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 -- Services Online via Zoom!
- Pausing in the Wilderness Service, Friday April 3, 7:00 p.m.
- Passover Second-Night Seder, Thursday April 9, 6:15 p.m.
- Havdalah Service, Saturday April 11, 7:30 p.m.
Rabbi's Corner -- “Wash Your Hands"
Religious Education
- Pre-Passover Video Conference, April 5
- Adult Ed Programs Continue Online -- Open to Everyone!
- Worldwide Synagogue Sing, April 5 -- Online!
- Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom, April 2
Membership News and Events
- Communication Channels
- 2020 Event Plans- Updates
- Book Club -- New Selection! Virtual Meeting April 23
- Send us your photos of fun times at home, and great jokes!
Social Action
- Contacting Local Municipalities and Other Social Action Opportunities
- Seeking Computer Donations
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
Join us online for these exciting online worship and ritual experiences!
Thursday, April 9 (6:15 – 7:00 PM) Passover Community 2nd Seder -- We are Zooming through the entire seder in less than an hour! Join Rabbi Eitan and fellow Shir Hadash members for an exciting and meaningful 2nd Night Passover Seder… streamed live on ZOOM directly into your dining room. So, place your laptop, tablet, or smartphone on the seder table and participate as the haggadah text appears on the screen for all to share. We’ll enjoy four cups of wine (or grape juice), ask the Four Questions, tell the story of the exodus, sing Dayenu, eat matzah, bitter herbs, and charoset, welcome Elijah, and much more.
Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.: Zooming Havdalah Service – Let’s end the Shabbat together with an on-line Havdalah service via ZOOM. Rabbi Eitan will lead the service from his home. Those who have a braided candle, fragrant spices like cinnamon or cloves, and sweet wine or grape juice are encouraged to perform the ceremony simultaneously in their own homes. If you need a multi-wick candle, simply grab three thin candles, like Hanukkah candles, bind them together with a twist-tie and you are ready to go. Let’s lower the lights and enjoy this very special and moving candle-lit service together.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
April 3-4, 2020 / 10 Nisan 5780 / Shabbat Tzav/Shabbat HaGadol
Torah: Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36 / Haftarah: Malachi 3:4 - 3:24
“Wash Your Hands”
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed much emphasis on washing hands as a significant health measure. Yet, we Jews have always had a thing about washing our hands. This is nothing new to us. In this week’s Torah portion, Aaron and his sons were preparing to be ordained as priests of Israel. One of the first steps in the preparation was washing up before donning the holy clothing.
Before each meal that contains bread (signifying a complete or proper meal), tradition requires us to wash our hands and say a prayer thanking God for commanding us to do this mitzvah. That’s why in most kosher restaurants, there will be a hand washing station in the main dining room outfitted with a sink, a two-handled cup for pouring water over the hands, a prayer card with the proper blessing, and often a basket of bread to eat a bit immediately after drying your hands. Our Passover seder includes two hand washings. The first is before eating the parsley, which is done without a blessing, and the second just before eating matzah, which is done with the hand-washing blessing, “al n’tilat yadayim.”
Some scholars have posited that the European Jewish community did better than other communities during the Black Death in medieval times, simply because we washed our hands so often and bathed in the mikveh regularly.
As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s do our best to stay healthy. Stay home, practice social distancing, and wash our hands.
Zay gezunt – be well.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
No Onsite Religious School April 5 -- But Online Learning at 4:00pm! While we cannot be physically together, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm Rachel and Rabbi Eitan will have a Religious School pre-Passover video conference to keep the e-learning going. Watch for a Zoom link to follow.
Sunday Morning Adult Ed Programs: Online! Everyone is welcome to participate. Contact the class facilitator, below, for information.
- 10:00 a.m. -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy Class via Zoom. Contact Fred Andes for details.
- 11:00 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading Class via WebEx -- contact Steve Lewin.
- 11:15 a.m. -- Judaism's Best 10 Ideas via Zoom-- contact Rabbi Eitan.
Today! Rabbi's Lunch and Learn, April 2 -- You can participate in this week's discussion of Torah via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to participate. 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. If you need a device to help you connect to these sites, or need one-on-one assistance on how to connect, please call the office and leave a message. We will seek ways to help you.
Overview of Upcoming Events -- Be sure and check the Shir Hadash calendar for the latest updates on events.
- April 25: Israeli Movie Night - Postponed
- May 2: 25th Anniversary Gala - Postponed
- May 16: Coffee House - Postponed
- May 17: Annual Meeting Online
Book Club, April 23 -- Get ready for the first virtual meeting of our Book Club on April 23! We are reading Maimondes by Sherwin B. Nuland. About the book: "Moses Maimonides was a Renaissance man before there was a Renaissance: a great physician, a dazzling Torah scholar, a daring philosopher. Eight hundred years after his death, his notions about God, faith, the afterlife, and the Messiah still stir debate; his life as a physician still inspires; and the enigmas of his character still fascinate. Nuland’s portrait of Maimonides that makes his life, his times, and his thought accessible to the general reader as they have never been before." Details about how to participate in the discussion will be coming soon.
Save the Date! Annual Meeting, May 17-- During these difficult times, being together – even if not physically – as a warm, welcoming community is more important than ever. For that reason, we intend to have our Shir Hadash annual meeting this spring – ONLINE. We are still working out all of the details, including as to voting procedures, but our current plan is to have the virtual meeting on Sunday, May 17, at 10:00 a.m.
At the meeting, we will share important information about our plans for Shir Hadash, and also want to hear your ideas. You will also be asked to vote on nominees for open positions on the Board of Directors, and to approve the Shir Hadash budget for 2020-21. We are also looking at confidential online voting options. If you will need an absentee ballot, please call the office and leave a voicemail message.
Board Positions to be Filled -- At this time, we are seeking members who are interested in serving in the open Board positions. As a Board member, you can play a significant role in shaping Shir Hadash’s future. Here are the open positions:
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Vice-President for Building
- Vice-President for Education
- Four At-Large Board Members for 2-year terms
So, What Have You Been Doing? Please send us photos of what you are doing at home with your family—and any good (clean) jokes! It will help boost our spirits. What books are you reading? What games are you playing? Share with Nancy at execdir@shir-hadash.org -- we will send new links and resources every week!
SOCIAL ACTION
In Search of Computer Donations -- Do you have an old laptop or Chromebook around the house gathering dust? Cindy Grills is collecting them for students at a Chicago elementary school who are switching to online learning but have no access to computers at home. If you can help, contact Cindy to arrange for pick up. Thank you!
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.
RESOURCES FOR TODAY
Tips to Stay Sane During the Quarantine
Pros and Cons of Curbside Pickup
Kids Activities to Nurture Compassion and Calm
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!
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!
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