Shir Hadash Weekly Newsletter -- May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

If you need assistance, please email the office at admin@shir-hadash.org or call 847-498-8218. You may additionally reach the Rabbi on his cell 847-525-7746 at any time, and our President, Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579.  For more information about our COVID-19 response plan, click here. WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE Creative Worship and Ritual . Friday:  Shabbat Service and SHED Talk via Zoom, Friday, May 14, 7:30 p.m. Shavuot Service and Study Evening via Zoom, Sunday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. Next Week: Shabbat Evening Service via Zoom, Friday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.  Save the Date!  "Green Thumb" Shabbat Morning Service via Zoom, Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. The Rabbi's Corner  Religious School Religious School, May 16 ​​​​​​​End of Year Picnic, May 23, 5:00 p.m. Adult Education Today: Thursday Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan, May 13, 1:00 p.m. Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes, May 16 --Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m. -- Hebrew Reading Class, 11:00 a.m. Membership News and Events Tonight: Calendar Planning Session, May 13, 7:30 p.m. Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, May 13, 7:30 p.m. Sunday: Kitchen Kids Cooking Demo: Shavuot Cheesecake, May 16, 1:00 p.m. Office Closed for Shavuot, May 17 Board Meeting May 18, 7:30 p.m. Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council Presents Virtual Tour of Israel, May 23, 5:00 p.m. Annual Meeting, June 6, 10:00 a.m. Book Club New Selection; Meeting on June 17, 7:30 p.m. New Mitzvah Committee - Volunteers Welcome Join the IT Committee Social Justice Wednesday: Beyond White Privilege: A Conversation with Nanette Massey, May 19, 7:00 p.m. Ongoing Fundraisers iGive,  Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip   CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL Friday: Shabbat Evening Service & SHED Talk via Zoom, Friday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.  SHED TALKS – Shir Hadash’s version of TED Talks: We begin with a brief Kabbalah Shabbat to welcome the Shabbat with song and story. Then, Shir Hadash members offer personal reflections on life, living, and Judaism. This month, Julie Gartner shares "From Cancer to Spiritual Awakening: What I Learned from Two Tragedies." Sunday: Shavuot Service and Study Evening via Zoom, Sunday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. --  Shavuot is the holiday on which we celebrate the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. Join us on Zoom for a Shavuot service and short study sessions on Jewish topics led by Shir Hadash members. Topics include: Counting the Omer: 49 Days of Spiritual Enlightenment – Suzie Sabransky Jewish Food History: "Kitchen Judaism," Modern Ideals, and the Jewish Kitchen in 1890s America – Scarlett Andes Book of Ruth – Rabbi Eitan Jewish Leadership in the 21st Century - Adam Gross Abraham Accords – Ed Rice What is Reconstructionism? - Fred Andes Next Week: Shabbat Evening Service via Zoom, Friday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.  Let’s celebrate Shabbat together with an online full Shabbat service via ZOOM. Rabbi Eitan will share the pages of the prayer book on screen and lead the service from his home with meditations, prayer, readings, story, and song. Save the Date! "Green Thumb" Shabbat Morning Service, Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. - After a short Shabbat morning service, Shir Hadash member Deb Harrison will lend her gardening expertise and lead us in making herb pots at home. Click here for more info and for the supply list. Now is the perfect time to pick up your herbs from your favorite garden center! THE RABBI’S CORNER   Read The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website .   RELIGIOUS SCHOOL  Religious School, Sunday May 16 -- We look forward to seeing all our students for a special Shavuot program.   End of Year Picnic, Sunday, May 23, 5:00 p.m. -- School Families, come celebrate the end of the school year with teachers and other families!  Bring your own picnic dinner and join us on the Green Space across the parking lot from Shir Hadash.  Feel free to bring a ball, sidewalk chalk, or just yourselves!  Families will be asked to keep socially distanced while eating and then everyone should plan on wearing a mask once finished.  We hope to see teachers, students, parents, siblings, grandparents.  Bring the whole family for a chance to be in-person and off the screens!  ADULT EDUCATION Today: Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan, Thursday, May 13, 1:00 p.m. -   Join the Rabbi and other members in an engaging examination of the week's Torah portion  Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs, May 16:  Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on Sundays:: Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m:   If you would like to participate, contactFred Andes.  Hebrew Reading, 11:00 a.m.   For more information, contact Steve Lewin.     MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS Tonight: Calendar Planning Session, Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m. --   Each year, members of the board, volunteers, and interested members gather for a brainstorming session to plan out our events and activities for the coming fiscal year that starts on July 1. Come share your ideas for events and activities you'd like to plan or participate in! Examples could include movie suggestions, classes, holiday celebrations, social opportunities, or creative ways to safely stay connected. ​​​​​​​ Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, Thursday May 13, 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. If you are interested in participating in our monthly Mussar discussion group, please contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg.  Kitchen Kids Cooking Demo: Shavuot Cheesecake, Sunday, May 16, 1:00 p.m -- Mark your calendar for a fun virtual cooking demonstration from the Family Activity Committee.  We will be making no-bake cheesecake with banana and strawberry decorations. Kids in kindergarten through 8th grade can join in to watch or to cook with us as we use hand mixers and knives to create our dairy (and Shavuot celebratory) cheesecake creations. Parental supervision is advised. Register here to receive the ingredient list, recipe, and Zoom link. In the Notes box, please include the names of the children you are registering for. Office Closed May 17 -- The Shir Hadash office will be closed Monday, May 17 in observance of Shavuot. Board Meeting, May 18 --  The Shir Hadash Board will have its monthly virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m.  If you would like to observe the meeting, contact Marc Fargotstein to be sent the Zoom link. Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council Presents Virtual Tour of Israel, May 23, 5:00 p.m. --  Join in an interfaith tour of Israel via Zoom, presented by the NWSIC, on Sunday, May 23. Click here for contact information.   Annual Meeting, Sunday June 6, 11:00 a.m. --  Mark your calendar for the Virtual Annual Meeting via Zoom at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 6. If you have any questions, or require an absentee ballot, please contact the office.. Book Club New Selection; Meeting on June 17, 7:30 p.m. -- On June 17, Book Club will meet to discuss our next selection: The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. This novel tells the story of an Israeli girl working in an ice cream shop, and reveals how one mistake can have a thousand consequences. Read more about the book here!  Our New Mitzvah Committee  -- The Committee has been reformed and is beginning to go to work.  Audrey Cantor is the Chair and Ila Rothschild is the Board Liaison.  Additional members are Mady Fern, Robyn Franklin and Chana Sulpar. We will start small and build as time and volunteer resources allow. Initially, the main focus will be on helping with shivas.  However, here's a more complete list of what we have envisioned.     1. Write get-well cards (anytime)  2. Do hospital visits (after pandemic)  3. Meal trains (different during pandemic and after)  4. Help with organizing shivas (different during pandemic and after)  5. Leading shivas (different during pandemic and after)  6. Tracking life-cycle events of members and contacting them (anytime)  7. Contact person for bar/bat mitzvah families (different during pandemic and after)   8. Developing a funeral plan for members, working with funeral services (anytime)    Do you have an interest in helping with any of these functions?  We can only effectively tackle the areas in which we have volunteers. Please email  call (847) 207-4384 if you would like to volunteer.     Volunteer Opportunity: Shir Hadash IT Committee -- We are in great need of a dedicated group of folks that are willing to assist with our IT needs. Areas that need attention: Internal: network management; workstations management; device software/firmware updates; support staff with computer, phone and copier assistance. External: Google administration - email accounts, group distribution lists; Google drives and Docs; Facebook accounts (public and members); YouTube account; Instagram account Do you have an interest in helping with any of these functions? We can only effectively tackle the areas in which we have volunteers.  Please contact Marc Fargotstein -  847-612-6579 or Stuart Aizenberg –847-840-7895 if you would like to volunteer. SOCIAL JUSTICE ​​​​​​​Wednesday! Beyond White Privilege: A Conversation with Nanette Massey, Wednesday, May 19, 7:00 p.m. -- Nanette D. Massey is a Black writer and workshop facilitator who lives in Buffalo, NY. She speaks with audiences about having honest, effective conversations about race. Ms. Massey will talk about white privilege on Wednesday, May 19, 7:00-8:30pm. Ms. Massey’s purpose is to help her white allies “figure out this whole race thing.” Prior to the presentation, it is encouraged but not necessary to read White Fragility by Robin diAngelo, especially the “White Women’s Tears” chapter, and to ponder the question, “Why is it inappropriate to wear a white dress to another woman’s wedding?”  Click here to register; the Zoom link will be emailed to you closer to the event.Thank you to Shir Hadash member Iris Iglarsh for inviting Shir Hadash to co-sponsor this presentation with her National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter. 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.  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.  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.