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!
- Tonight! Passover Second-Night Seder, Thursday April 9, 6:15 p.m.
- Havdalah Service, Saturday April 11, 7:30 p.m.
- Other Passover Activities and Resources
The Rabbi's Corner: “Ten Drops of Wine"
Religious Education
- Religious School e-Learning Coming This Week
- Adult Ed Programs Continue Online -- Open to Everyone!
- Worldwide Synagogue Sing, April 12 -- Online!
Membership News and Events
- Office Closed April 7-12
- Phishing Scam Warning
- Communication Channels - Zoom Update
- 2020 Event Plans- Updates
- Book Club -- Virtual Meeting April 23
- Annual Meeting, May 17
Social Action
- Vernon Township Food Pantry Seeks Delivery Drivers
- Lake County United COVID-19 Response
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!
Tonight! Thursday, April 9 (6:15 – 7:00 PM) Passover Community 2nd Seder -- Join Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and fellow Shir Hadash members for an exciting and meaningful 2nd Night Passover Seder… streamed live on Zoom directly into your dining room. The event will also be broadcast on our public Facebook page, so tell your friends to check it out!
Place your laptop or tablet 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.
6:00 pm: “Doors” open. Join the Zoom meeting and schmooze freely for a few minutes.
6:15 pm: Seder starts. We expect the Seder to last for 45 minutes.
What You Will Need:
- Your table and a computer or device.
What You Won’t Need:
- A Haggadah, since the Haggadah will be projected on your computer screen.
Children:
- Practice the Four Questions.
For Your Seder Table:
- Wine or Grape Juice (4 cups per person)
- Seder Plate with ritual foods (roasted egg, shank bone or roasted beet, charoset, horseradish, parsley, lettuce)
- Matzah
- Parsley
- Salt Water
- Charoset
- Horseradish
- 2 Candles and Matches
- Matzah: 3 matzahs with a cover
- Hand Sanitizer
- Elijah’s Cup filled with wine or grape juice
- Miriam’s Cup filed with water
Helpful ZOOM Tips:
- Please do not mute yourself but rather allow us to do that.
- Please use a computer or tablet for the best experience.
- Please join on video so we can see each other.
- Please volunteer to read English parts.
Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.: Zooming Havdalah Service – This also will be broadcast on our public Shir Hadash Facebook page, so feel free to share that with friends. 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.
Other Passover Activities and Resources
Reconstructing Judaism Passover 2020 -- A wealth of resources from Reconstructing Judaism, Havaya Summer Programs, Ritualwell, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assocation to support and inspire you.
jewishLIVE - jewishLIVE is your portal to live-streaming Jewish experiences on the internet during the COVID-19 physical distancing period.
Moment's Jewish Virtual Resource Directory
JCC Chicago Channel J -- Let JCC Chicago keep you company while you are at home! We have live events, resources, activities for kids and more.
*Please see new information about Zoom passwords under Communication Channels, below.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
April 10-11, 2020 / 17 Nisan 5780 / Day 2 of the Omer
Shabbat Chol HaMo’ed Pesach
Torah – Exodus 33:12-34:26 / Haftarah – Ezekiel 37:1-14
“Ten Drops of Wine...”
Dear Friends,
When we recall the Ten Plagues that God inflicted on the Egyptians, our tradition tells us to spill ten drops of wine from our cups of joy. At our festive seder meals, we are to diminish our happiness, one drop for each of the plagues that eventually brought the Egyptians to free our ancestors.
At this time, a plague of COVID-19 is affecting our lives and causing so much illness, anxiety, worry, heartache and loss around the world. The measures we must take to address and slow the advance of the virus remind me of the drops of wine that we spill. While they diminish our joy, we know that they are necessary measures that must be taken to understand the severity of the threat and to do our part to make things better. Washing hands, covering with masks, social distancing, and more are the little we can all do to help and eventually seek freedom from the disease. So do you part; protect yourself and others. Help each other and be patient. Diminish your joy for the greater good. Together, we can make a difference.
Have a healthy, safe, and happy Passover.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Religious School e-Learning Coming This Week: Watch for details!
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. Call in number is 312 626 6799.
No Rabbi's Lunch and Learn on April 9 -- Due to the Passover holiday, the regular Lunch & Learn session will not be held this week.
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.
A note about Zoom meetings: Zoom has updated their security protocols, and has instituted passwords for scheduled events. We will give you links that include the passwords, and also provide you with separate passwords and call in numbers if you need. We are using Zoom as our primary method of delivering Services and other events, which allows for better participation than the Facebook platform. If you need Zoom assistance, let us know and we will have someone contact you. For now, please advise us if you are unable to participate in a video conference either on a tablet, smartphone, computer or other similar device. If so, we can make arrangements to allow you to participate.
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.
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.
Office Closed April 7-12 -- The Synagogue Office Staff will not be working after Tuesday evening April 7 until next Monday, April 13 due to the Passover and Easter holidays. The office email will be monitored. In case of emergency, contact Nancy Kleine Kekst at 216-789-2452, Rabbi Eitan at 847-525-7746 or Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579.
Phishing Scam Warning -- Earlier this week, we were notified that congregants received emails, supposedly from Rabbi Eitan, asking for favors, money or gift cards. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE EMAILS--THEY ARE A FRAUD ATTEMPT AND ARE NOT FROM THE RABBI. SIMPLY DELETE THEM.
The Rabbi would never write to ask anyone for money. Additionally, the emails were sent from "rabbi.shirhadash@gmail.com" which is not a valid email address. Any staff person at the synagogue uses an email that has the domain name of "shir-hadash.org."
We do not know how these scammers got the synagogue email list but this has happened at other local synagogues and churches as well. Just to be on the safe side, everyone should change their email passwords immediately.
The Rabbi would never write to ask anyone for money. Additionally, the emails were sent from "rabbi.shirhadash@gmail.com" which is not a valid email address. Any staff person at the synagogue uses an email that has the domain name of "shir-hadash.org."
We do not know how these scammers got the synagogue email list but this has happened at other local synagogues and churches as well. Just to be on the safe side, everyone should change their email passwords immediately.
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
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
SOCIAL ACTION
Volunteers Needed: Vernon Township is looking for drivers to deliver food and care packages to seniors and homebound residents. To sign up, send an email to foodpantry@vernontownship.com or complete a volunteer form at https://tinyurl.com/u5fxaao.
Lake County COVID-19 Community Response Fund is Helping Provide Emergency Food and Shelter: In collaboration with Lake County Government, Lake County Community Foundation, and Lake County Municipal League, United Way of Lake County launched the Lake County COVID-19 Community Response Fund to unite the funds raised by Lake County’s philanthropies, corporations and individuals to be disbursed to nonprofit organizations across the county. As we are individually taking steps to protect our own families, workplaces and neighborhoods from the effects of the virus, let’s not forget the impact this will have on our neighbors. Missing paychecks, the inability to pay rent and utilities, and a lack of access to food and essential supplies are realities that many in our region will have to face in the coming weeks. Please join us in supporting our neighbors across Lake County, Illinois! To donate, click here.
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
Recipe: Iron Skillet S'mores
One-Dollar Recipes
COVID-19 and Taxes
Craig Taubman Schmooze INspirit Video from M arch 30
The 30-Day Plank Challenge
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!
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website.
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