Shir Hadash Newsletter, September 19, 2013

What’s Happening at a Glance

Creative Worship & Ritual

• Sukkot, Friday September 20
• Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah, Saturday September 21
• Simchat Torah, Sunday, September 29

Membership News and Upcoming Events

• High Holidays: Thank You!
• Book Club, Wednesday, September 25
• New September Fundraiser: Dengeo’s
• Permanent Restaurant Fundraisers: The Continental and Butterfield’s

Volunteer Opportunities

• Simchat Torah Pizza Party Prep
• Offfice Help Needed
• Landscape Fall Cleanup

The Rabbi's Corner

• "The Sukkah of Joy"

School News

• Start the School Year with Sukkot Family Day, September 22

Teen News

• Madrichim
• BBYO

Community News

• Response: Parent and Family Connection
• American Diabetes Association “Step Out” Walk

Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland

• Festival of Israeli Film
• “Old Jews Telling Jokes”

Creative Worship and Ritual

Sukkot: Friday, September 20
Join Shir Hadash for Sukkot services on Friday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. After a family-friendly service, 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.

Shabbat Morning Service: Saturday, September 22
We will gather at the synagogue this Saturday for a morning service at 9:30, and say mazel tov to our congregation’s newest bar mitzvah.

Sunday, September 29: Simchat Torah Service and Pizza Dinner
Celebrate Simchat Torah on Sunday, September 29, with a pizza dinner followed by a wonderful service!  Dinner starts at 5:00pm with the service following at 6:00. 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.
Details regarding price for the dinner and RSVP info will be coming soon. Looking forward to seeing everyone for this great Shir Hadash evening.

Membership and Upcoming Events

High Holidays Participants: Thank You!
Many thanks to everyone who contributed their time and talents to create this year’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Musicians, volunteers, dancers, committee members, readers, dramatists, support staff -- together, you established an atmosphere of creativity and heartfelt spirituality that is the essence of Shir Hadash. Kol Havod! Watch for a recap of our High Holidays observances and a more detailed list of “Thanks Yous” to be coming soon.

Book Club
Our next meeting will be next Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 pm at the home of Mickey Herbin, 4050 Dundee Rd. # 103 in Northbrook. We will discuss 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. All are welcome! Please RSVP to Meryl Abensohn atabenkras@aol.com.

New Restaurant Fundraiser: Dengeo’s on September 24
The next SH Dining for Dollars event is at Dengeo’s Restaurant next Tuesday September 24.  Come just down the road from our synagogue and join our community for some food and fundraising!  Visit anytime on Tuesday and mention Shir Hadash --  no flyer needed! -- and 20% of your purchase will be donated to Shir Hadash. The Buffalo Grove location is at 195 W. Dundee Road, just west of Buffalo Grove Road. The promotion is also available at the Skokie location at 3301 W. Main Street.

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

Simchat Torah: Pizza Party Prep
As you read above, we’ll start our Simchat Torah celebration on Sunday, September 29 with a pizza dinner. To set up, we willneed help putting out the dining tables, chairs, and buffet tables. Set up will begin about 12:15, just before Sunday School finishes.  So come on in and join the fun.  The more people who help - kids are welcome! - the faster the job will get done. If you have any questions contact Melanie Andes 847-913-9198,fmandes@comcast.net or Rebecca Rice 847-509-9951, r.rice1@comcast.net.

Office Help Needed
Our tireless office manager Lillian needs assistance with answering the phones and helping with 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 as soon as possible to let us know what dates and hours you are available. 

