Volume 14, Number 11 May 2015 • Iyyar/Sivan 5775 Shalom from Rabbi Chalom Coming of Age by Rabbi Adam Chalom ([email protected]) What does it mean to become a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah? The literal translation of “son or daughter of commandment” made sense when the term was first coined 2,000 years ago, since Jewish life was defined by the observance of divine commandments. Age thirteen for boys or twelve for girls was the age of responsibility (and culpability). One hundred years ago, the first secularizing versions of Jewish life, including Reform Judaism, discarded Bar or Bat Mitzvah as rituals and concepts foreign to their sense of Jewish identity as either secular ethnicity or modernized ethical monotheism. But in the last 50 years, Bar and Bat Mitzvah have returned with a vengeance, even among secularized Jews, because the ceremony meets a basic human need — the celebration of coming of age. Most cultures mark the onset of puberty or maturity with some kind of ritual; the confirmation, the initiation, the driver’s license, the first legal drink, the first vote and so on. When the first generation of Humanistic Judaism considered what to do with this Jewish coming of age event, they did not want to throw out the mitzvah with the mivkah [ritual bath]. But an assigned Torah reading based on the weekly portion would not reflect either our values or the individuality of the mitzvah celebrant. So we created a Jewish coming of age ceremony that would celebrate choice and relevance, opening the canon of mitzvah material beyond the fixed Torah-reading calendar to include other Jewish literature and key events, issues or personalities from the Jewish experience. To this day, invited guests consistently tell us that our mitzvah celebrations are some of the most meaningful and personal they have ever experienced. What does it mean for a congregation to hold a mitzvah celebration, as Kol Hadash will in June? At a minimum, we will have completed our 13 th year. We have grown and matured in many ways, far beyond the start-up, do-it-yourself congregation of our earliest days. We have staff, and a sign with our name and logo on Half Day Road, alumni (who now have their own children!) and years of powerful experience. This congregational year we said goodbye to our longtime pianist Lois Wolens, whose music brought our first organizational meeting in June 2001 to an emotional close, and we also welcomed new Choir and Music Director Ellen Apley as a new beginning. We have laughed together and cried together, eaten at our seders and drunk with our Winers. Most important, we have served as a welcoming Jewish home to those who have found our message of cultural Judaism and human self-determination meaningful. Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students this year were barely born when the congregation began, and their parents found us the best fit for who they are and what they believe. A living congregation continually grows and develops, becomes something new as its members mature and new ones discover it. When we celebrate our congregational Mitzvah year in June, we are really celebrating every one of us who has helped to make us what we are. And we will find new inspiration to carry us forward together to 18 years, 20 years and beyond. Thank you! Thank us! Newsletter of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism 175 Olde Half Day Road, Suite 123 Lincolnshire, IL 60069 847/383-5184 • [email protected]www.KolHadash.com Office Hours Monday-Friday: 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Transcript
Volume 14, Number 11 May 2015 • Iyyar/Sivan 5775
Shalom from Rabbi Chalom Coming of Age by Rabbi Adam Chalom ([email protected]) What does it mean to become a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah?
The literal translation of “son or daughter of commandment” made sense when the term was first coined 2,000 years ago, since Jewish life
was defined by the observance of divine commandments. Age thirteen for boys or twelve for girls was the age of responsibility (and culpability). One hundred years ago, the first secularizing versions of Jewish life, including Reform Judaism, discarded Bar or Bat Mitzvah as rituals and concepts foreign to their sense of Jewish identity as either secular ethnicity or modernized ethical monotheism. But in the last 50 years, Bar and Bat Mitzvah have returned with a vengeance, even among secularized Jews, because the ceremony meets a basic human need — the celebration of coming of age.
Most cultures mark the onset of puberty or maturity with some kind of ritual; the confirmation, the initiation, the driver’s license,
the first legal drink, the first vote and so on. When the first generation of Humanistic Judaism considered what to do with this Jewish coming of age event, they did not want to throw out the mitzvah with the mivkah [ritual bath]. But an assigned Torah reading based on the weekly portion would not reflect either our values or the individuality of the mitzvah celebrant. So we created a Jewish coming of age ceremony that would celebrate choice and relevance, opening the canon of mitzvah material beyond the fixed Torah-reading calendar to include other Jewish literature and key events, issues or personalities from the Jewish experience. To this day, invited guests consistently tell us that our mitzvah celebrations are some of the most meaningful and personal they have ever experienced.
What does it mean for a congregation to hold a mitzvah celebration, as Kol Hadash will in June? At a minimum, we will have completed our 13th year. We have grown and matured in many ways, far
beyond the start-up, do-it-yourself congregation of our earliest days. We have staff, and a sign with our name and logo on Half Day Road, alumni (who now have their own children!) and years of powerful experience. This congregational year we said goodbye to our longtime pianist Lois Wolens, whose music brought our first organizational meeting in June 2001 to an emotional close, and we also welcomed new Choir and Music Director Ellen Apley as a new beginning. We have laughed together and cried together, eaten at our seders and drunk with our Winers.
Most important, we have served as a welcoming Jewish home to those who have found our message of cultural Judaism and human self-determination meaningful. Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students this year were barely born when the congregation began, and their parents found us the best fit for who they are and what they believe. A living congregation continually grows and develops, becomes something new as its members mature and new ones discover it. When we celebrate our congregational Mitzvah year in June, we are really celebrating every one of us who has helped to make us what we are. And we will find new inspiration to carry us forward together to 18 years, 20 years and beyond.
Thank you! Thank us!
Newsletter of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation
Affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism 175 Olde Half Day Road, Suite 123
June 5 Kol Hadash Mitzvah Shabbat Service June 7 Kol Hadash 13th Birthday/Mitzvah Celebration June 12 Kol Hadash Annual Meeting June 16 Adult Education June 27 Winers July 10 Shabbat Service July 12 Kol Hadash Ravinia Night: Fantasia July 31 Shabbat Service Aug 30 First Day of Sunday School Sept 14 Rosh Hashana Sept 23 Yom Kippur
Message from the Chair By Steering Committee Chair Bill Brook ([email protected]) Dear Kol Hadash Family Members, We have some good news from the Steering Committee this month. The budget for next fiscal year of July 2015-June 2016 (let’s not get going on another calendar discussion), was recommended for adoption by the Steering Committee with no increase in dues! Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider a donation to Kol Hadash, first, when you are thinking about what to do with that extra $10 that Bubbe (Grandmother) or Zayda (Grandfather) gave you, just because they like you! It does mean that the Finance and Steering Committees talked it over, and decided, what the heck, let’s skip the increase this year! The Kol Hadash investment portfolio is doing well, the budget projects a slight dip in expenses, so why not celebrate a little bit?
Actually, we aren’t quite dancing in the aisles, yet. As part of our strategic planning process, we are considering several alternative dues structures, and I’d like to ask you, once again, if you have some ideas/opinions/thoughts about how we can continue to sustainably fund our congregation, please let us know.
Speaking of celebration, there are three special dates I personally recommend that you attend:
• May 15 is our Confirmation Shabbat Service. If you want to be impressed by some great, enthusiastic and creative thinkers, this is the night to show up at the NSUC!
• June 7 will be our Kol Hadash Mitzvah Celebration, a Sunday brunch not to be missed (I hear there are door prizes).
• June 12 is our Annual Meeting. This is your opportunity to hear what has been happening—and what will be happening—at Kol Hadash. You will be able to review and approve our budget for 2015-2016. And you can usher in your new administration . . . and complain to me one last time. You never know what kind of fireworks there may be — maybe this year I will follow the correct agenda! As always, Be happy, be healthy, and I’ll see you in shul!
Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Staff, Officers and Committee Chairs
Youth Education Committee Rachel Samlan & Kim Stone, [email protected]
❈ The Kol Hadash Steering Committee meets once a month, usually on the first Thursday, 7:30 PM, at the Kol Hadash office upstairs conference room. Check the calendar in this Shofar or at our website to confirm this month’s date. Members are welcome to attend Steering Committee meetings. Contact the SC chair for information. The Shofar newsletter is published monthly and is mailed to all members. An electronic version is available at www.kolhadash.com. If you would like to contribute content to the Shofar, contact Mark Friedman.
