Tuesday, November 26, 2019 | 28 Cheshvan 5780
Greetings!

Beth Emet is a tentpole institution for our greater community and serves as an example in the larger fabric of Reform Judaism. And Beth Emet, under our rabbis’ examples, is a leader in calling for greater social justice.
 
We are well prepared for continued excellence. With our renovated facilities, our community has been transformed with new ways in which to engage with one another. We host more events and classes and do it better. With our expanded clergy, we have more opportunities to learn from their insights and experience and all that they have to offer.
 
But as you well know, the cost of operating our synagogue is not covered by the annual membership commitment (dues) and school/program fees. Hence the annual Mitzvah Appeal. You just received a letter sharing the importance of the annual Mitzvah Appeal and why your support is critical to the success of the campaign. No gift to Beth Emet is too big or too small. Only when each of us makes a contribution can we achieve this year’s goal of $200,000, nearly 10% of our operating budget. If every member household participates, we would reach our goal! Every gift counts. Every gift matters. You can make your pledge or sign up for one or more of the events online.

If you’ve already donated this year, we thank you! If not yet or you wish to give more, please make a point to donate now, and keep our Synagogue a vibrant congregation for all. 

Hank and Emily Neuberger
Mitzvah Appeal Co-chairs
Coming Up at Beth Emet
Wednesday, November 27

Friday, November 29
Offices Closed
5:45 p.m. Shabbat Oneg
6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Services

Saturday, November 30
9:30 a.m. Kahal Shabbat Morning Service
9:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning Minyan
10:30 a.m. Daniel Varol Bar Mitzvah
12:00 p.m. Shabbat Potluck Lunch

Sunday, December 1
9:00 a.m. Weekday Minyan at the Chavkin home
No Beit Sefer or Adult Education

Wednesday, December 4
7:00 p.m. Exploring Whiteness with Wendy Yanow and David Futransky

Friday, December 6
10:00 a.m. Exploring Whiteness with Wendy Yanow and David Futransky
7:30 p.m. First Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Services followed by Shabbat Oneg

Saturday, December 7
9:00 a.m. Shabbat Schmoozica
9:30 a.m. Kahal Shabbat Morning Service
9:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning Minyan
10:30 a.m. David Groothuis and Lucas Hereford B'nai Mitzvah

Sunday, December 8
9:00 a.m. Weekday Minyan (location TBD)
10:00 a.m. Social Action Committee Meeting
10:00 a.m. Office Hours with Karen Isaacson
7:00 p.m. It's All About the Story, the Jewish Story with Jerry Kaye, Marilyn Price, and Zach Selch

Monday, December 9

Wednesday, December 11
7:30 p.m. Drumming for Self-Renewal with Linda Schneider
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church (806 Ridge Ave., Evanston)
Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler will give a blessing at this annual service sponsored by Interfaith Action of Evanston.
Registration for the URJ Biennial in Chicago Closes December 5
For the first time in decades, the URJ Biennial is being held in Chicago, at McCormick Place, from Dec. 11 -15. You may attend some or all of the meeting.  

To register for 3 - 5 day admission go to  urjbiennial.org  and look for the red/pink "Register" button in the upper right corner/.

To join with Beth Emet members on Friday, December 13 for Kabbalat Shabbat services, dinner, and singing with 5000 other Jews at the Biennial, contact the Beth Emet office. The price is $90 and includes dinner and transportation. You will be billed by Beth Emet. Let us know if you prefer a chicken or vegetarian entree and if you have any other dietary restrictions.