Landscape Fall Clean-Up

The Rabbi’s Corner

September 20-21, 201317 Tishrei 5774
Shabbat Chol Hamo’ed SukkotTorah Portion:Exodus 33:12-43:26, Deuteronomy 16:13-17Haftarah Portion:Ezekiel 38:18-39:16
“The Sukkah of Joy”
Dear Friends,
The Festival of Sukkot begins this evening, Wednesday, and lasts a whole week. It will conclude next week with the festivals of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.  Sukkot is our harvest festival, the forerunner of America’s Thanksgiving holiday.
Our Jewish tradition calls upon us to build fragile and flimsy huts covered with green branches.  We are instructed to eat and live in them for the whole week and even sleep in them, too!  The roof is open to the sky so that the stars can be seen at night.  Wind blows through and rain drips within.  Sitting in the sukkah, we become instantly aware of how vulnerable we are in the vastness of the natural world and the immensity of the cosmos. It is when we realize how really small and insignificant we really are in the full reality of time and space….To read the rest of The Rabbi’s Corner, click here to visit our website.

School News

First Day of Sunday School -- Sukkot Family Day
Welcome to a new school year at Shir Hadash! Our first day is this Sunday, September 22 from 9:15 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. We are kicking off the year with a Sukkot Family Day, and parents are welcome to join in the fun for the entire morning!
Please park at the synagogue (200 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling) or at Hawthorne school (200 Glendale Road, Wheeling, directly north of Shir Hadash. Click here for a map to the Hawthorne parking lot entrance. Upon entering the synagogue parking lot, please drive straight ahead, then left, around back of the lot for parking. People will be there to help direct traffic.
Students need to bring a healthy snack, a little enthusiasm, and a smile. 

• 9:15-9:40—Opening Ceremony with Rabbi Eitan, Education Director Emily Ascher, Youth Director Carole Mostow. Meet new Music Director Adrian Durlester, teachers and madrichim!
• 9:50-11:30--- Students dismissed with teachers and madrichim. Parents stay for short informational meeting with Education Director Emily Ascher, followed by a festive autumnal adult education experience with Rabbi Eitan,
• 11:30-12:25—Students work in groups to create an Ushpizim Sukkot art project run by Art Specialist Phyllis Levun-Agostino, and take turns at the sukkah. Parents should stay--schmooze, join in the art project, and join your child while they shake the lulav (and more) in the sukkah.
• Visiting the Sukkah – Schedule

• 11:30 – 11:50  Gan-Grade 3              
• 11:50 – 12:10  Grades 4 and 5              
• 12:10 – 12:25  Grades 6 and 7            

We can’t wait to see all our students and families on Sunday! Please email Emily Ascher, Education Director, at eddirector@shir-hadash.org with any questions.

Teen News

Madrichim: Sunday School starts this week!
REMINDER: Sunday school begins this Sunday, September 22nd. Please be prompt, arriving at the synagogue between 8:45 and 9:00 a.m. Check in with Gloria and your teacher. We will then move to the sanctuary to join the kids & parents for a short meeting.
Madrichim assignments were sent by e-mail. If you have not received your assignment, please contact Carole Mostow as soon as possible:youth@shir-hadash.org.

BBYO
8th-12th graders: BBYO applications are available on-line. Please follow the link in the e-mail you were sent to register for our new chapter.  Contact  Carole Mostow, youth@shir-hadash.org, if you have any questions.

Community News

Response’s Parent and Family Connection Series
Parent 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. Upcoming events include:

• Monday, September 23: First fall meeting at Response, 9304 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, 7:00 to 8:30
• Sunday, October 6: 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 Rd, Chicago, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.

For more information, contact Rachel Marro at RachelMarro@jcfs.org, 224-625-2946. 

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 before and after the walk. Didier Farms is a pumpkin patch full of rides and games for children and a corn maze and hayrack rides is fun for the entire family! Visit the event website  for details on how to participate or donate in support of Team Tyler Dumrauf.

Jewish Cultural Events in Chicagoland

Festival for Israeli Cinema
The Chicago Festival for Israeli Cinema will be held October 3 – 13. Fifteen films in a wide variety of genresbe 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.  If you are interested in seeing this play in late October or November, please contact Meryl Abensohn at abenkras@aol.com.