Shir Hadash Newsletter, August 29, 2013

What's Happening at a Glance

Membership News and Upcoming Events

• Urgent: Book of Life Submissions Due Tuesday, September 3
• Update Your Online Membership Info
• Last Call: Kosher Honey for the Holidays
• Parent/Kid Fantasy Football League, Draft on September 1
• Book Club, September 25
• Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s

Volunteer Opportunities

• Office Help Needed
• Lend a Hand for the High Holidays
• Pick Your Week to Host an Oneg
• Join the ADA Benefit Committee

Creative Worship & Ritual

• August 31: Selichot Service
• High Holidays Schedule
• Upcoming: Sukkot and Simchat Torah 

The Rabbi's Corner

• "Let Freedom Ring"

School News

• School Starts September 22, Register Now!

Community News

• Step Up Walk to Stop Diabetes, September 28
• Final Week: “The Pianist of Willesden Lane”

Membership and Upcoming Events

Book of Life Program
Please note submission deadline – Next Tuesday
We would like to invite our members to participate in this year’s Book of Life program as we celebrate the High Holy Days for 2013. This program is a meaningful and beautiful way to remember our loved ones. 
The Book of Life will ensure that on the holiest of days, Yom Kippur, we remember and inscribe the names of those who have passed on. This Book of Life will replace the traditional reading of names at the Yizkor service.  Names of loved ones who have passed away during the last year and are identified by an asterisk will continue to be read at the service.
To submit names for the Book of Life, please click here to access our online order form. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Book of Life".)

• One to five names: $36
• Six to ten names: $54
• Over ten names: please contact the Mitzvah Committee, mitzvah@shir-hadash.org

Your online form and payment (or check) must arrive at the Shir Hadash office by Next Tuesday (Sept 3, 2013). Late orders cannot be accommodated due to time constraints for printing. For more information, please contact the Mitzvah Committee.

Update Your Membership Info Today!
Now is the time to renew your membership for the coming year. Please remember, only members who have submitted all their renewal forms will be admitted to High Holiday services, which start on September 4. That's one week from today! Additionally, families with bar/bat mitzvahs coming up must be members in good standing in order to have access to the synagogue’s resources (use of the ark, books, torah, rabbi, and of course the new building).
Click here to view the online membership area of our website. If you haven’t received the online link for membership renewal or have any questions, please contact the tech team at info@shir-hadash.org.

Last Call: Kosher Honey for the High Holidays
It’s time to start a sweet new year! Shir Hadash has obtained delicious kosher honey, just in time for Rosh Hashanah.  Our last shipment has arrived and we have half a case of honey left available for sale.  If you are interested in purchasing some jars, please contact Glenn Graff at 847-420-2505.  Honey is available for pick-up at the Synagogue during office hours or at Rosh Hashanah morning services on September 5th.   Profits from the honey sale benefit Shir Hadash.  

Parent/Kid Fantasy Football League -- Draft on Sept. 1
Looking for a chance to share your vast storehouse of knowledge about fantasy football with your kids? This fall, for the first time ever, Shir Hadash is facilitating a no-betting, fantasy football league for school-aged kids (K-7) and their parents. This is a great opportunity for you to spend more time with your child and to get to know other Shir Hadash families. The league is open to boys and girls and moms and dads.
The Shir Hadash fantasy football draft will be held this Sunday, September 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the synagogue. The league will be run online. Depending on interest, there could be up to 12 teams in the league. For more information or to RSVP for the draft, contact Commissioners Steve Mesirow at slmesirow@comcast.net or Rich Siegel at rschicksiegel@comcast.net. 

Book Club, September 25
The next book for after the High Holidays will be My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner: A Family Memoir  by Meir Shalev. This is the story of a second generation Israeli family and their grandmother battling her biggest problem with Israel—the dirt. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 pm at the home of Mickey Herbin, 4050 Dundee Rd. # 103 in Northbrook. For further info contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.

Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield's
Visit The Continental Restaurant or Butterfield’s anytime, and they will donate 5% of your total bill to Shir Hadash! No flyer needed – just mention Shir Hadash when you are paying.  Stop by for a great meal and thank them for supporting our community!

• The Continental Restaurant, 788 S. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove – 847 459 4095
• Butterfield’s, 4195 Dundee, Northbrook – 847 205 2588

Volunteer Opportunities

Office Help Needed
Can you pitch in to help get our new office running? Lillian needs assistants to answer the phones and cover other administrative tasks between now and September 30. The busiest times are from 9am-noon, but she could use help anytime between 9am and 4pm.  If you’re able to volunteer a day or two, or more, it would be most appreciated. Contact volunteer@shir-hadash.org to let us know what dates and hours you are available, and how often you’d like to be scheduled. 

Lend a Hand at the High Holidays
Our main services for Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur will be held again this year at Our Lady of the Brook, 3700 Dundee Road in Northbrook (see below for detailed schedule). We can use lots of help each day to set up and take down our equipment. Any time you can commit is much appreciated! Please contact Fred Andes at fandes@btlaw.com or 773 354 3100.

Pick Your Week to Host an Oneg
This year we are asking each of our families to be Oneg & Service Host for just one service a year.  This does NOT mean providing all the refreshments for the oneg --  just setting up, cleaning up, and greeting our guests.  Multiple families can/should host the same week. While you’re exploring the new Membership Management System, you will find more information and a form to choose a date and sign up on the home page.  Sign up today to pick the best date for your family!

Creative Worship & Ritual

Selichot Service, Saturday, August 31, 7:30pm

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a six-word story and came up with, “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Inspired by Hemingway’s short, short story, writer and journalist Larry Smith started collecting six word memoirs from writers world-wide on a number of topics, including Judaism.  At our Selichot service (Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 - at the synagogue), we will explore this simple form of expression as we prepare to begin a New Year.
We will examine a number of six-word memoirs from Smith’s new book, Six-Word Memoirs on Jewish Life, that offer personal windows into the wild, weird and wonderfully complex world of Judaism today.  Then we will look deep into our souls and write our own six-word memoirs to share with our community throughout the Holidays. We know that this will start many conversations about the meaning of Jewish life among Jews and non-Jews alike in our synagogue and community among both the most observant and most secular.

A few choice examples from Six-Word Memoirs on Jewish Life:

• “The Manischewitz made me do it.” Maya Stein
• “Moved to Israel. Rest is history.” Alexa Raine
• “Had Bar Mitzvah. Still not man.” Aaron Kisslinger
• “Converted to Judaism for the jokes.” Lorenzo Mattozi

See you Saturday for a service filled with laughter, reflection, and engagement!

High Holidays – Service Schedule
The High Holidays are our “annual convention”–a gathering of our entire Shir Hadash  community to meet, study, reflect, pray, and affirm our readiness to repair our lives and our world in the coming year. Our services are moving, exciting, meaningful and very participatory. Members of our creative artist community add music, drama and dance to our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur experience. Our services are held at:

• Shir Hadash Synagogue (“SH”), 200 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling
• and Our Lady of the Brook, (“OLB”), 3700 Dundee Road in Northbrook

The following services are open to Shir Hadash members and to ticket holders:

• Erev Rosh Hashanah, Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 to 9:30 pm (at SH)
• Day 1 Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 5, 9:30 a.m. to noon (at OLB)
• Kol Nidrei, Friday, September 13, 6:15 to 8:00pm (at OLB)
• Yom Kippur Morning, Saturday, September 14, 9:30am to 12:30pm (at OLB.)

Shir Hadash also offers the following High Holidays services at the synagogue, which are open to the public:

• Rosh Hashanah (Thursday, September 5, at SH):

• Family service (geared to families with children in grades K-3), 2:00 to 2:45pm

Yom Kippur (Saturday, September 14, at SH):

• Family service (geared to families with children in grades K-3), 2:00 to 2:45pm.
• Adult open discussion, 2:00 to 3:00pm
• Reflection service, 3:00 to 4:00pm
• Afternoon service, 4:00 to 5:00pm
• Ne’ilah, 5:00 to 6:15pm

For more information, click here /or call (847) 498-8218.