This year for the first time, the URJ is making it possible to attend just on Saturday. The price is $100 (it's a deal). It includes breakfast, lunch, and all the activities morning, noon and night. To register for Saturday point your browser to  Saturday Biennial registration.
For questions, contact Doug Hoffman .
Saturday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Beth Emet Family Connects invite all adults and children in grades kindergarten to fifth grade to this engaging, community event! The evening begins with Havdalah together in the Lobby, then, we'll split up: adults will have the opportunity to schmooze in the Lobby with hearty appetizers and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, while kids can enjoy watching a movie, munching on pizza, and/or playing games downstairs in the Perlman Room. No Beit Sefer age kids? No problem, still join in the fun! $18 adults | $4 child Register today!
Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 p.m.
Beit Sefer families are invited to participate in family mitzvah and social action event to bake Chanukah cookies for the Beth Emet Soup and others in our community. This event will serve as part of a "virtual food drive" to buy Aldi gift cards for families of the Rohingya Cultural Center (RCC) so they are able to shop in a store that has the types of foods and ingredients they are accustomed to eating. RSVP to the event . If you can not attend the event, but wish to make a donation, you can do so here.  
Sunday, December 15 at 5:00 p.m.
Cantor Kyle Cotler, and his father, Grammy Award-winning composer, Cantor Doug Cotler, present a miraculous, musical experience for all ages. Special appearance by the Jr. Choir.

This is a Mitzvah Appeal Campaign event. A suggested minimum donation of $18 per adult. Donate now. 
Chanukah Shabbat Chicken Soup Dinner and Celebration
Friday, December 27 at 5:30 p.m. followed by Shabbat Services at
6:30 p.m.
Celebrate Channukah Shabbat at Beth Emet! Dine on chicken soup, latkes, applesauce, and for dessert, sufganiyot! Vegetarian option will be available.

Adults $12 | Kids $8 | Family Maximum $36 by Monday, December 23; $16/$12/$50 thereafter.  Register now.
BE@70
January 10-12, 2020
For 70 years, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue has created a community uniquely open to diverse understanding and expression of what it means to be a Jew.

On the weekend of January 10-12, we gather to celebrate the 70 years of being ourselves and being together. As a special part of this celebration, we commemorate the enduring legacy of Rabbi Peter Knobel z"l.

The celebration includes events for all members of our Beth Emet family –
from learning opportunities to a Saturday night dance party.

Pray. Eat. Love
Friday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. Followed by Congregational Shabbat Dinner
Scholar-in-Residence Steven Windmueller, PhD, will deliver the D’var Torah on synagogues and patterns in Jewish life with a focus on the work of Rabbi Knobel.
Following services, a Shabbat dinner and discussion with Dr. Windmueller, moderated
by Beth Emet Past President David Zarefsky, will pay tribute to our beloved rabbi.
$36 per person. Please register.

Kahal Means Community
Saturday, January 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Services will include a community study opportunity centered on Rabbi Knobel’s legacy as a teacher and visionary.

Get Your Funk On
Saturday, January 11 at 8:00 p.m.
The celebratory weekend cranks the good times up a
notch with a dessert and dance party featuring Suite Mollie, a local funk, soul, and R&B band. $36 per person. Please register.

The Next 70 Years
Sunday, January 12 at 9:45 a.m.
The weekend concludes with a thought-provoking panel discussion moderated by Dr. Windmueller on synagogue life today and in the future.
Beth Emet Community Retreat
February 28 - March 1, 2020
After a five-year hiatus, Beth Emet’s Community Retreat is back and better than ever! Spend a relaxing weekend with friends and family in beautiful Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, celebrating Shabbat, enjoying nature, getting better acquainted with Rabbi Memis-Foler, Cantor Cotler, and other congregants. We’ll have time to play games, study text and participate in intriguing discussions. This multi-generational weekend includes lodging, meals, babysitting, activities for children and adults, separately and together. SPACE IS LIMITED so register soon! 
Did you miss a recent Kabbalat Shabbat Service?
Tune into our SoundCloud channel to hear past Shabbat Divrei Torah from the Rabbis or listen to Divrei Torah from High Holiday Services 5780.
Beth Emet Community
Catch up with Rabbi Andrea London while she's on Sabbatical in Israel! Read her new blog :
Catch up with Rabbi Andrea London while she's on Sabbatical in Israel! Read her new blog.
Beth Emet Camp Scholarships
Deadline is January 13, 2020
It is with tremendous appreciation that we say thank you to the Samuel Sherwin Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Gerald D. Chiss Memorial Scholarship Fund of the Beth Emet Foundation, the Harvey Rice Youth Fund, and to those who support them. If you are interested in applying for the summer of 2020, please fill out this form or contact Bekki Harris Kaplan with any questions.
Priority registration for the 2020-21 school year now open! T he JCC is offering current Beth Emet Early Childhood families special pricing both on full-day Preschool and Daycare as well as a 20% savings on camp when they register for an Apachi Day Camp/Preschool combo, starting in June 2020. Here is a View dates and pricing . Additional program details are available online
Watch our video to learn more  about Apachi Evanston Day Camp. Winter pricing is available until February 29, 2020. Plus, we have an additional special offer exclusively for Beth Emet families! 20% off* summer 2020 pricing for all new Apachi Evanston campers (use promo code BE20 during registration). 5% off* summer 2020 pricing for all returning Apachi Evanston campers (use promo code BE5 during registration)
*Discount not applicable on day + overnight camp combos. Visit  apachi.org  for session options, fees and to   register.
Social Justice
coat_drive_man.jpg
Beth Emet Soup Kitchen Coat Drive
Men's Coats Needed!
Through December 8
Cleaning out your closet this fall? Consider helping our Soup Kitchen guests stay warm this winter by donating your gently used coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and boots. Please make sure pockets are emptied and all donations are in good repair. We especially need larger sizes for women and men. No children's wear, please. Please place items in the wooden donation bin in the South Lobby.

