If you need assistance, please email the office 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.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
COVID Policy Update!
Creative Worship and Ritual . - Friday: Shabbat Dinner Blessings via Zoom, Friday, May 28, 6:15 p.m.
- Next Week: Multigenerational Shabbat via Zoom AND IN PERSON! Friday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.
- "Green Thumb" Shabbat Morning via Zoom, Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m.
The Rabbi's Corner -- "Racism in the Torah?"
Religious School - Religious School on Summer Break!
- End of School Picnic Celebration, Friday, June 4, 5:00 p.m.
Adult Education- Today: Thursday Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan, May 27, 1:00 p.m.
- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes
--Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m.
-- No Hebrew Reading Class on May 30
Membership News and Events - Office Closed on Memorial Day
- Annual Meeting, June 6, 11:00 a.m.
- Buffalo Grove Pride Drive, June 6, 12:00 noon
- Max and Benny's Box Pickup, June 11, 1:00 p.m.
- Book Club Meeting on June 17, 7:30 p.m.
Ongoing Fundraisers - iGive, Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip
COVID POLICY UPDATE
The Board of Directors has updated our Covid Policy. Here’s what to expect: - Services and other events may be held in the building or outdoors starting on June 1. The first hybrid service (outdoors and Zoom) will be on June 4, with more in-person services to come. Services will continue to be on Zoom as well.
- The sanctuary will be limited to a maximum of 40 and everyone must be masked. Separation of groups will be required. Soft reciting of the prayers and singing is allowed. Onegs will not occur after services for the immediate future.
- Meetings and education can take place in the building if you have made arrangements in advance. However, our preference for the time being is that these meetings continue to be held on Zoom.
All of these policies will be reviewed and updated as conditions change. More detailed policies will be available soon on our website—thank you for your patience!
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Friday: Shabbat Dinner Blessings via Zoom, Friday, May 28, 6:15 p.m. Join us on Zoom as we light candles, bless our families, sanctify the wine, and bless the challah before Shabbat dinner. Rabbi Eitan will lead a 20-minute ceremony to welcome our Shabbat dinners at home.
Next Week: Multigenerational Shabbat In Person AND via Zoom, Friday, June 4, 7:00 p.m. Be part of our first hybrid service, to be held outside and also available on Zoom! This family-friendly service welcomes 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, engaging prayer, and a delightful story. Watch for more details to follow next week!
"Green Thumb" Shabbat Morning Service, Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. - Start with a short Shabbat morning service. Stay on Zoom and 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
May 28-29, 2021 / 18 Sivan 5781
Shabbat Beha’alotecha
Torah: Numbers 8:1 - 12:16 / Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7
“Racism in the Torah?”
Dear Friends,
Can we find instances of racism in the Torah? This week’s portion certainly offers one. Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses’s wife because she was a Kushite. Kush clearly refers to the strong and proud kingdoms in the region of Sudan and Ethiopia, whose people were dark-skinned. Was it possible that Moses married an African woman? Of course. There was a time long ago when Egypt was ruled by the kingdoms of Kush. Was it possible that Aaron and Miriam were upset that Moses married an African woman? Absolutely. While some biblical commentators suggest that Kushite might have meant ‘beautiful’ or ‘foreigner,’ I go with the Sudanese explanation.
For their misbehavior, Miriam was punished and afflicted with leprosy.
Some things don’t change. Prejudice and discrimination have been with us for a long time. Hopefully, with contemporary understanding, we can finally rid ourselves of the plague of racism.
Zay a mentsch – be a good person.
L’Shalom (In Peace),
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Read past editions of The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website .
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Religious School on Summer Break -- We wish all our students, teachers, and school families a wonderful vacation! If you have questions about plans for next year, please contact Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover.
End of School Celebration Picnic, Friday, June 4, 5:00 p.m. (rescheduled from May 23) -- School Families, come celebrate the end of the school year with your teachers and friends, in-person and off the screens! 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, a frisbee 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. Enjoy your dinner, and stay for the Multigenerational Shabbat Service at 7:00 (details above)!
ADULT EDUCATION
Today: Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan, Thursday, May 27, 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: Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on most Sundays -- note holiday updates below: - Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m: If you would like to participate, contact Fred Andes.
- No Class on May 30! Hebrew Reading, next session June 6, 11:00 a.m. For more information, contact Steve Lewin.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
Office Closed for Memorial Day -- Please note that the Shir Hadash office will be closed on Monday, May 31. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday weekend.
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. We will be electing new officers and at-large board members, approving the budget, voting on By-Laws changes, hearing a building opening update including school in the fall, and more. An email will be sent to you next week, prior to the meeting, with Zoom link information as well as information forms on all of the candidates.
If you have any questions, or require an absentee ballot, please contact the office at admin@shir-hadash.org. Please note that all absentee ballots must be received at the Shir Hadash office no later than Tuesday, June 1, 2021.
Buffalo Grove Pride Drive, Sunday June 6, Noon to 3:00 p.m. -- All the fun of a parade, within your own car. Shir Hadash is delighted to be a sponsor for this community event. Residential lawns will be decorated with pride decor, balloon art by Balloons by Tommy, music, rainbow treats and more! Wave to friendly folks outside their homes from 12-3pm or drive around any time to check out the decor! Route maps will be available by the end of May on the event website.
Max and Benny's Boxes are Back! Order by June 8, Pickup on June 11 -- Our Max and Benny's food box fundraiser returns in June! Click here for details about the delicious options available, including fresh bagels, lox platters, and kits for bagel baking and cookie decorating. Orders must be placed by 4:00 p.m. on June 8. Pickup will be at Shir Hadash on Friday, June 11 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Contact Vicky Brice with questions at (224) 423-4797.
Book Club, 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!
Spring in Bloom at Shir Hadash -- Our gardens and planters are looking especially colorful this month. We look forward to having everyone back at the building to enjoy them in person!
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 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. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment