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
With an abundance of caution and to ensure the health and safety of our staff, the Synagogue building is closed due to the pandemic until further notice.
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 Office Administrator Karen Burnham at 847-714-6946. The Rabbi is also available on his cell phone 847-525-7746 at any time.
Creative Worship and Ritual -- Services Online
- Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat Service, Friday June 19, 7:30 p.m.
- Zoom Shabbat Morning Torah Study, Saturday June 20, 10:00 a.m.
The Rabbi's Corner: “Let Us Go Up"
Religious Education
- Adult Ed Programs Continue Online -- Open to All Members
- Today! Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom, Thursdays
- Worldwide Synagogue Sing, June 21
Membership News and Events
- Save the Date! Upcoming Events
- Annual Meeting & Election Results
- Tonight! Book Club, June 18
- Smile! Special Family Photo Session Opportunity
Social Action
- You've Cleaned Your Closets -- Now Donate Your Stuff!
- Helping Chicagoans via the Greater Chicago Food Depository
Support for Members
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- Donations Support Members in Need
- SNAP Now Allows Online Food Shopping in Illinois
- Shir Hadash Member Business Directory
Resources for Today
- Links to Help You Work Safely, Take Care of Each Other, and Have Fun
Ongoing Fundraisers
- iGive
- Amazon Smile
- SHOP Shir Hadash
Kabbalat Shabbat Service, Friday, June 19, 7:30 pm --Shabbat Shlach Lecha “Juneteenth – Civil Rights and Racial Justice”
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. Education Director Rachel Goldberg will teach us about “Juneteenth,” civil rights, and racial justice.
Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Study, Saturday, June 20, 10:00 a.m. -- Let’s celebrate Shabbat together with an on-line Shabbat morning service via ZOOM. Rabbi Eitan will lead the service from his home with meditations, prayer, Torah reading, story, and song.
Our services can also be watched on Facebook on the Shir Hadash Public Facebook page. Please share the Facebook link with friends.
June 19-20, 2020 / 28 Sivan 5780 / Shabbat Shelach Lecha
Torah: Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 / Haftarah: Joshua 2:1 – 24
Dear Friends,
Half Full or Half Empty? For Judaism, life is always bursting with possibility and opportunity. Even in times of difficulty, our tradition is one of optimism and hope. For us, the glass is half full, of course! In this week’s Torah portion, twelve scouts were sent out to survey the Land of Israel. Ten came back frightened and convinced that the Israelites did not have a chance against the Canaanites. Two scouts, Joshua and Calev, had a different opinion. They said that the Land was rich and good and that the people should go up immediately and possess it. Why? ki yachol nuchal lah – for we are able to accomplish it! As we will find out at the conclusion of the Torah, it is Joshua and Calev who led the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
We are living in a time full of challenges and concerns. Nothing seems certain. A pandemic threatens the world. Social unrest fills our television evening news. Yet, look on the bright side. First responders and health care workers are stepping up to help treat and cure. Protesters are challenging our society to do better. Piece by piece, day by day, we are all doing our part to make it through this rough time in history. As Jews and as members of Shir Hadash, I remind you of Joshua’s and Calev’s words. Let us go up, for we are able to accomplish it! I say to you, be strong and courageous. Do your part to help make the world a better place. Be optimistic and hopeful. Let us go up!
Zay a mentsch – be a good person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Sunday Morning Adult Ed Programs: Online! All members are 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.
Modern Israel: No Class on June 21 - The Rabbi's class on Modern Israel will not be held this week.
Today! Rabbi's Lunch and Learn via ZOOM, June 18 -- Anyone can participate! Join Rabbi Eitan and Shir Hadash members for an engaging discussion of this week's Torah portion.
Worldwide Synagogue Sing, Sunday mornings -- Kudos to our Education Director Rachel Goldberg for creating and streaming the Worldwide Synagogue Sing. If you want to sing with your friends and family near and far, join in Sundays at 10:00 am Chicago time for the Worldwide Synagogue Sing - a chance for school age kids to connect virtually for meaningful and creative Jewish experience. Perfect for family participation. Click here to sign up and register for this weekly program. We'll be doing it each Sunday while the shutdown continues -- you only need to register once.
