What’s Happening at a Glance
Creative Worship & Ritual- Shabbat Evening Service, October 4, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah, October 5, 9:30am
- Simchat Torah Photos
- Prospective Member Open House, October 24
- Jewish Western Movie Night: “The Frisco Kid”, October 19
- Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s
- Committee for Prospective Member Open House
- Office Help Needed
- Landscape Fall Clean Up
- Prospective Member Outreach Callers
- Thank You!
- Preparations Underway for Lights and Miracles
The Rabbi’s Corner
- “Righteousness”
- BBYO, October 17
- Madrichim
- UGive: Teen Service Hours Credit
- Response: Parent and Family Connection
- Festival of Israeli Film, Oct 3 through 13
- “Old Jews Telling Jokes”
Creative Worship and Ritual
Shabbat Evening Service, October 4 – Featuring NEW Separate Children’s Program!This Friday night, our service (7:30 pm, at the synagogue, of course) will focus on the main theme of this week's Torah portion - LEADERSHIP. When Noah received the command to build an ark that would save life on earth, he answered the call and got to work. In many ways, Noah is the first leader of the Bible, showing responsibility and passion for his cause. In recognition of Noah’s leadership example, we will install our Board members who were recently elected. During the service, Lauren Shook will lead a special Shabbat children’s program for children in pre-school through 3rd grade. As a tribute to Noah’s 40-day journey in the ark, please bring oneg treats that have the colors of the rainbow. So if one person brings blue, and another brings red, and another yellow - that's what community is about, right?
Shabbat Morning Service, October 5
We gather at 9:30 this Saturday to celebrate Shabbat and wish mazel tov to our newest bar mitzvah. Everyone is welcome!
Simchat Torah Photos
We had a great turnout for our first Simchat Torah celebration in the synagogue last Sunday, with a pizza dinner followed by a festive service. It was a thrill to see the Torah unrolled in our home. Click here to see a Facebook album of photos from this memorable night!
Membership and Upcoming Events
Prospective Member Open House, October 24Invite your friends to learn about Shir Hadash at our first Open House. They will have the chance to socialize with members and find out what we’re all about. Join us on October 19 from 7:00 to 8:30 at the synagogue. Want to help plan this special event? Scroll down to “Volunteer Opportunities” to find out how!
Jewish Western Movie Night, October 19
Shir Hadash is hosting its first movie night on October 19. Beginning at 7:00pm, we will be showing “The Frisco Kid,” a Western comedy featuring Gene Wilder as Avram Belinski, a Polish rabbi who is traveling to San Francisco, and Harrison Ford as a bank robber who befriends him. Come join the fun with your friends in the Shir Hadash Community. After the movie there will be a discussion about the Jewish themes in the movie. Suggested ticket donations are $2 for children and $4 for adults. Popcorn will also be available for purchase. All profits benefit Shir Hadash.
Hungry Before or After Religious School (or Anytime)?
The Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove or Butterfield's Restaurant in Northbrook permanently will donate 5% of your total bill to Shir Hadash! No flyer needed – just mention Shir Hadash when you are paying or fill out the Shir Hadash book behind the desk. A great way to start or end Religious school!
Volunteer Opportunities
Help Plan Our Prospective Member Open HouseWe are looking for a few volunteers to plan and execute a Prospective Member Open House around the 3rd week of October. Volunteers will be given an address and phone list of prospective members and a Word document invitation to adapt. Event will be held at the synagogue so we can show off the building. Volunteers will invite prospective members by phone and mail, hang “coffee shop” flyers, put a notice on Patch.com (instructions provided), and bring refreshments and paper goods to the event.
If you would like to be involved in this very important project, please contact volunteer@shir-hadash.org and they will forward your information to the membership committee.
Office Help Needed
Lillian could still use help in the Shir Hadash office on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for the next few weeks. If you have time to answer the phones and cover administrative tasks, please contact volunteer@shir-hadash.org to fill some time slots.
Landscape Fall Clean-Up -- Save the Catalpa Tree!
At last week’s fall clean-up, the Landscaping Committee discovered a hidden gem on our synagogue’s property—a beautiful Catalpa Tree which is being choked out by the non-native invasive Buckthorn. Also known as the “Cigar Tree” for its elongated bean-pod fruit, this tree is a rare beauty that will unveil gorgeous trumpet shaped white flowers in the late spring.
The Committee has decided to host a clean-up day each and every Sunday morning from now until Old Man Winter descends upon us. We will be removing the Buckthorn and other stuff we don’t want, trimming plants going dormant for winter, weeding, etc.
Join us on Sunday, October 6 and each Sunday thereafter until ??? All dates from 9:45am-12:15noon. You may attend as many dates as like. We will meet at the Shir Hadash front door. Please bring any gardening equipment you may have such as shovels, spades, clippers, etc. Have a gas powered chain saw? We need that too and the chain saw operator to go with it. Dress to get dirty!
