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 call the office at 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 .. - Friday: Hybrid Shabbat Service (In-person and Zoom), October 15, 7:30 p.m
- Next Week: Zoom Dinner Blessings: "Golden Oldies Series" October 22, 6:15 p.m.
- Red Alert: Save our Zoom Services
The Rabbi's Corner -- "Choose Your Path"
Membership News and Events- New: Reconstructing Judaism 2022 Convention - Register by October 31
- Social Justice Committee Forming
- Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, Thursday, October 14, 7:30 p.m.
- Video Game Club, Sunday, October 17, 1:00 p.m.
- New: JCC Fall Fest, Sunday October 17, 2:00 p.m -4:00 p.m.
- Donate by October 21; In-Person October 24: Help Individuals Experiencing Domestic Violence
- Book Club Meeting Thursday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.
- Bird Watching at The Grove, Saturday, October 23, 8:30 a.m
- Soap Sack Introductory Meeting, Wednesday, October 27, 7:30 p.m.
- Soup Kitchen Fundraiser
- New: Krafts and Kibitzing, November 3, 7:30 p.m.
Religious School
- Sunday School in Session, October 17, 9:45 a.m.
Adult Education - Thursday Zoom Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan, October 14, 1:00 p.m
- Sunday Morning Virtual Adult Ed Classes, October 17
- Hebrew Reading -- No class this week
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m.
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Restaurants Support Shir Hadash
- ShopWithScrip, iGive, and Amazon Smile
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Friday: Hybrid Shabbat Service (In-Person and Zoom) October 15, 7:30 p.m. -- “Exploring the Amidah Prayer” - Join Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow on an exploration of the Amidah prayer, its structure, and history. We will sample some innovative interpretations of the ancient prayer and uncover ways to embrace it as a spiritual guide in contemporary times.
For those joining in-person, registration is required. Click here to register before Friday at 3pm. Remember, attendance is currently limited to 40 people, and the page will automatically stop accepting registrations once the 40 seats have been reserved. If you register and later need to cancel, please contact the office at (847) 498-8218 so we can allow others to sign up.
Next Week: Zoom Dinner Blessings: "Golden Oldies Series" Friday, October 22, 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. Golden Oldies? Yes, Rabbi Eitan begins by surprising us with a few great 78 rpm records played on his Sonora gramophone.
Red Alert: Save Our Zoom Services -- It’s quite unfortunate that we continue to have a problem signing up people to be Zoom Hosts for services. We always seem to be scrambling. Sometimes it’s even the day of the service. Currently, we need hosts for October 29, for all four services in November, and for everything beyond that.
Many of these are Zoom-only services. Most anyone that is familiar with Zoom can be the host from home. We can provide training and instructions.
Twice a month we have hybrid services (in person and on Zoom). We have found a way to significantly simplify how that is done. Anyone that has the technical know-how to host from home could come in and host from the synagogue. Again, we can provide training and instructions.
If we continue to have to scramble to find hosts, we will reluctantly reach the point at which we decide that there will be no Zoom.
Contact Jerry Weiss or Stuart Aizenberg to volunteer or if you have any questions.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
October 15-16, 2021/ 10 Heshvan 5782
Shabbat Lech Lecha
Torah Portion: Genesis 12:1-17:27 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 40:27-41:16
“Choose Your Path”
Dear Friends,
How do we change the course of human history? Quite simply – make a decision. In this week’s Torah portion Abraham made such a decision and thereby created the Hebrew tribe, which would become the Israelite people, the Children of Israel, and ultimately – Jewish Civilization. While we seldom know what our decisions will become in the long run, we do know that with good thought, high integrity, and deep sincerity, the path ahead will often be a good one.
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan taught, “Our lives are what we make them. Man can make something of himself. The making of man is the meaning of history.” Following Abraham’s example, our tradition urges us to find meaning in all that we do and make life decisions that will bring blessing to ourselves, our families, our community, and our people. Choose your path and choose well.
Zay a mentsch – Be a Good Person.
Click here to read The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
New: Reconstructing Judaism Convention 2022 - Discount Registrations Available Until October 31 -- Next year's Reconstructing Judaism Convention is scheduled for March 23-27 in Washington D.C. The last convention was held in 2018 in Philadelphia and was attended by Stuart Aizenberg, Scarlett Andes, Marc Fargotstein, Executive Director Nancy Kekst, and Rabbi Eitan Weiner Kaplow. It was enlightening, educational, eye-opening, and inspirational. We hope to get a larger contingent of Shir Hadash members to next year’s convention. You can see information about it here.
There is an Early Bird Discount Deadline of October 31. See pricing options here. There are prices for the full convention, partial attendance and online only.
Beyond the Early Bird Discount, Shir Hadash earned an additional $200 off for up to five registrants by being one of the first congregations to submit a video. (President Stuart Aizenberg is using one of the discounts to attend, so four discounts remain available as of now.) You must register by October 31 to use this additional discount. Contact Stuart if you are ready to register and would like the $200 off discount code.