- Havdalah Service, June 27, 7:30 pm
- Jackie Goodman - Secretary
- Steve Varon -Treasurer
- Jerry Weiss - VP Building
- Alan Bernover - VP Education
- Art German, Lisa Settler, Matt Settler and Chana Sulpar - Members at Large
Tonight! Meryl's Book Club Selection; Meeting June 18 -- Our new book club selection is the novel Henna House by Nomi Eve. The meeting on June 18 will be held via Zoom; links will be included in newsletters the preceding week. About the book: "This vivid saga begins in Yemen in 1920. Adela Damari’s parents’ health is failing as they desperately seek a future husband for their young daughter, who is in danger of becoming adopted by the local Muslim community if she is orphaned. With no likely marriage prospects, Adela’s situation looks dire—until she meets two cousins from faraway cities: a boy with whom she shares her most treasured secret, and a girl who introduces her to the powerful rituals of henna. Ultimately, Adela’s life journey brings her old and new loves, her true calling, and a new life as she is transported to Israel as part of Operation On Wings of Eagles. Rich, evocative, and enthralling, Henna House is an intimate family portrait interwoven with the traditions of the Yemenite Jews and the history of the Holocaust and Israel."
Smile! Special Family Photo Session Opportunity -- There is an upside to being homebound with your family in the summer. It's the perfect time to take a family portrait! Our congregant Annette Leibovitz, who owns Mitzvah Photography, is offering mini sessions to take family portraits outside at your home or in a nearby area in a socially distant manner (and she wears a mask!). Have some fun and update your family photos. The family will receive all the digital images! Schedule with several neighbors the same day and get a discount. The fee is just $75, and she will donate $25 back to Shir Hadash. All we ask is for you to give the synagogue one great family image that we can use on our website, in publicity (no names), and in our membership directory. To book your portrait, contact Annette Leibovitz at 847-913-5588 or write mitzvahphoto@aol.com.
SOCIAL ACTION
Stay Connected to Help! We are frequently adding new opportunities to help our neighbors, our community, and the world, so keep checking the weekly emails, the Shir Hadash newsletter, and the members-only Facebook group.
Get Unwanted Items Out of Your Home, and Donate to Those Who Would Appreciate Them! Many nonprofits have resumed accepting donations. If you've been cleaning out your closets and garage, consider giving to one of these local organizations so someone in need can enjoy the items. Click here for a list of suggested organizations and items they are currently accepting. Please check their websites for updated information.
Helping Chicagoans via the Greater Chicago Food Depository-- Property destruction and looting have led to more small businesses needing to shut their doors, compounding the economic struggles many Chicago business owners and their employees already were facing due to COVID-19. The Greater Chicago Food Depository will be an even-more important resource for those struggling to have enough food. To learn more or to make a donation, click here.
SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS
National Domestic Violence Hotline -- While staying home and social distancing are best practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19, it may create unsafe situations for those in abusive relationships. Help is available if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence. You can visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline's page with specific tips on staying safe during COVID-19. You can also call the hotline 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 and talk to someone anonymously. Some steps to take include:
Help Local Families Struggling with Food Insecurity -- There are local families hit hard by the economic downturn who are struggling to have enough food. Local school district 21 - serving parts of Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Northbrook, and unincorporated Cook County - needs financial assistance with providing weekend family food boxes. If you would like to help feed local families, click here.
Helping Chicagoans via the Greater Chicago Food Depository-- Property destruction and looting have led to more small businesses needing to shut their doors, compounding the economic struggles many Chicago business owners and their employees already were facing due to COVID-19. The Greater Chicago Food Depository will be an even-more important resource for those struggling to have enough food. To learn more or to make a donation, click here.
SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS
- Creating a safety plan. This is a personalized, practical plan that includes ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave, or after you leave.
- Practice self-care. Take time for your health and wellness.
- Reach out for help. Even if you are isolated, try to maintain social connections online or over the phone if it is safe to do so, and try to stick to your daily routines as much as possible.
Shir Hadash Member Business Directory – Click here to reach the Shir Hadash Member Business Directory, and please patronize member businesses if you can. If you would like to add your business to the page, there is a link on the right side you can click, or click here. Note: You must be a synagogue member and must be logged into the member portal to submit your listing.
RESOURCES FOR TODAY
Articles to entertain, educate, and inspire smiles --
Essential Movies from Black Directors"Channel J" -- Virtual Programming for all interests from JCC Chicago
JUF Boredom Busters
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 2500 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! To double-dip, just pay for your purchases with a ShopWithScrip Amazon gift card! Happy Shopping!
Shop with Scrip! 50,000 organizations use ShopWithScrip gift cards to turn everyday shopping into earnings. Now, Shir Hadash 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. Click here for complete details!
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