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May Events at Kol Hadash Shabbat Service: Oslo Peace Process, R.I.P. Friday, May 8, 7:30 PM • North Shore Unitarian Church It’s time to accept reality: what began with the promise of peace in the early 1990s has reached its end two decades later. Aside from some security cooperation on the West Bank, there is practically no trust, hope or empathy between Palestinians and Israelis. Any future resolution to the conflict, even one resulting in two states, will bear little resemblance to what was envisioned in 1993. What went wrong, and what could happen next?
Adult Education/Jewish History: The American Jewish Experience Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 PM • North Shore Unitarian Church Jews have never been as “at home” as they are in the United States. From their first arrival as Sephardic refugees from the South American Inquisition, to the waves of German and East European Jews in the 19th to early 20th centuries, to Holocaust refugees and survivors, to recent Russians and even Israelis, Jewish immigrants have each added their layer to today’s American Jewish community.
Book Club: A Man Called Ove Wednesday, May 13, 7:30 PM • Kol Hadash Office The Book Club seletion for May is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. All are welcome to attend any meeting of the Book Club! Questions? Contact Stacey Max ([email protected]).
Adult Education/Jewish History: Israel Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 PM • North Shore Unitarian Church The founding of the modern state of Israel was the achievement of secular Jews. A place for a new, modern and often secular Hebrew Jewish culture, a refuge from anti-Jewish oppression, and a source of pride for Jews outside of Israel, Israel has in recent years faced particularly thorny challenges. What does it mean to be a Jewish state, and what does that mean for non-Jews who live here? And is there a path to peace?
Adult Education Lunch & Learn: Beautiful Stranger — The Book of Ruth Wednesday, May 28, 12:00 PM • North Shore Unitarian Church Traditionally read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (this year, May 23-24), the Book of Ruth with its themes of the harvest and fertility were a natural fit for an agricultural festival of first fruits. And its emphasis on women’s friendship and active agency is a welcome diversion from Biblical misogyny. But the book may have had a political agenda as well: a welcoming rebuttal to the ethnic exclusion of Ezra and the Jerusalem priesthood around 500 BCE. BYOBL (bring your own bag lunch) to find out more!
The Congregation is invited to attend
The Bat Mitzvah of Izzy Levy
Daughter of
Leah & Judd Levy
Friday, May 1, 7:30 PM
North Shore Unitarian Church Deerfield, Illinois
The Congregation is invited to attend
The Bar Mitzvah of Caleb Saks
Son of
Mimi & Brad Saks
Friday, May 29, 7:30 PM
North Shore Unitarian Church Deerfield, Illinois
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From the Youth Education Director by Dawn Friedman ([email protected], 847-997-8931)
May is often a busy month, filled with events that mark the milestones in our lives, not least of which are graduations.
On May 15, we will hold our 14th Confirmation Shabbat Service. Confirmation officially marks our students’ graduation from Sunday School, but in fact many students return to our school to work as classroom aides, serving as valuable role models for our younger students. Our teenage students have also built a vibrant Youth Group, which many continue to participate in after Confirmation — planning social activities, running our Purim Carnival, and attending the annual SHJ HuJews Teen Conclave, all the while deepening their own connections to Humanistic Judaism and their community.
If you’re curious about the future of Humanistic Judaism — or, indeed, just the future! — I encourage you to attend the Confirmation service this month. You are guaranteed an interesting evening. L’Shalom (To Peace)! Dawn Friedman Youth Education Director
Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation
invites you to join us in celebrating the Confirmation of
Andy Jacobs Son of Lisa & Jim Jacobs • Grandson of Bobby & Howard Jacobs
Jackson Kramer
Son of Susan & Andrew Kramer
Shabbat service with presentations by all members of the grade Confirmation Class
Friday, May 15, 2015 • 7:30 PM
North Shore Unitarian Church, 2100 Half Day Road, Deerfield Oneg Shabbat reception to follow service.
