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This Week at BJBE

February 23, 2015

Dear Friends,

It's Purim!! Join us this Saturday night for merriment and hilarity at the Adults Only Purim Party. Be a part of what everyone will be talking about on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Then on Sunday, be sure to bring the whole family to our annual Purim carnival, Shindig in Shushan, starting with a shpiel, costume parade and junior choir performance.

The AIPAC conference starts this Saturday in Washington, D.C. and BJBE's delegation is 41 strong, led by Rabbi Kedar and Howard Schneider, chair of the Israel committee. Wishing the BJBE group safe travels and a rewarding experience.

The online auction to benefit the teen Kolin/Israel trip is live. Please see the "announcements" section below for instructions on how to participate.

Please see sections below for information on this and other programs

We look forward to celebrating the B'nai Mitzvah of Cory Siegel and Jacob Tenner at the morning service this Saturday. Mazel tov to Cory, Jacob and their families.

L'shalom,

Arlene

Arlene Mayzel

Executive Director

847-940-7575, ext. 118

[email protected]

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Tuesday Symposium, The Song of Songs, February 24 & March 3, 10:00 - 11:30am. Instructor: Rabbi David Levinsky, Chicago Sinai Congregation

Adults Only Purim Party, February 28, 6:45pm featuring comedian Miriam Plotkin performing Anxiety Tonight (Pigtails are Kosher). Music by Soul Zimra. Dinner & cocktails. Costumes preferred. $54 in advance, $60 at the door. Click here to register. We are obligated to drink on Purim to the point that we do not know the difference between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordecai." The Talmud.

7th Annual Shindig in Shushan Purim Carnival, Sunday March 1. Megillah Reading, Purim Shpiel & Jr Choir at 9:30am; Carnival from 10:15am - 1:00pm. Join us for this fun family event with entertainment, games, prizes and food. Click here to pre-purchase wristbands. Wristbands for kids only. Adults accompanying children are not required to purchase them.

Volunteers are needed to pre-make the Hamentaschen dough that will be used by all of our Hebrew School students for this Sisterhood sponsored event. The dough should be prepared at your home and then delivered to us on either March 3 or March 5 before 3pm. It can be dropped off at BJBE or at the home of Carrie Cohan (Buffalo Grove). The dough balls should be placed in a Ziploc bag and labeled "for Hebrew School." Please let Carrie Cohan know if you are willing to volunteer and let us know if you will be providing dough for Tuesday, March 3 or Thursday, March 5, as well as where you will be delivering the dough. Click here to see the recipe.

"It's Actually Purim Tonight" Potluck Dinner & Social Action Project,

Wednesday, March 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Enjoy a potluck dinner, hear Rabbi Stoller read the Megillah, and help us continue the "New Life for Old Bags" project we began on our MLK Community Day of Service. Guests of all ages can help weave recycled plastic bag strips into mats to go underneath the sleeping bags of people who are homeless. BJBE is providing the main course of a meat-free dinner. The potluck part: you provide a side or dessert! There is no charge for this event but please RSVP so we know what you are bringing and how many people will be attending. Click here to register.

Sunday Morning Adult Learning; Dealing with Difficult People, Sundays, March 8, 15 & 22, 9:45 - 10:45am. Everyone of us has to deal with difficult personalities from time to time, whether it's a boss or colleague whose communication style is vastly different from our own, a parent who doesn't respect our space, a critical or unsupportive spouse, an in-law with whom we inevitably clash, or others with whom healthy relationships seem impossible. In this series, which is part of BJBE's ongoing participation in the JCARES Safer Synagogues Initiative, our speakers will offer expert guidance and Jewish wisdom for dealing with the difficult people in our lives.