Important note for high school students—This event can be found on UGive.org and you can earn service hours by attending. Please sign-up!
For questions, or for more information, please contact Jodi Marvet at jlmarvet@comcast.net.
Help Build Our Outreach to Prospective Members
We’ve had a surge in interest in Shir Hadash in recent months – now we want to make personal contact with people who’ve shown interest! We still need volunteers to commit to calling 15 prospects each, to invite them to our upcoming events and answer any questions they may have about our community. A script will be provided to get the conversation started. Each caller will keep track of who they call, what response they received, and whether or not the individual would like further information. Assuming each call takes about 10 minutes, this is roughly a three-hour time commitment per volunteer. If you’re interested in participating, please contact volunteer@shir-hadash.org as soon as possible.
Notes from the Music Director
We are happy to welcome our new Music Director, Adrian Durlester!Many Thanks - תודה רבהI want to take this opportunity to say hello to all, and thank Shir Hadash for its warm welcome of me as your new Music Director. I am looking forward to being a part of the Shir Hadash family as it embarks on this exciting journey in its new home. Music comes from the heart of the soul, music is prayer, and music enables people to become their own prayer. It is also a vehicle for teaching and transmitting Jewish values, knowledge, and, ultimately, our sacred texts. I believe that together, informed by history and tradition, we will all be able to sing a new song, well-suited for a 21st-century Judaism.Light & Miracles (and more)
Be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming "Lights & Miracles" celebration service on Friday, November 22, 2013. Vocalists, instrumentalists, actors, comedians, dancers, jugglers, and artists of all kinds are invited to come and be a part of this very special evening. Our Kolit youth choir will also be starting up again soon and will participate at Lights & Miracles. We're always looking to welcome new members of Lahaka, the Shir Hadash adult choir. Come and sing with us! More information and details about all of this (and more) will be forthcoming, but if you're interested, be sure and let me know at music.director@shir-hadash.org.
The Rabbi’s Corner
October 4-5, 2013 / 1 Heshvan 5774Shabbat NoahTorah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah Isaiah 66:1-24"Righteousness"
Dear Friends,
Are we really good and righteous individuals? Certainly each one of us hopes to be thought of as a mentsch - as a good, kind, and thoughtful person. Such was the case with Noah. The Bible tells us that he was indeed a good person and that he was “righteous in his generation.” This phrase has puzzled commentators for centuries. On one hand, it could mean that Noah was a true pillar of righteousness for all time. On the other hand, the Torah could be telling us that compared to all the dreadful people in the world at that time, Noah was better than the rest. In other words, he was righteous, especially when you compared him to everyone else around him (whom God was ready to destroy because of their incredible wickedness). This is not most glowing of references....
To read the rest of the Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit our website.
Teen News
BBYO, October 17We are excited to announce our Shir Hadash BBYO chapter launch event: Thursday, October 17 from 7:00 to 8:30pm. All 8th-12th graders are invited to join us in the Teen Lounge for our very first chapter meeting. BBYO’s pluralistic movement of Jewish teens, alumni, parents, volunteers and philanthropists will serve as the Jewish community’s most valuable platform for delivering to the post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.
Click here to register with BBYO online; please select Shir Hadash as your chapter. See you on October 17!
Madrichim
Please remember to sign-in on the attendance sheet in the office. Save the date for our first madrichim meeting of the school year: October 20. See you at school this Sunday!
UGive
Teens can now get service hours credit when they volunteer for Shir Hadash through UGive.org. Many schools use UGive to track volunteer hours. Check with your school’s counselor to sign up and get credit while you help our community!
Community News
Response’s Parent and Family Connection SeriesParent and Family Connection is back! This JCFS-sponsored group offers friendship and support to LGBTQ teens and their families. New members and guests are always welcome.
On Sunday, October 6, Response will host a film screening of “Melting Away", the first Israeli film to portray a family coming to terms with their transgender teen. This event is free and will be followed by refreshments and a panel discussion. The screening will be held at Emanuel Congregation, 5959 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, from 1:00 to 3:00pm. For more information, contact Rachel Marro at RachelMarro@jcfs.org, 224 625 2945, or click here to visit the Response website.
Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland
Festival for Israeli CinemaThe Chicago Festival for Israeli Cinema will be held October 3 – 13. Fifteen films in a wide variety of genres will be shown at Northbrook Court and at venues in downtown Chicago. Visit the Festival’s website for more information or call 847-687-2126.
"Old Jews Telling Jokes" at the Royal George Theatre
This long-running Off-Broadway show will be playing at the Royal George Theatre from September 24 through January 26. Click here to visit the theatre’s website. We are organizing a group to see this show on November 18; if you would like to join us, please contact Meryl Abensohn atabenkras@aol.com ASAP.
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