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 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.
Creative Worship and Ritual -- Services Online
- Multigenerational Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday June 5, 7:00 p.m.
“It's Not Fair"
Religious Education
- Adult Ed Programs Continue Online -- Open to All Members
- New Adult Ed Class: Modern Israel
- School Parent Committee ZOOM Meeting, June 7
- Today! Lunch & Learn with the Rabbi, Thursdays
- Worldwide Synagogue Sing, June 7
Membership News and Events
- Survey Report
- Save the Date! Upcoming Events
- Buffalo Grove Pride Parade, June 7
- Virtual Jewish Festival, June 7
- Celebrate Nancy Kekst, June 12
- Annual Meeting, June 14
- Book Club, June 18
- Havaya@Home, July 12-25
- Upload a Photo to the Member Directory
Social Action
- Helping Chicagoans via the Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Make Get Well Cards for Hospital Patients in Isolation
- Teen Tutors Needed for Virtual Sessions
- Donations Needed: Recreational Activities for Foster Children
- Support Local Food Pantries via Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
Support for Members
- Donations Support Members in Need
- SNAP Now Allows Online Food Shopping in Illinois
- Shir Hadash Member Business Directory
- Face Masks Available from Shir Hadash Office
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
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
The service can also be watched on Facebook on the Shir Hadash Public Facebook page. Please share the Facebook link with friends.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
June 5-6, 2020 / 14 Sivan 5780 / Shabbat Naso
Torah: Numbers 4:21 - 7:89 / Haftarah: Judges 13:2 – 25
Dear Friends,
Years ago, I saw piece on The Oprah Show called “Trading Schools.” In the episode, high school students from Chicago and Naperville visited each other’s schools. As the cameras rolled, it quickly became abundantly clear that the differences between the schools were glaring, stark, and outright shameful. Watching this is a good place to start to understand the rage in the streets of America amongst protesters of all colors, races, and creeds. Here’s the link.
The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others at the hands of police and vigilantes are abhorrent, tragic and inexcusable. Yet, the pain and rage run much, much deeper. America is a society riddled with prejudice, discrimination, and racism. It is in our history and our very DNA. Immigrant communities have experienced it to various degrees. We Jews have dealt with anti-Semitism over the centuries. However, the injustices committed against people of color through the ages are exceptionally egregious and cruel.
We Jews understand rebellion against persecution. The Exodus account is only the beginning. We have numerous stories of standing up to those who oppressed us. That is why our Jewish leaders marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Jewish and African-American communities have been close allies in the civil rights movement ever since. We Jews understand prejudice, we understand brutality, we understand unfairness, and we understand outrage. While I condemn violence and looting, I do support protest as a necessary means to heal the wrongs in our society. Simply put, discrimination is not fair and it’s not right.
I urge you all to hear the message of the peaceful protesters. Join with them if you can. The message is patriotic. The message is powerful. The message is important. The message is righteous. America is a land that recognizes in our founding documents a fundamental Jewish message, that all people are created equal and that all people have the right to equal opportunity and fair treatment under the law. It is time that America starts behaving that way.
May we all stand in unity with our African American brothers and sisters in a shared sense of anguish, pain, and indignation. May we work together towards banishing bigotry, discrimination, and prejudice from our land. May we soon see the day when all Americans will live in fairness, dignity, and opportunity. May we know the time when the words of the prophet Amos will ring true: “Let justice well up like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
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.
- Sundays, 11:15 am to 12:25 pm
- Instructor: Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and guests
School Parent Committee ZOOM Meeting, Sunday June 7, 11:30 a.m.
Today! Rabbi's Lunch and Learn via ZOOM, June 4 -- Anyone can participate! Join Rabbi Eitan and Shir Hadash members for an engaging discussion of this week's Torah portion. All are welcome to participate.
Worldwide Synagogue Sing, Sunday mornings -- Kudos to our Education Director Rachel Goldberg for creating and streaming the Worldwide Synagogue Sing. If you are a Jewish Sunday School Student, Parent, or Educator and 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 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.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
1. 80% of our respondents have participated in virtual services, classes or programs. 20% have not.
2. 97% of our respondents are comfortable using Zoom and/or FB-- four people asked for help with the virtual platforms.
3. 37 people said they could make congregant phone calls, and 24 people said they could help with grocery shopping and or delivery. What an awesome response! We will be in touch with those who offered to help.
4. 97% of our congregants did not need a mask. Two congregants were sent masks.
We also received a number of positive and appreciative comments regarding our virtual services, outreach, and the hard work of our staff and leadership. Thank you! We are so fortunate to be a vibrant, connected and hopeful synagogue--even though for the next few weeks, we will be connected virtually!
Save These Dates for Shir Hadash Programs
- Sunday! Buffalo Grove Pride Drive-By Parade, June 7, 12:00 to 3:00 pm
- Sunday! Virtual Jewish Festival with David Broza June 7, 4:00 pm
- A Celebration of Nancy Kekst, June 12, 7:30 pm
- Shir Hadash Annual Meeting June 14, 10:45 am
- Meryl's Book Club "Henna House" June 18, 7:30 pm
Virtual Jewish Festival with David Broza, Sunday, June 7, 4:00 p.m. - This year the Jewish Festival will share 40 Years of the Festival Fun. A virtual Greater Chicago Jewish Festival with great performances from the past Festivals! AND new performances from David Broza and other acts that were planned for this year. Go to JewishFestival.org on June 7 at 4:00 and click on the Virtual Festival button.
A Celebration of Nancy Kekst, June 12 -- Be sure to join us for Shabbat services next week on Friday as we honor our amazing executive director Nancy Kleine Kekst as her retirement approaches. During our virtual Shabbat service on Friday, June 12 at 7:30pm, we will celebrate Nancy's time at Shir Hadash and wish her well in retirement.
Annual Meeting, June 14 -- On Sunday, June 14, 2020 Shir Hadash will hold its annual meeting in a new format- VIRTUALLY! The ZOOM meeting will open at 10:45 am with a fun slide show, and the business meeting will be held from 11:00 - 12:15 am. This meeting is for members only.
In addition, we will be conducting virtual voting. Details and links for this process will be available soon. All of the meeting and voting information will also be sent to you electronically. Your ballot will be anonymous and available for a specific period of time. At the meeting, you will be asked to vote for candidates for open positions on the Board of Directors. You will have opportunities to hear from the candidates and ask them questions. Information about the candidates will be emailed to you in advance. In addition to leadership reports, we will also vote on the proposed operating budget for 2020-21.
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."
Havaya@Home, July 12-25 – Looking for
some great programming to share with your kids this summer? The directors of Havaya Summer Programs will
offer “Havaya@Home” in July – online programming to enable children to be "safe
at home, hearts at camp." Havaya@Home
will offer approximately five programs daily, geared to appeal to a wide
variety of kids. There will be opportunities to be physically active, explore
the natural world, be creative, experience Jewish values, play games, celebrate
Shabbat, share talents, and more. While most sessions will be one-time
opportunities; kids can choose to participate in as many (or as few) as they'd
like. There will also be week-long arts studios for which interested young
artists can register in advance.
Havaya@Home programs are primarily intended for entering third through ninth graders with some additional opportunities for younger kids and older teens. All are free and open to Havaya campers, members of Reconstructionist congregations, and those in the wider community who share our values and want to have fun. More details, including schedules and sign-on information, will be available in late June.
Upload a family picture to our Member Directory -- You can edit your listing in the Member Directory by adding a photo. You can upload the photo yourself or send it to admin@shir-hadash.org. We want to see your smiling face!
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.
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.
Make Get-Well Cards for Hospitalized Patients in Isolation -- Cheer up hospital patients who are in isolation. You can email or drop off a get-well card, and it will be laminated and delivered to a hospital. Draw/color a card no larger than 8.5x11 inches. Drop it off at PostNet, 825 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, or take a picture/scan your card and send it to Graphics.IL106@PostNet.com and PostNet will print and laminate the card for you.
Teen Tutors Needed for Virtual Sessions -- It's Not Too Late! Connect Chicago is a teen-led organization that is now providing virtual tutoring for Chicago Public Schools students. CPS's school year runs until June 18, so there is still a need for tutors for the next few weeks. If you are a high school or college student who might be interested in volunteering, 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.
Make Get-Well Cards for Hospitalized Patients in Isolation -- Cheer up hospital patients who are in isolation. You can email or drop off a get-well card, and it will be laminated and delivered to a hospital. Draw/color a card no larger than 8.5x11 inches. Drop it off at PostNet, 825 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, or take a picture/scan your card and send it to Graphics.IL106@PostNet.com and PostNet will print and laminate the card for you.
Teen Tutors Needed for Virtual Sessions -- It's Not Too Late! Connect Chicago is a teen-led organization that is now providing virtual tutoring for Chicago Public Schools students. CPS's school year runs until June 18, so there is still a need for tutors for the next few weeks. If you are a high school or college student who might be interested in volunteering, click here.
Recreational Activities Needed for Foster Children --Jewish Child and Family Services has requested recreational items to keep foster children engaged and enriched: glue/glue sticks, glitter, markers, scissors, white paper, crayons, adult coloring books, and kids activity books. JCFS also is accepting NEW toys, clothing and household items, especially:
Support Northwest Suburban Food Pantries -- a message from Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council: Our food pantries desperately need your help! Due to the continued issues with the coronavirus, many more of our neighbors are in need of food and everyday supplies. Please help us support our local food pantries either through monetary donations or purchasing of needed supplies. Download all the details here!- Art supplies (Play Doh, water color paint and paper, construction paper, and markers)
- Dolls with a variety of ethnicities
- Science themed/educational games
JCFS is unable to accept donations of furniture, computers, used clothing and used toys. All JCFS buildings are closed, so please contact Haley Zimmerman at (773) 467-3746 to make drop-off arrangements.
For more information on any of our programs, please contact us by e-mail or telephone: nwsinterfaith@gmail.com, 224-699-0386 or visit our website. Donations may be made directly to: Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council. PO Box 5301. Buffalo Grove, IL 60089.
Please note that The ARK is not currently accepting food pantry donations.
Map of food pantries in Lake County.
Coronavirus Community Resources from JUF of Chicago - A good place to get help or give help, connect with others, or bust your boredom.
SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS
Donations for Congregants in Need: Shir Hadash has been receiving some anonymous contributions to help congregants who may be in need of food or meal delivery. Should you want to make a donation, email Nancy Kekst. If you are in need of food/services, email Rabbi Eitan.Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Permits Online Food Shopping in Illinois -- Starting June 2, SNAP will allow online food shopping in Illinois! This change was made due to COVID-19, but the option will be permanent. Want to find out if you qualify for SNAP benefits or wish to learn more about the program? Check out the USDA's website.
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 --
- Time-saving social media tips for business owners - GoDaddy Blog
- Ultimate Instagram guide for your small business - GoDaddy Blog
- Chicago theater performances available to stream at home - ChicagoPlays.com
- Podcasts that became must-watch TV shows - Better.net
- The 19 funniest parents on social media
- If you’re planning a summer vacation, make sure you do so safely and affordably with these tips from epidemiologists.
- According to “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban, here’s what you can do as a consumer to help save your favorite businesses.
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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