March 8 - How to Deal with Difficult People - Debbie Gross, LCSW

March15 - Coping Strategies & Personal Care - Margot Andersen, MSW, RYT

March 22 - Spiritual Guidance from Jewish Tradition - Rabbi Brian Stoller

Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 8, 12:30-1:30pm, when StandWithUs is providing two concurrent programs to inform and help our community navigate increasing anti-Semitism. Open to all adults, "The ABC's of BDS" (the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel) will be held in the Sanctuary. All 8th - 12th graders are invited to join us in the Chapel for "The Difference Between Anti-Semitism and Legitimate Criticism." Please contact Kelly Goldberg with any questions.

Men's Club popular Evening Study Sessions continue as Rabbi Brian Stoller leads us in a 4-part discussion of Tradition & Change: Great Controversies in Modern Jewish Law. Just as in Talmudic times, present-day Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform thinkers continue to debate about how Judaism should respond to modernity and change. Rabbi Stoller will lead us in exploring some of the great modern controversies in the world of Jewish law, on hot-button issues such as marriage, conversion, gender roles, government responsibilities, and the Reform movement's relationship with other streams of Judaism. Monday, March 9, and Monday, April 6, 7:30-9:00 p.m. $5/session for Men's Club members (and women), $10/session for non-members Includes fruit and dessert, beverages. Click here for more information and registration information. Contact Todd Cohan; (847) 520-0591 if you have questions.

Note date change! Join Sisterhood on Thursday, March 12 at 7:30pm at BJBE for a Purim and Passover Cooking Class. Chef Ayelet Danino of Bites of Pleasure will wow us with great holiday recipes and tastings. You will come away with new holiday recipes and cooking techniques to dazzle your guests and make your holiday celebrations spectacular! Registration is required.

Save 3 lives in less than one hour! Do a mitzvah by donating blood at the LifeSource drive on Sunday, March 15 from 8:00am - 1:00pm. Please note that some travel bans have been lifted -- recent Cancun travel is now acceptable. Contact LifeSource with specific travel or eligibility questions at 847-803-7921. Email [email protected] to register for a time - slots are every 15 minutes.

BJBE Post Carpool Club presents Barbra Streisand: Super Star, Sunday, March 15, 4:30PM. We welcome back one of our favorite presenters, Hy Speck, who has previously delighted us with his informative programs on Millennium Park and Frank Sinatra. This new presentation traces Barbra from her beginnings as a skinny, cross-eyed, fatherless child to one of the brightest stars in motion pictures, television, Broadway and the concert stage. Join us (a fun loving group of mature BJBE members) at BJBE for 4:30 Welcome Reception, 5:15 Program, followed by dinner. BJBE Members $18.00, Guests $25.00. This event will benefit the Teen Mission to Kolin and Israel Scholarship Fund. Full details are in the BJBE Mid-Month Mailer. Contact Carol Berger.

We invite you to join us for the BJBE Sisterhood Women's Seder; Monday, March 23 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The Women's Seder is a celebration filled with worship, song, and a traditional meal shared with interesting women representing multiple generations. For information and registration, click here. Reservations are required and should be submitted by March 16. For additional information, contact Debby Dubow or Carol Simon.

We will once again be hosting Second Seder at BJBE on Saturday,

April 4 led by Rabbi Stoller and Cantor Wolman. Details to follow.

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Torah Study: The Book of Exodus

Instructors Rabbi Karyn Kedar and Rabbi Brian Stoller

Saturdays, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Talmud Study: Tractate Berakhot (Blessings) Wednesdays, 7:45 - 9:00am; Instructor Rabbi Brian Stoller

Visit the Adult Education Archives on our website to view select programs.

For more information about the Center for Adult Learning, contact Karyn Benson.

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YOUTH PROGRAMS

Support the online auction to benefit the teen trip to Kolin/Israel. Details in the "Announcements" section below.

Calling all 3rd-12th graders! Get ready for Pesach, Chocolate style. All Youth Group Chocolate Seder, Sunday, March 22, 2:00 - 4:00pm at BJBE. Contact Eddie Simon or Lauren Sandoval to sign up.

For questions or information about youth programs, please contact

Kelly Goldberg.