Family Events Sunday School Open House • Last-Day-of-School Party • 4th/5th Grade Hero Museum Sunday, May 17, 10:00-11:30 AM • Deerfield High School Cafeteria Current members as well as families interested in learning more about Kol Hadash and our education program are invited to attend an open house and party on the last day of Sunday School. Rabbi Chalom and Youth Education Director Dawn Friedman will be available to talk to families at 10:00. Mark Friedman’s 4th/5th graders will present their Hero Museum from 9:45-10:30. The entire school will come together for our annual end-of-year party from 11:00-11:30 AM.
Story Time for Young Children May 27, 10:00 AM, Lincolnshire Barnes & Noble • May 31, 10:30 AM, Deerfield Barnes & Noble Rabbi Chalom and Dawn Friedman continue their series of informal story time events intended for families with children ages 0-2 (older children welcome!). The May story times, Stop, Drop & Rest!, focus on Shabbat. Bring your friends! These story times are free of charge and open to all. See the enclosed flyer for details.
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Adult Hebrew Sundays, May 10 & 17, 9:30–10:30 AM • Deerfield High School Learning Hebrew is not the same as learning any other language as an adult because Hebrew is nothing like any other language. Dr. David Steiner, Kol Hadash’s Hebrew teacher and B’nai Mitzvah tutor, contextualizes Hebrew, in history, in Jewish theology and history, and in Zionism. David continues Adult Hebrew classes this month at DHS. New and returning students are welcome. The class is offered at no charge (though donations are always welcome). If you’d like to participate, contact Dawn Friedman.
Sunday School News Sunday School, May 3, 10, & 17 • 9:30–11:30 AM 6th Grade Hebrew School, May 10 (no class May 3) • 11:45 AM-12:45 PM 7th Grade B’nai Mitzvah Class, May 3 & 10 • 11:45 AM-12:45 PM Deerfield High School PreK students may join the K/1st class on May 3 & 17.
Sunday School Snacks Kol Hadash provides mini bagels to students as a snack during Sunday School. (Many thanks to Upper Crust Bagels in Deerfield for their generous discount!) We also provide Pirate’s Booty for those with gluten allergies and sensitivities. Other snacks from home may NOT be brought to Sunday School unless you have contacted Dawn Friedman, [email protected], to discuss other arrangements that meet our allergy restrictions. All students should bring water bottles to class each week. Please, no coffee, hot chocolate, juice or soda.
Youth Education Committee (YEC) Meeting: May 3, 9:30-11:00 AM Deerfield High School Our YEC serves as a combination school board and PTO, discussing policies, coordinating school events and family programs, and sharing ideas and suggestions with staff to make our school the best it can be. Meetings are open to all congregants and are great way to get to know other school families and what’s going on in Sunday School. For more information, contact YEC Co-Chairs Rachel Samlan and Kim Stone ([email protected]).
Youth Group Meeting: May 3, 11:10 AM-12:30 PM The Kol Hadash Youth Group is open to all students in 8th grade and up. Students plan their own programming, with advisor Aleya Schwartz. Come to our last meeting of the school year to plan summer activities and start thinking about next year! RSVP for lunch to Dawn Friedman ([email protected]) by May 1.
Our school year ends on May 17. We wish all our families a relaxing, fun and safe summer! The first day of our 2015-16 school year is Sunday, August 30.
Please Note: Food brought to Sunday School may not contain any peanuts, tree nuts (including almonds), or sesame seeds, due to severe allergies among our students. This includes snacks or lunches brought to Sunday School and Hebrew School as well as any foods brought to meetings or events at DHS. Thank you for your cooperation!