Friday, September 20: Sukkot
Join Shir Hadash for Sukkot services on Friday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. After a family-friendly service at our new synagogue in Wheeling, we will engage in a Sukkot art project for all ages. Sukkot decorations will be created and hung in the sukkah that evening. Then we’ll shake the lulav and the etrog and have a pot-luck oneg in the sukkah. Services will be held at Shir Hadash Synagogue, 200 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL 60090. For more information, click here or call (847) 498-8218.

Sunday, September 29: Simchat Torah
Celebrate Simchat Torah with Shir Hadash Synagogue on Sunday, September 29, at 6 p.m.! This is a great family holiday celebration. We welcome everyone, younger and older, to dance numerous circle dances with our Torah scrolls led by Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and members of the Mighty Shir Hadash Klezmorim band. Our newest religious school students will be honored through a “Consecration” ceremony. Following the dancing, we will unroll a Torah scroll from end to end for all to see. We will read the last few lines of the Torah and then the first few lines, thus finishing and beginning our study anew. Finally, taffy apples will be served outside in our Sukkah harvest booth. We are also planning a pizza party at 5 p.m.--details to follow.

The Rabbi's Corner

August 30-31, 2013 / 25 Elul 5773Shabbat Netzavim-VayelechTorah Portion:  Deuteronomy 29:9-30:30 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 61:10-63:9
“Let Freedom Ring”Dear Friends,Fifty years ago this week, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, a huge congregation gathered in the pursuit of jobs & freedom. Black and White, Christian and Jew, privileged, poor, empowered, and disenfranchised, all gathered together in common purpose civil rights and equality for our nation. Whenever I see photos of that great day in American history, the March on Washington led by the Rev. Dr. Martian Luther King, I think about this week’s Torah portion.  It describes another great gathering, albeit many thousands of years earlier.
‘Atem Nitzavim hayom’ – the Torah portion begins – ‘You are all gathered here this day before the Eternal One your God.’  With these words, Moses convened the whole congregation of Israel on the plains of Moav, just across the Jordan River from the Promised Land.  He brought everyone together from the leaders of Israel to the ordinary workers.  He brought everyone together, men, women and children.  He brought the whole house of Israel together to forge a united dream of living in peace, wisdom, and understanding through the guidance of the Torah.  In his address, Moses set out the choice before them that day – blessing or curse, life or death.  ‘U’vachartem b’chayim’ he taught, ‘choose life.’…
To read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit our website.

School News

Sunday School Countdown!
The Education Committee and school staff are looking forward to the 2013-2014 school year. The first day will be Sunday, September 22nd, from 9:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Teachers are decorating their classrooms and creating lesson plans, and we are all very happy to be in our building.

Parents, please make sure that you have registered your child for Sunday school.  We have several new families this year and want to make sure the classes are properly organized to accommodate all of us. If you haven’t signed up yet, please click here to complete your child’s registration. We don't want you to miss out on all the great things that are happening around here! 

Community News

American Diabetes Association “Step Out” Fundraiser
The ADA’s annual Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes will be held September 28 at Didier Farms. Shir Hadash’s Dumrauf family has a team walking in honor of their son. In addition to a four-mile fundraising walk, this event features a fun, family-friendly festival where you can learn about healthy eating, physical activity and diabetes. Didier Farms is a pumpkin patch full of rides and games for children, plus a corn maze and hayrack rides.  Visit the event website for details on how to participate or donate in support of Team Tyler Dumrauf.

Final Week: “The Pianist of Willesden Lane"
This wonderful play at the Royal George Theatre must close on September 1. Set in Vienna in 1928 and in London during the Blitzkreig, “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” tells the true story of noted pianist and author Lisa Jura, as performed by her own daughter Mona Golabek.  Click here to visit the Royal George Theatre site for more information.