SERVICES

Shabbat Service, Friday, February 27 at 7:30pm

Shabbat mornings feature our Kol Shabbat service at 9:30am followed by Torah Study at 11:00am.

Wednesday Morning Minyan: Begin your day in a beautiful and powerful way by attending our Wednesday morning Minyan from 6:45 to 7:15am. Each week we pray in the intimate space of the Chapel with Rabbi Stoller and a supportive, welcoming group. Experience a prayer service that is grounded in communal song, thought-provoking liturgy, and deep silence, followed by camaraderie over bagels and coffee. Morning Minyan participants have commented that this is worship that has connected to their lives in many unexpected and transformative ways. For more information, contact Rabbi Stoller. The weekday prayer melodies are available here, although all are welcome to attend regardless of musical or prayerbook knowledge.

Join us Wednesdays 6:45pm - 7:15pm in the Chapel for Musical Minyan. This is a deeply spiritual way to transition into the evening. Make it part of your weekly worship. Experience beautiful music, pray together in community and be present for fellow congregants who need to say Kaddish for a loved one. All Wednesday evening Music Minyans are led with creativity and harmony by talented members of our congregation and special guests. The musical group Soul Zimra; Andy Dennen, Marcus Newman, and Gary Schaffel lead on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Susan Diamond leads sing-along style using video and short films on the second and fifth Wednesdays. Fourth Wednesdays are reserved for our younger musical congregants. Every evening Music Minyan is a joy-filled experience you don't want to miss.

Services in both the Sacred Hall and Sanctuary are now streamed.. To view our live or recorded streams, please click here. You may have to watch an initial commercial before the stream begins, but this is a free and open program accessible to anyone. To access: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bjbelive.
Questions? Click here to contact Arlene Mayzel.

MORNINGS AT BJBE

Wednesday Morning Minyan: Our weekday morning Minyan meets in the BJBE Chapel from 6:45 - 7:15am. Contact Rabbi Stoller for an audio CD of the weekday prayer melodies.

Thursday T'ai Chi Ch'uan:

We offer a weekly Thursday morning T'ai Chi class led by Dr. Drew Serlin at 7:30am. There is no charge for these classes.

SOCIAL ACTION NETWORK

Help continue our work in New Orleans! We are collecting items for the organizations we'll be visiting from March 12-15, and we need your help:

Gift Cards - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Home Depot, Sports Authority, Walmart & Visa
Tools, garden tools (rakes, shovels, weeders, pruners), work gloves, brooms (new and used)
Clothes - (Infant - 15 yrs)
Toys (including games, costumes, matchbox cars, dolls, & Little Tykes toys)
New craft supplies (glitter glue, paper plates, foam squares, etc.)
Books (including children's books and teen books, no religious or reference books)
Bikes/scooters
Wagons, balls, play tents
Sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, frisbees

All donations are appreciated, but we are specifically requesting items that are in good condition. To donate items can be put in the "NOLA 2015" box in the Tzedakah Nook. Any gift card donations can be given to Kelly Goldberg at BJBE. For more information, please contact Jennie Cohen or Elissa Goldsmith.

The Caring Community and CJE Senior Life, are pleased to offer individual appointments at no charge with Senior Health Insurance Counselor, Esther Craven. Esther has over 25 years of experience at CJE. As a benefits specialist, she offers assistance and advocacy in areas of Medicare, health insurance and resources for retirement. Individual appointments with Esther Craven are available at BJBE Monday 5:00-7:00pm on 3/9 & 4/13 at no charge. Call Laura Zuckert in the temple office (847 940-7575) to schedule your appointment.

PADS needs:winter coats; hats and gloves (children's, women's, men's); underwear, bras and socks (children's, women's, men's); kitchen staples - decaf coffee, tea bags, dry lemonade mix, microwave popcorn, hand sanitizer, plastic gloves for serving. Please drop off donations in the PADS bin in the Tzedakah nook.Questions? Contact Ruth Miller or by phone at 224-235-4042.

