Our current policies regarding our Bridge Phase practices, Building and Site Occupancy Limits, and Wellness Criteria can be found on the Shir Hadash website. Masks are to be worn at all services, meetings and programs. 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 Stuart Aizenberg at 847-840-7895.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual .
- High Holidays Info & Registration
- Friday: Multigenerational Shabbat with Blessing of the Animals, Friday August 6, 7:00 p.m.
- Next Week: Kabbalat Zoom Shabbat: "Recon 101: History, Philosophy, and Doing Jewish" Friday August 13, 7:30 p.m.
- Upcoming, Registration Required: Hybrid Shabbat Service, "Recon 201", Friday August 20, 7:30 p.m.
- Please Help! Zoom Hosts Needed for Upcoming Services
The Rabbi's Corner -- "Open Your Hand to the Hungry"
Membership News and Events
- Membership Renewal Now Open!
- Starts Friday: School Supplies Donation Drive, August 6-20
- Max and Benny's Food Kits: Order by August 10, Pickup on August 13
- Book Club Next Selection; Meeting August 19
Religious School
- School Town Hall Zoom Meeting, August 23
Adult Education
- Today! Zoom Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan, August 5, 1:00 p.m.
- Sunday Morning Virtual Adult Ed Classes, August 8
- -- Hebrew Reading, 9:30 a.m.
- -- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m.
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Restaurants Support Shir Hadash
- ShopWithScrip, iGive, and Amazon Smile
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
High Holidays Coming - Please Register! The High Holidays are very soon - Selichot is on Saturday, August 28, and Rosh Hashanah starts on the evening of Labor Day, Monday, September 6! We will be both in-person and on Zoom this year. Adult services will be at Atlantis Banquet Halls in Arlington Heights (except for Rosh Hashanah Day 2 and Yom Kippur afternoon/concluding services, which will be at the synagogue). The children's programs will be held at the synagogue. Appropriate COVID precautions will be taken. By now, you should have received an e-mail with registration information. Please DO register! Click for complete Holiday information. If you have questions, feel free to contact the Shir Hadash office or Fred Andes, CW&R chair.
Friday: Multigenerational Shabbat with Blessing of the Animals, Friday, August 6, 7:00 p.m. (Hybrid) -- We're celebrating our love and care of our pets! The service will include a ceremony to welcome our beloved animal pets into our Shir Hadash community and offer them special blessings. So bring them along, or have them with you on Zoom! Also, Education Director Rachel Goldberg will be with us as she makes a short visit to the US before returning to the second year of her program in Israel. Remember to bring your own lawn chairs. Join us in the Green Space at Shir Hadash or join us on Zoom.
Next Week: Kabbalat Shabbat Zoom Service, Friday August 13, 7:30 p.m. Special Topic: "Recon 101: History, Philosophy, and Doing Jewish" Rabbi Eitan will lead the service from his home with meditations, prayer, readings, story, and song. Rabbi Eitan will teach how Reconstructionist Judaism is all about creating a Contemporary style of Judaism that is Sensible, Meaningful, and Enriching - a modern Judaism that continues to evolve with the times and keeps in step with the reality of our lives. Tell your friends about this exciting Shabbat experience.
Upcoming; Registration Required: Hybrid Shabbat Service - In Person and on Zoom
Friday, August 20, 7:30 p.m. Special Topic: "Recon 201: Seeking God - Jewish Spirituality for the 21st Century" Throughout the course of our worship, Rabbi Eitan will offer explanations on what Reconstructionism teaches about the meaning of prayer and what we mean when we pray to God. For those joining in-person, register here before Friday, August 20 at 3:00 p.m. Attendance is currently limited to 40 people.
Zoom Hosts Needed: We have an urgent need for volunteers to act as Zoom hosts for upcoming services. We can only continue to provide Zoom access to services if volunteers step up to host! Training on how to host can be provided. If you can help, please contact Fred Andes or Jerry Weiss.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
August 14-15, 2020 / 15 Av 5780
Shabbat Re’eh - Mevarechim
Torah: Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18 - 20:42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
“Open Your Hand to the Hungry”
Dear Friends,
What is our obligation to those who are hungry? There is food everywhere, from retail supermarkets to discount food stores and food pantries. Food is now sold in pharmacies, big box department stores, hardware stores, and even home centers. With all this abundance in our midst, no one could possibly go hungry in America. This week’s Torah portion makes the same claim. Moses describes a rich and lush land of Israel, where there will be no poor because the land is good and will provide for everybody’s needs.