More than 100 students, parents and guests gathered at Deerfield High School for our annual Sunday School Passover Seder on March 15, including Rachel Samlan (left), showing two of her children the fine art of dipping parsley, and 7th-grade student Kate Kramer (right). Photos by Leena Schwartz
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Winers — Championship Round! Mazel tov to Irene & Allan Dorfman (left), winners of the March Madness wine-tasting tournament at the April gathering of the Winers! The competition began at a fierce pitch but (predictably) mellowed as the rounds progressed. Many thanks to Andrea & Mark Friedlander for hosting! SAVE THE DATE for the Winers’ next meeting: Saturday, June 27. All are welome to join the Winers at any gathering! Questions or RSVP to Mike Lippitz ([email protected]). Photo by Mike Lippitz
Mazel Tov! Mazel tov to the Lowenthal family on the April 18 B’nai Mitzvah of Nate and Sarah Lowenthal! Photo by Dawn Friedman
Afikomen — Recovered! Yes, the April 4 Kol Hadash Community Seder was able to conclude, and all went home happy. Rabbi Chalom (right) negotiated for the successful return of the afikomen with some of the mischievous children in attendance. Many thanks to Leora Hatchwell and Lori Gerberding for again organizing a wonderful seder. And special thanks to our friends at Bluegrass Restaurant in Highland Park for their tremendous hospitality and delicious food! Photo by Sue Addelson.
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As we gear up for our mitzvah celebration (Kol Hadash’s 13th birthday) next month, this edition of “Meet a Member” profiles two members who were there in the delivery room! Dawn and Mark Friedman are among the many founding members of Kol Hadash who are not only still members but are still very active in leadership roles in the congregation. Dawn is our Youth Education Director, while Mark (a past Steering Committee chair) is the congregation’s recording Secretary, Shofar editor, and 4th/5th-grade Sunday School teacher, among other roles.
Born in Miami, Dawn spent most of her childhood in a small town in Mississippi. She left her Dixie roots behind when she attended Northwestern University; after graduating with a BS in speech, she worked as a professional
dancer and dance teacher in Chicago prior to becoming a certified Pilates instructor in 2004. Dawn teaches at Pilates Studio 6 in Barrington and at Park Center in Glenview. Mark is a graduate of Macalester College and has a 23-year career in children’s and educational publishing; he is the editorial director at QuaraCORE, a developer of educational products. Their daughter, Eva, is in her second year at Northeastern University in Boston.
Dawn first learned about Humanistic Judaism when she met Mark. “After our first date, I found the Guide to Humanistic Judaism at the public library, and after reading it, I decided that this was the Jewish connection I had been looking for.” While Dawn’s comment implies that, yes, on their first date they discussed religion, that’s not too surprising given that Mark grew up with Humanistic Judaism in his blood — he is the son of Felice & Daniel Friedman (Dan Friedman is our Rabbi Emeritus and was one of the founders of the Humanistic Judaism movement when he was the rabbi at Kol Hadash’s predecessor congregation, Beth Or in Deerfield). Mark says: “Growing up as the son of the rabbi was certainly a unique upbringing. Yes, the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism was naturally transmitted, but many practical aspects of our family life were structured around the congregation, its schedule, and Jewish holidays.”
Dawn and Mark have seen it all — and done it all — at Kol Hadash over the past 13 years. (Does anyone remember “Singalong Fiddler on the Roof”? Did it — summer of 2003.) But through the years, their interest and passion for Kol Hadash have not changed. Mark says, “The nature of the congregation has changed somewhat, but not our commitment to it. At the beginning, we were a true start-up in which we all did everything — by ourselves. This went far beyond schlepping supplies to events. We had members writing and leading Shabbat services, creating new curricula for the Sunday School, creating our own marketing materials — all of it done by lay leaders and through the tireless volunteer efforts of the membership. Today, we don’t have the need to create so many parts of the congregation from scratch, but volunteerism is still the lifeblood of the congregation. I don’t think you can possibly be a ‘passive’ Humanistic Jew. It takes commitment and effort, both philosophically and organizationally. I like the fact that our members — new and ‘old’ — continue to step up.”
Dawn says, “My favorite aspect of Kol Hadash is that I know just about every member of the congregation — and look forward to getting to know the rest! It’s a congregation that is large enough to be substantial, but small enough to feel like a true community.”