February Tzedakah

Keshet - www.keshet.org

Keshet is the premier provider of educational, recreational, vocational and social programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities operating according to traditional Jewish values. Their mission is to enhance independence and integration to optimize personal potential.

CARING COMMUNITY

BJBE's Caring Community is a team of volunteers who can act as your extended family when your family needs additional support. Caring Community provides the following services: home delivered meals in times of need, transportation to/from temple or a medical appointment, phone support for people who are ill or lonely, senior education and caregiver support, chicken or vegetable soups (always available in the kitchen!) and a virtual food pantry. To access these services confidentially, please call Gloria Kaiz at 847-945-3741.

BJBE is certified as a Safer Synagogue by Jewish Community Abuse Resources, Education & Solutions (JCARES). Our leadership has been trained in understanding the impact of abuse across the lifespan and improving access to support for congregants experiencing abusive situations. For more information, please contact the clergy at 847-940-7575.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Support the Kolin/Israel Trip for Teens today, Monday, February 23 - March 9, by participating in their online auction. They're offering everything from getaway trip packages, to Cubs, Sox and Blackhawks tickets, brand new jewelry, Coach handbags, and even some gently used Uggs. Make sure to check out all the wonderful services our teens are donating, as well as the very unique experiences our clergy team is offering. You can access the auction on the BJBE website at the Kolin/Israel Trip info tab or by clicking here. Contact Lara Kunz, Jamie Lewis or Kelly Goldberg with questions.

Registration for early childhood programs at the Chava Center is now underway. Under the leadership of our sensational new director, Susie Wexler, we have implemented exciting changes to our programming. Preschool classes and camp are available for 2, 3 and 4 year old with options for the number of days attended. The community is buzzing about our school, register soon to guarantee a space! For more information about the BJBE Early Childhood Center at the Chava Center, contact Susie Wexler at [email protected] or call 847-940-7575.

The WZO (World Zionist Organization) will hold elections January 15, 2015 thru April 30, 2015 for delegates to the World Zionist Congress.This group, which meets every five years, will convene in Jerusalem in October. 145 of the 500 delegates come from North America. It is imperative that ARZA, representing the Reform Movement get the largest percentage of delegates to the Congress so that our influence carries the most weight in decision making. Your vote will help us reach that goal. Our member, Doris Schyman, has been slated to be a delegate representing ARZA and YOU. Beginning January 15, 2015 go to ReformJews4Israel.org to cast your vote. There will be a $10 charge which is all used for election costs. Paper ballots available in the office. Please contact Lynn Wax,847.965.3801 or Doris Schyman for more information. The Israelis want and need our help in sustaining a pluralistic and egalitarian state. This is important.

Book BJBE for your upcoming celebration!! Your spiritual home is also a premier venue with beautiful reception space in the Village Center, Sacred Hall and Courtyard. With completion of the Sanctuary, we have new opportunities available for you to celebrate your special events at BJBE. For information and reservations, contact Event Coordinator Gayle Jan or by phone at 847.940.7575.

JUDAICA (GIFT) SHOP

All Israeli designed jewelry in your Judaica Shop will be discounted 20% the month of February. Don't miss this great sale.

Gift giving season never ends and your Judaica Shop can fill all of your gift giving needs: Bar/Bat Mitzvah, wedding, new home, anniversary and new baby. Free gift wrapping with each purchase. See the new talit for that special Bar/Bat Mitzvah young man or young lady.

Hours: Sunday 9:30 - 11:30am; Tuesday 4:30-6:30pm; Thursday 4:30-6:30pm; Friday, 6:45-7:30pm and after services. For information, contact Lynne Kleiman, 847-215-1357 or Irene Schatz, 847-729-8812

Looking for a fun and easy way to meet other BJBE members? How about helping out in the Judaica Shop? Don't worry -- we will train you. For information, please call Arlene Wineberg- 224-676-1112.