Shir Hadash to Hold Tot Shabbat and “Family Friday” Services

Shir Hadash will be holding Tot Shabbat services this Friday, March 7, from 6:15 to 7 p.m., at its new synagogue at 200 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling. Services are open to the community and will be targeted to children ages 6 and under and their families; all are welcome to attend. Led by Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and Children’s Service Leader Lauren Shook, there will be lots of singing, dancing, a Torah parade, and a great puppet show. The 45-minute service will be followed by challah, grape juice, and a delicious pot-luck oneg. A second Tot Shabbat service is scheduled for Friday, May 2,

Shir Hadash will also be hosting a “Family Friday” Shabbat service on Friday, April 4, and Friday, June 6, from 6:15 to 7 p.m. “Family Friday” services are open to the community and tailored to families with children who are in grades K-3. Rabbi Eitan and Lauren Shook will conduct a service that’s fun for the whole family.

"Kids will really enjoy coming to our Tot Shabbat. They will gain a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people and they will learn some of the ways we pray, learn, and play as Jews," said Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow.

Shook, who has worked extensively at a number of area synagogues as a Hebrew and Jewish studies teacher and has a Masters of Education from Roosevelt University, says, “It gives me that ‘feel good experience’ when the children go home from temple happy and excited to share their experiences with their own families.”