Friday Night - A New Ark Too!

We’ve already told you about the theme for this Friday night’s service - our search for our Jewish roots.  What we haven’t told you is that we are also holding a very special, seldom-seen, even unique event: dedication of a new ark for the Torah!  Our member Kami Farahmandpour has hand-crafted a new wooden ark for us, in memory of his father Isaac.   It is absolutely beautiful - and it even has lights!  Come to see the new ark, and celebrate with the Farahmandpours and the rest of the Shir Hadash family!  Don’t forget to bring something for oneg - since we’re celebrating our roots, try to bring something that reminds you of your parents, grandparents or other relatives.  And DON’T FORGET THE DIFFERENT LOCATION - HELLENIC AMERICAN ACADEMY.  See you Friday night!    

Friday Night: Explore Your Roots at a Special Location!

Creative Worship     & Ritual ___________________

This Friday night (November 2), services are at the regular time - 7:30 - but not at the regular location.  LCHS is busy that night, so we will be, instead, at one of our other (current) locations - Hellenic American Academy, where we have Religious School.  For those who don’t frequent the Religious School, that is at 1085 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield.    So what is the service about?  About the end of Jewish wandering, perhaps?  Well, sort of...  As noted on the High Holidays, a major theme for us this year is exploring our Jewish roots.  Many of our members have been doing exactly that, doing geneological searches, using www.ancestry.com and other tools to learn about their close and distant ancestors and to find relatives.   They have found that this searching affects them in profoundly moving ways.  So we have some members who will come and talk about that experience.  But we want more - so if you have been searching for your roots and would like to share your experience and how it has affected you, please come and be with us on Friday night!  Also, please send a reply to this note, so we know you’re coming and can plan for enough time for all of the wonderful stories... And don’t forget to bring something for oneg.  See you Friday night!

Friday - New Music, Board Induction, Torah and Anniversary!

This Friday night’s service (7:30 at LCHS) - our first after all of the holiday services - is full of new and exciting things.  Let’s see, just to list some of them:


1. A new arrangement of Shehecheyanu, developed and performed by Shir Hadash member Jeff Justman.


2. A community celebration of Hugh and Katy Zwick’s 25th wedding anniversary - complete with chupah!  (We’ll need tall people to hold the poles...)


3. Induction of new members of the Shir Hadash Board.  Come and wish them well in their service to the community (and thank them for volunteering for the job).


4. Reading of the Torah - this week’s portion is about the Tower of Babel, so we’ll talk about conformity, diversity and modern-day challenges that we face on those same issues.


And don’t forget to bring something for oneg.  In honor of the Tower of Babel, try to bring something with a non-English name.  See you Friday night!   

Do the Sukkah Thing - Friday Night!

So have you been in a sukkah yet this year?  Two chances this weekend to shake your lulav - Friday night Sukkot service, and Sunday night Simchat Torah program (with pizza dinner).  


Did you know that there is a Jewish prayer for rain? Well, our Shabbat Sukkot service (Friday, October 5 at LCHS) will include that special prayer as well as readings and songs for the harvest festival. At this time of Jewish thanksgiving, we will honor and install our new Board members and then engage in a Sukkot art project for all ages. Help us welcome the mystical spirits of biblical leaders Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others to our sukkah celebration. We will decorate and dedicate our Shir Hadash sukkah booth and enjoy our oneg treats outside under the stars—unless our prayers are answered and it rains!


So don’t forget to bring something for oneg - see you there!


P.S.  If you’d like the enormous mitzvah of helping us put up the sukkah, please come early (like 6:30) - we can use the help!