Dawn and Mark agree that it was especially gratifying to watch their daughter, Eva, grow up in a Humanistic Sunday School from Kindergarten through Confirmation. This continuity gave them the feeling that the traditions begun by the previous generation are being passed on to a third generation. Dawn says, “It’s great to see Eva and other students who go from Kindergarten thru Confirmation at Kol Hadash, and then come back as teachers’ aides in our school. Unlike educators in ‘weekday’ school, we have the opportunity to follow our children through more than a decade of their lives — from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. That’s a real community.”
Three things people might not know about Dawn and Mark: 1. Dawn does own a Southern accent from her childhood . . . she only uses it when she visits her family
in Mississippi. 2. Mark was a beer vendor at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park for two summers when he was in college.
(The fact that it was Comiskey and not “The Cell” dates him.) 3. Dawn and Mark might be one of the few families who have belonged to three Humanistic congregations:
Beth Or, Kol Hadash, and the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Fairfield County for four years when they lived in Newtown, CT.
M e e tM e e t
Dawn & Mark FriedmanDawn & Mark Friedman
M e e t M e e t K o l H a d a s hK o l H a d a s h !!
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Community Service Corner Actions speak louder than words! Since 1988, the first Thursday in May has been declared a National Day of Prayer by presidential proclamation. Again this year, Kol Hadash is supporting the Foundation Beyond Belief’s response to the National Day of Prayer . . . with action. The Week of Action, April 30-May 5, is an opportunity for us to do something special for someone in need — a way for us to change the world for the better by choosing to act. Here are a few examples of what the Community Service Committee encourages people to do:
• April 30-May 5 — Save a life; donate blood at any LifeSource Community Donor Center: The Chicago Coalition of Reason (of which KH is a founding member) is sponsoring a Chicagoland blood drive from April 30-May 5. Call 877-543-3768 or visit www.lifesource.org/donate-blood/where-to-donate. Let the Life Source staff member know you are donating on behalf of Group Code: 813A.
• Saturday, May 2 — Help survivors of domestic violence: We are excited to be participating as a team in the 3rd annual EmpoweRun 5K Run/Walk on May 2, 9:00 AM, at Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville. The EmpoweRun raises money and awareness for A Safe Place, a nonprofit organization that supports survivors of domestic violence. If you can run or walk, please join our Kol Hadash team. Never run a race before? Don't be intimidated. There's plenty of time to train! To sign up or make a donation, visit asafeplace.dojiggy.com/ng/index.cfm/14206/regPages/ pledge/kolhadash. For more information, contact [email protected].
• Tuesday, May 5 — Knit-In: As part of the “Warm Up America” campaign (warmupamerica.org), we will hold our first-ever Kol Hadash knit-in by knitting squares for later assembly into afghans for people in need. We’ll provide yarn and pattern ideas from WUA. Location TBA; contact [email protected] for more information.
• Not sure what to do? Contact [email protected] — we’ll send you a list of ideas and opportunities that people of all ages can do individually and in small groups.
However you choose to act, be sure to share your actions on the Kol Hadash Facebook page and on Twitter with the hashtag #choosetoACT.
Many thanks to the Kol Hadash families who stayed after Sunday School on April 19 to make fleece blankets for Chai Lights, an organization that distributes the blankets to children in area hospitals. And thanks to Stacey Max for organizing the activity . . . everyone had a terrific time!
News from the Jewish Community Israel Solidarity Day: Sunday, May 3 The Jewish United Fund’s (JUF) Israel Solidarity Day celebration will be held on Sunday, May 3,, from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. Registration opens at 10:30 AM; many activities are scheduled for later in the afternoon to accommodate morning Sunday School programs. The day will include a three-mile Walk with Israel, a one-mile Family Walk, musical performances in the Ravinia Pavilion, food for purchase, and fun activities for children and teens of all ages. Parking at Ravinia will be free. See the enclosed flyer or visit www.juf.org/ISD for more information and to register as a participant or as a volunteer. Proceeds of the event will support JUF’s Israel Children’s Zone, an innovative program providing critical services to Israel’s most vulnerable children. Located in JUF’s Partnership Region, Israel Children’s Zone helps disadvantaged students enrich their lives and boost their educational achievement.
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Kol Hadash News & Announcements
Kol Hadash Annual Meeting: June 12 The entire congregation is invited (and encouraged) to attend the Annual Meeting of the congregation on June 12. Following a brief Shabbat service, the meeting agenda will include reports from key officers and committee chairs and discussion/ approval of the 2015-16 Kol Hadash budget. A special Oneg Shabbat hosted by the Steering Committee will follow the meeting.
Share Your Graduation News We’d like to give our members a chance to kvell about their children and grandchildren this graduation season. If you have high school or college graduations in your families, send Shofar editor Mark Friedman ([email protected]) the details for publication in the June newsletter. And . . . mazel tov in advance!
Ravinia Night: July 12 Save the date: Kol Hadash Ravinia Night will be Sunday, July 12, for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s live accompaniment of scenes from Disney’s Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 projected on giant lawn screens. Bring the whole family and join your Kol Hadash friends for a picnic dinner on the Ravinia Lawn! Details to come in next month’s Shofar.
Thank You! • To Sue & Roger Addelson for hosting the oneg
at our April 10 Shabbat service. • To the 7th/8th Grade Sunday School families
for hosting the oneg for their class Shabbat service on April 17, with special thanks to room parents Andi & Tom Kenny and Karen & Aaron Gold.
• To the parent volunteers who helped with the Sunday School’s Israeli Lunch on April 19: Alexandra Brook, Molly Rotman Ghorbani, Karen Jackson, Neal Katz, Victoria Ratnaswamy, and Ilana Shaffer.
Family News & Events If you or someone you know is experiencing important and life-altering events, please share the news with Kol Hadash. In times of need, Kol Hadash members can offer support. In times of happiness, we can help celebrate. To share your news, please contact Rabbi Chalom.
• Wishing a swift recovery to Ruth Feldman from recent medical treatment.
• Wishing a swift recovery to Rif Finkelman from a recent illness.
This Month’s Yahrtzeits The following names will be read at the May 8 Shabbat service at the North Shore Unitarian Church. If there is a name missing or if you would like to have a name read at the service, please contact the Kol Hadash office (847-383-5184, [email protected]).
William Addelson Sol Adler Richard Cohn Caryl Cole David Davis Henry Feldman Henry Gold Nathan Goldberg Gertrude Hart Michael Hatchwell Eugene Krouse Rose Lambert Sy Passen Rosalind Podolin Barry Raben Ethel Rittenberg Irving Rittenberg Mary Sheck Philip Shoolin Emil Simon
Rose Sohn
This Month’s Birthdays John Bouma May 3 Gilbert Feldman May 7 Paul Krouse May 7 Irene Chase May 9 Paula Harris May 10 Andi Kenney May 10 Joel Shoolin May 10 Mike Wolens May 11 Caleb Saks May 12 Laura Malis May 14 Eric Kenney May 16 Izzy Levy May 16 Tamar Schwartz May 16 Louise Neidorf May 18 Michael Fisher May 19 Gertie Harris May 19 Mark Friedman May 20 Erika Von Kirchbach May 20 Fredrik Von Kirchbach May 20 Levi Corelitz May 21 Ella Harris May 22 Eva Friedman May 24 Julia Ratnaswamy May 26 Amy Parker May 27 Eleanor Altman May 28 Chip Kass May 30 Jonathan Parker May 31
This Month’s Anniversaries Tamar & Ron Schwartz May 3 Susan Wauldron Jerris & Bruce Jerris May 21 Mary Vanderbeck Parker & Dan Parker May 27 Robyn & Joel Corelitz May 28 Leah & Judd Levy May 28
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Tributes, Donations & Gifts Kol Hadash offers several opportunities for donations:
Kol Hadash General Fund Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund
Weiss Choir Fund Kol Hadash Tzedakah Fund
Kol Hadash Youth Group Fund
To donate to any of our funds, please make your check payable to “Kol Hadash” and send with instructions about the gift to: Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation, 175 Olde Half Day Road, Suite 123, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. The congregation expresses its gratitude to the following individuals, whose donations were received in the last month.