Nevertheless, in biblical times and nowadays, we know that many were and are impoverished and without means to provide for themselves and their families. Rabbi Gunther Plaut commented on this verse, suggesting that the real intention was to say that with all the abundance around, there should be no reason for anyone to be needy. The food is present and the resources exist. Therefore, it is up to us to finish the job and make sure that everyone has what they need. We must partner with God and open our hands, our hearts, and our minds to the hungry and the poor. The solution is in our hands.
Zay a Mentsch – Be a Good Person.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
You can read past editions of The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
Membership Renewal Now Open -- Membership for our 2021-2022 year is now available. Click Here for the Membership Renewal Forms. We'd love to have all of you renew and to do so promptly. Plus, we'd love to have new members join us. If you run into any problems or have questions renewing online, please contact Karen Burnham at in the office. Also contact Karen for a paper form if you prefer that to signing up online.
High Holidays are very early this year. Erev Rosh Hashanah is Monday, September 6. Remember, your High Holiday "tickets" are included with membership. So, do not delay renewing or joining.
Starts Friday: School Supply Donation Drive, August 6-20 -- Many students in Wheeling public schools need help acquiring pencils, washable markers, crayons, colored pencils, highlighters, index cards, and wide-rule spiral notebooks. We will collect the supplies August 6-20 when you are at the building for services, Max & Benny's pickup, or for any other reason. There will be a rack in the vestibule to leave your donations. If you have questions, email our Social Action Chair, Lisa Burton Radzely.
Max and Benny's Food Kits: Order by August 10, Pickup August 13 -- Support Shir Hadash with delicious packages from Max and Benny’s! Click here to order. Orders must be placed by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, August 10 and picked up at Shir Hadash on Friday, August 13 between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.(This is also a great chance to drop off donations for our School Supply Drive - see above.) Limited delivery is available. Contact Vicky Brice with questions - (224) 423-4797.
Book Club Next Selection; Virtual Meeting on August 19 -- For its next meeting, the Shir Hadash Book Club is reading Waking Lions, a novel by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. The story of the lengths a man will to go save his family and his reputation after one night's deadly mistake, Waking Lions is described as "a gripping, suspenseful, and morally devastating drama of guilt and survival, shame and desire." The discussion will be held Thursday, August 19 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom; links for the meeting will be published in upcoming newsletters.
High Holiday Food Box Packing and Delivery -- For the last 17 years, Shir Hadash has been helping Maot Chitim pack and deliver High Holiday food boxes for those less fortunate in our community. This is a great volunteer opportunity for adults and kids 12 and over. As of now, a live volunteer event is being planned. There are two opportunities for you to volunteer:
- Box Packing on Sunday, August 22, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. at Maot Chitim's warehouse in Lincolnwood.
- Delivery on Sunday, August 29, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m., at several locations around Wheeling area.
If you would like to volunteer, please email Social Action team member Mark Lenhart at mclenhart@gmail.com for detailed information.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Virtual School Town Hall, August 23, 7:30 p.m. -- Join us for a special Virtual Town Hall program to learn about what plans are being put in place to ensure a safe and joyous return to in-person learning for the upcoming 2021-2022 Religious School. We will set forth the protocols in place and answer any questions or concerns about a return to in-person learning. Watch for Zoom links in upcoming newsletters.
ADULT EDUCATION
Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom, August 5, 1:00 p.m. -- Lunch & Learn is back! Join Rabbi Eitan and Shir Hadash members and friends for a refreshing, contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion.
Virtual Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs, August 8: Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on most Sundays:
- Hebrew Reading, 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Steve Lewin.
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m: If you would like to participate, contact Fred Andes.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Restaurants Supporting Shir Hadash -- These restaurants donate a percentage of your bill when you mention Shir Hadash. Please support these generous community businesses:
- Axel's Bistro Cafe, 131 W Dundee Rd, Buffalo Grove (former Flappy's location)
- Butterfield's, 4195 Dundee Road, Northbrook
- The Continental Restaurant, 788 S. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove
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, at no cost to you. Electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com. Click here 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 and 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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