Social Justice Committee Formation -- We'd like to separate social justice from our very active Social Action Committee. So, we are looking for folks that would like to participate in a discussion about the formation of a Social Justice Committee. There could be one program a year or many more. That will be up to the committee. Please contact Stuart Aizenberg if you are interested.
Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, Thursday, October 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. For those who are new to Mussar, contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg to learn more about this spiritual practice and our Shir Hadash group.
Sunday: Video Game Club via Zoom, Sunday, October 17, 1:00 p.m. - The Family Activity Committee is excited to invite our families to play Jackbox games with us. Jackbox is a series of party games and all you need is a computer or mobile device to play. All ages/ families are invited to play with us via Zoom. RSVP here; We will be sending out Zoom links upon registration. We will also be deciding on games for future meetings. For additional questions, please contact Elliott Simon.
New: JCC Fall Fest, Sunday, October 17, 2:00-4:00 p.m. -- Enjoy fun fall activities at the Lake County JCC Fall Fest, 23280 N. Old McHenry Road, Lake Zurich. The afternoon includes arts and crafts, games, climbing wall, gaga, and more. Free and open to all.
Donate by October 21; In Person Event October 24 -- Help Those Experiencing Domestic Violence: In-Person and At-Home Options -- Luggage for Freedom returns with in-person and at-home ways to help people experiencing domestic violence. Toiletries, gallon-size ziplock bags, new sheets, new towels, and new blankets can be donated at various dropoff locations. From home, you can make dignity bags and/or no-sew blankets. Items can be dropped off at Shir Hadash or in Northbrook, Deerfield, or Highland Park by October 21. Additional details can be found here.
In person, come to the West Ridge Center in Highland Park to sort items and to pack suitcases and backpacks that will be delivered to domestic violence shelters. Shifts are on Sunday, October 24, either 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. or 12:30-1:30 p.m.. Volunteers to deliver the suitcases and backpacks to domestic violence shelters also are needed; loading cars will begin at 1:45 p.m.. Due to COVID, you must register in advance for a shift; no walk-ins will be taken. Also, in-person volunteers must be vaccinated. Click here to register and for additional details.
Book Club Meeting via Zoom, Thursday, October 21, 7:30 p.m. -- For our October discussion, the Book Club is reading The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning.
Bird Watching at The Grove, Saturday, October 23, 8:30 a.m. -- Join us on October 23 at The Grove Nature Center, 1421 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, to view our feathered friends on their annual migration! Ed and Rebecca Rice will share their birding knowledge with us as we enjoy the quiet morning hour (which is when the birds are most active). Please contact Kayla Shonberg to let us know if you plan to come, or with any questions.
Soap Sack Introductory Meeting via Zoom, October 27, 7:30 p.m. -- Calling all Knitters and Crocheters! Come learn about making soap sacks to donate (with a bar of soap in each one) to homeless shelters, food pantries, veteran clinics, relief efforts and social service agencies. For more information and patterns, visit SoapSacks.com. Let's talk about how we can get Shir Hadash members and friends involved in this worthwhile project at a Zoom introductory meeting. (Watch for Zoom link in upcoming newsletters.) Any questions, please reach out to Wendy Kopulsky.
Soup Kitchen Fundraiser -- Shir Hadash will sponsor 70 meals at an upcoming contactless soup kitchen on November 7 in Evanston. Patrons will receive a delicious, catered, individually boxed meal valued at $5.00 each, complete with entree, drink, vegetable, sides, fruit, and dessert. While we can't volunteer in person due to Covid, please consider making a donation so Shir Hadash can provide these meals. Click here and then select Social Action under Type, and write Soup Kitchen in Payment Notes. Thank you for helping those in need.
New: Monthly Krafts & Kibitzing, November 3, 7:30 7:30 pm - Crafters of all ages and abilities are invited to bring in their current crochet, knit, or other handicraft/art projects via Zoom. We will share ideas, learn tips and tricks, and shoot the breeze. Break-out rooms are available for our 17 years and younger set. Registration is required. For questions, please contact Elliott Simon.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Sunday School in Session, October 17, 9:45 a.m. -- We look forward to seeing all our students at 9:45 a.m.
ADULT EDUCATION
Today: Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom, October 14, 1:00 p.m. -- 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: Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on most Sundays: - Hebrew Reading will not meet this week. Class will resume October 23, 10:00 a.m. For more information, contact Steve Lewin.
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, October 17, 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 Road, Buffalo Grove (former Flappy's location)
- Butterfield's, 4195 Dundee Road, Northbrook
- The Continental Restaurant, 788 S. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove ((If you experience an issue when you request your purchase be recorded for Shir Hadash, please ask for Patty or Stephanie, or keep your receipt and call our office. They are adjusting to their new program and have asked for our patience.)
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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