If you would like more information or to volunteer for coat sorting to soup kitchen guests on Wednesday, December 11, please contact Leslie Levin Shulruff.
Interfaith Action of Evanston's Walk For Warmth
Monday, January 20 | 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church (516 Church Street, Evanston)
On Martin Luther King’s National Day of Service, Walk for Warmth will raise funds for operating the Emergency Overnight Shelters and heighten awareness about Evanston’s homeless people’s daily experience. Donate now or register to join in the Beth Emet walking team! Learn more.
Adult Education
facilitated by Wendy Yanow and David Futransky
Wednesday, December 4 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. and repeated Friday, December 6
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
We hear and talk a lot about whiteness, white privilege, and white supremacy. Although certainly related, these concepts are not the same. In this workshop, we will work together to define and understand these concepts and explore how becoming conscious of the ways in which whiteness operates in our daily lives.

with Jerry Kaye, Marilyn Price, and Zach Selch
Sunday, December 8 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
See how three diverse personalities teach and reach through the story, using the values of their own lives and, more important, the precepts of Judaism.   

with Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler
Monday, December 9 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Jewish values teach us that we are obligated to treat the sojourner with dignity. In this class we will discuss the content of the chapter Imagining Immigration from Reform Judaism’s latest book on social justice, Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority, and discover Jewish sources addressing issues as they pertain to the immigrant. Additionally, we will learn about Beth Emet’s multiple programs addressing immigrant needs, and how you can take action.

with Linda Schneider
Wednesday, December 11 | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Treat your mind, body, and spirit to an uplifting break from your regular routine and join our rhythm circle, where we’ll make unique music-in-the-moment. $10 fee.

View more Adult Education courses, register, or email Miriam with any questions.
Photos of the Week
On Sunday morning, November 17 the Advocacy Committee held another 5 Minutes for Social Justice in the Lobby. Thanks to all of you who took a few minutes to write to our U.S. Senators about two important Social Justice issues: limiting funding for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) and urging Congress to pass a national Red Flag law. We generated 76 post cards, but it would be great to get 24 more for a powerful 100. It's not too late to participate: see sample text and addresses of Senators Duckworth and Durbin. The next 5 minutes for Social Justice Advocacy will be Sunday, December 15.  
Lifecycle
Birth
Hannah Rowan
daughter of Laura and Kevin Lane and granddaughter of Barb and Mark Schoenfield

Ethan Roger Tejeda-Ayala
son of Nancy Ayala and Rodolfo Tejeda. Proud grandparents are Mercedes Piniero & Jose Manuel Tejeda, Roslyn (Roz) Pollack, Natividad & Angel Ayala

B'nei Mitzvah
son of Andrea and Eli Varol
November 30

son of Becca Goldstein and Derek Groothuis
December 7

son of Shari Rogers & David Hereford
December 7

Deaths
Sylvia Unterman
step mother of Terry (Roberta Glick) Unterman 
General Community
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