation for Adults & Kids -- Because we can all benefit from some mindfulness.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
If you are home and shopping online, be sure to consider these resources. You can help support Shir Hadash AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU through these donation programs. We will need funds to help our congregants in need.
Help Shir Hadash Earn Free Donations with iGive --You can help Shir Hadash every time you shop online – the iGive Button makes it simple! iGive is a free and easy way to support the shul. Average shoppers using iGive raise between $30 and $100 a year for their causes. There are 1480 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive. Click here to learn more and join iGive. If you have questions, contact Sandi Schleicher, sschleicher@onebox.com.
Amazon Smile Fundraising Option
Shir Hadash is registered with the Amazon Smile fundraising program. Just go to smile.amazon.com, search for Shir Hadash (be sure to select the one in Wheeling), and from then on 0.5% of your purchases will automatically be donated to Shir Hadash at no cost to you! Remember, if you go to Amazon through iGive.com or the iGive button, SH will get money from both Amazon and iGive. And to triple-dip, just pay for your purchases with a SHOP Amazon gift card! Happy Shopping!
SHOP SHOP SHOP! --ShopWithScrip 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. 50,000 organizations use ShopWithScrip gift cards to turn everyday shopping into earnings. Now, Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue is using gift cards to offset our costs and create more opportunities for families. Shop at 750+ brands with gift cards to earn on gas, groceries, eating out, clothes—the list goes on. It’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it fits right into your busy schedule. Watch for full details, an invitation to participate and enrollment codes--coming soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment