Please note our building remains closed, and our staff will be out through January 3, returning on Monday January 4. Please contact President Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579 if you have a question or issue that cannot wait, or Rabbi Eitan on his cell at 847-525-7746 if you have an emergency. For more information about our COVID-19 response plan, click here .
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Tomorrow: Kabbalat Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday January 1, 7:30 p.m.
- Next Week: Multigenerational Service via Zoom, Friday January 8, 7:00 p.m.
- Upcoming: Shabbat Service with SHED Talk, Friday January 15, 7:30 p.m.
The Rabbi's Corner
Religious School
- Winter Break: No Religious School Youth Classes on January 3
Adult Education
- Winter Break Schedule for Sunday Morning Classes and Thursday Lunch & Learn ..
Membership News and Events
- Caution: Avoid Fraudulent Emails
- Mussar Study Group, January 14, 7:30 p.m.
- Save the Date:
- Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Sites of Jewish History: Alexandria, January 20, 7:30 p.m.
- Family Activities Committee Virtual Bingo Party, January 24, 1:00 p.m.
Social Justice- New Participants Invited for Multi-Session White Fragility Discussion
- Additional Anti-Racism Learning Opportunities
Social Action
- Host a "Dinner Party" - By Not Eating Out!
Ongoing Fundraisers
- iGive, Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Kabbalat Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday, January 1, 7:30 p.m. 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.
Next Week: Multigenerational Shabbat Service via Zoom, Friday, January 8, 7:00 p.m. -- A Family Friendly service for all school families, seniors, not-yet seniors, and anyone else who would like to come worship with us as a community. Enjoy a Shabbat service with fun music, delightful stories, and Shabbat joy.
Upcoming: Shabbat Evening Service with SHED Talk via Zoom, Friday, January 15, 7:30 p.m.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
Rabbi Eitan's blog will return next week. Read past editions of The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website .
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
No Religious School Youth Classes on January 3 -- Have a safe and happy Winter Break! We will be back in session on January 10. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover.
ADULT EDUCATION
Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs: Our adult education classes will meet on January 3. Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on Sunday mornings:
- 10:00 a.m. -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy via Zoom. Contact Fred Andes for details.
- 11:00 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading via WebEx. Contact Steve Lewin.
No Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan on December 31 -- There will be no Lunch and Learn session this afternoon. Join Rabbi Eitan next week, January 7 at 1:00 p.m. for an engaging examination of the week's Torah portion via Zoom.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
Caution: Avoid Fraudulent Emails -- Please ignore any emails coming from the email address "seniorpastor@ shir-hadash. org" and claiming to be from Rabbi Eitan. Some congregants have received emails like this, which are not coming from us. We are working on resolving the issue, but for now please ignore them and do not click or reply to them.
Mussar Study Group, January 14, 7:30 p.m. -- Mussar is a centuries-old Jewish body of teachings, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions any thinking person asks about life. Mussar provides guidance in identifying your uniquely personal path of spiritual growth and offers practices to help bring about that growth. To join our monthly discussion group, contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg.
Save the Date for Upcoming January Programs!
- Virtual Travels with David Liebling to Sites of Jewish History: Alexandria, January 20, 7:30 p.m.
- Family Activities Committee Virtual Bingo Party, January 24, 1:00 p.m.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
As MLK Day approaches, many are thinking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to racial justice. Here are program recommendations to further your understanding of racial injustice. Whether you are at the beginning of antiracist learning or already have learned a lot about it, everyone has more to learn. Below are three upcoming free virtual programs.
1. New Participants Invited for White Fragility Discussion Group, Sundays beginning January 17
- Four-session series for Shir Hadash and Or Shalom members,
- Sunday mornings, 10am-11:30am, on January 17, 24, and 31 and February 7
If you couldn't participate in our multi-session discussions of White Fragility in September, another group will have an opportunity to learn about white privilege in January 2021. This series will ask us to engage in personal reflection about our experiences with racism in the world and will challenge us to grow in new ways as we uncover the toll systemic racism takes on all our lives. The series is free for Shir Hadash and Or Shalom members, and all are invited to attend. This in-depth, four-part Zoom conversation about the book White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism will be facilitated by Or Shalom members. The book can be found at bookstores, your local library, as an ebook, as an audiobook, or you can purchase it from Semicolon , Chicago’s only Black woman-owned bookstore. The program is a continuation of Shir Hadash and Or Shalom's partnership as both congregations continue to learn about anti-racism. Register here . Please contact racial-justice@orshalomlc.com with any questions.
2. Jewish Racial Justice Literacy 101, January 13, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. Facilitators will lead an examination of microaggressions that take place every day in our Jewish institutions and hold space for Jews of Color, Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, and White/Ashkenazi Jews to engage in a dialogue about identity. This event will scratch the surface of a very deep issue, while encouraging people of all experience levels to think about how we join collectively in the movement for equity and inclusion. Register here . Hosted by Repair the World, Atlanta. Spots are limited, so sign up now.
3. Jewish Perspectives on Racial Justice, January 14, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Join in an evening of studying and exploring texts by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from a Jewish perspective. Hosted by Repair the World, Detroit. Sign up here .
SOCIAL ACTION
Host a Dinner Party – By Not Eating Out! With so many of our neighbors suffering from food insecurity, we at Shir Hadash can make a difference. Hosting a “dinner party" is one easy way to help. For many months now, the coronavirus has prevented most of us from going out to a restaurant for dinner. So what will you and your family “save” by not eating in a restaurant this weekend? $15, $25, $50, or more?
Why not take this “saving” and host a dinner party for those in need? Every dollar donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (which serves not only Chicago, but many surrounding communities) can provide three meals! Consider funding a dinner party for a family in need by by donating to such organizations as
The Greater Chicago Food Depository
The Wheeling Food Pantry
The Ark
Or your own local food pantry. As we head into 2021, helping to feed others is one way our Shir Hadash community can make a difference.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Gift Card Purchases Help Shir Hadash - SHOP Shir Hadash allows members to order physical and electronic gift cards from thousands of stores and Shir Hadash receives a portion of every purchase. Purchase can be for gifts or your personal use. Thousands of dollars can be generated for Shir Hadash at no cost to you. Click here for more information. Once registered, electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com. Contact Glenn Graff for more information.
When you’re shopping online, be sure to consider these donation programs that support Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you!
iGive -- There are 2500 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive. Click here to learn more or contact Sandi Schleicher..
Amazon Smile -- Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase to when you sign up at smile.amazon.com . Be sure to select "Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue-Congregation Shir Hadash" in Wheeling as your charity of choice.
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website .
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