Andrea & Mark Friedlander, in honor of Sue & Roger Addelson’s new granddaughter Happy Stone & Rick Henriksen, wishing Ruth Feldman a swift recovery Susan Wagner & Michael Lippitz, in memory of Bob Davis and Mollye Friend Margie Marcus, in memory of Miriam & Philip Sitrick Nancy & Robert Paul, in memory of Lois Wolens Ilana & Marty Shaffer, to the General Fund Nancy Sohn & Mike Simon, to the Tzedakah Fund, in memory of Bob Davis and Mollye Friend
Annual Fund We thank the following members for their support of Kol Hadash through their generous donations to the Kol Hadash Annual Fund. Elaine & Jerome Baer Joan Berger AJ & Rabbi Adam Chalom Myrna & Garrett Cohn Larry Deutsch Irene & Allan Dorfman Ellen Rudnick & Paul Earle Roland Finkelman
Andrea & Mark Friedlander Peggy Bartelstein & Bill Gurolnick Rhonda & Robert Hart Happy Stone & Rick Henriksen Glynis & David Hirsch Joyce & Richard Hirsch Richard Mesirow Louise Neidorf
Lita Passen Sheila & Ronald Sebor Michele & Joel Shoolin Esther Silberman Kim Stone & Ken Wexler
The Mitzvah Celebration is coming . . . The Mitzvah Celebration is coming . . .
Hear ye…Hear ye….
The Mitzvah committee it looking for a few good items for our celebration on Sunday, June 7. We are in need of donation items that include but are not limited to:
• Gift Certificates to restaurants, spa treatments or local retailers. • How about donating sports tickets or concert/theater tickets? • Have any hand-made jewelry, art or craft items that you would like to donate? • We can also use leisure items or vacation rentals…the ideas are endless!
Don’t have anything to donate? Why not consider a SPONSORSHIP?
Questions? Comments? Just want to give us money? Please contact David Hirsch ([email protected])
And be sure to SAVE THE DATE for our special 13th Birthday Brunch on Sunday, June 7.
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Celebrate and Commemorate through Kol HadashCelebrate and Commemorate through Kol Hadash
Fill out and mail the form below — or — donate online at www.KolHadash.com When choosing to make a contribution in honor or in memory of someone, consider a donation to
Kol Hadash. Your generosity will support our programs, our school, and our future growth, and those you designate will receive a special acknowledgement of your gift on their behalf,
in addition to your message being printed in the Shofar.
There are five Kol Hadash tribute funds from which to choose: ! Kol Hadash General Fund — contributions support all Kol Hadash programs and activities.
! Rabbi Chalom’s Discretionary Fund — used by Rabbi Chalom for charitable purposes.
! Kol Hadash Tzedakah Fund — contributions to fund Kol Hadash volunteers’ assistance with charitable organizations.
! Weiss Choir Fund — contributions support the Kol Hadash Choir and music program.
! Kol Hadash Youth Group Fund — contributions support Youth Group programs and activities. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Enclosed please find $___________ for the ___________________________ Fund from:
________________________________________________________________________ Your Name ________________________________________________________________________ Your Address & Phone #
Message for Shofar/Acknowledgement letter: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
The Occasion (e.g., “in honor of” or “in memory of”) Please send acknowledgement to: Please print legibly and include complete address. Thank you! ________________________________________________________________________ Recipient’s Name ________________________________________________________________________ Recipient’s Address
Mail completed form and payment to: Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation, 175 Olde Half Day Road, Suite 123, Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Thank you for your generosity!
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175 Olde Half Day Road Suite 123 Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Your May Shofar is enclosed!
This month!
Sunday School ConfirmationSunday School Confirmation
Friday, May 15, 7:30 PM North Shore Unitarian Church, Deerfield
