Friday, June 26 | 4 Tammuz 5780
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Greetings!
This week we mark two uprisings--one ancient and one from the modern world. One uprising has been pegged as unholy, the other as a freedom fight, which has led to great pride.
In this week’s Torah portion,
Korach
and his band rise up against Moses and Aaron with the challenge, “...all the community are holy, all of them, and the Eternal is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Eternal God’s congregation?” (Numbers 16:3) While the plain reading of this text seems to make sense, rabbis and commentators in our tradition have taken great strides to paint
Korach’s
rebellion in a most negative light. Some say that his argument was not in the “name of heaven,” and therefore it was an unholy uprising. Others interpret that even though
Korach
claims that all the community is holy, he is only out for himself and a collection of individuals. Thus,
Korach’s
uprising was selfish.
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This weekend marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City on June 28, 1969. Police had raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, and attempted to arrest patrons inside. The clientele not only resisted; a crowd of supporters grew in the street outside the Stonewall and pushed back against the police. The protests and demonstrations lasted for three days. For the first time, these gay men, lesbians, drag queens and others were not only standing up for their identity, they were pushing back against the authority that was suppressing them. This uprising was a freedom fight and a turning point for gay civil rights in the U.S. and around the world. It was a moment turned into a movement that enabled a person to freely say, “I am gay and I am proud.”
In turn, for many Jews, this last weekend in June has been named as Pride Shabbat. It is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer) community and individuals therein and continue our efforts for equal rights and inclusion.
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At Beth Emet tonight, Nathan Render, who grew up in our synagogue, and now sits on the national Board of Keshet: For LGBTQ equality in Jewish life, will give the
D’var Torah
during Shabbat Services. Tomorrow night, Beth Emet as one of the hosts, will be participating in the Chicago Virtual Pride
Havdalah
, in lieu of not being able to march in the Pride Parade this year. Maia Volk and I will be among the presenters. See below for links to participate in this year’s Pride Shabbat events.
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Related to Shabbat as a day of rest and renewal, I share with you that the staff of Beth Emet will be taking the time next week for rest and renewal. Since we have pivoted from an in-person congregation to a digital synagogue community, members of our staff have been working very hard. During this pandemic and time when we have been navigating work while sheltering in place, it’s also important for us to take time for self-care. While, of course, we are available for emergencies, we will be stepping aside from our phones and email. Please see below for the details of when the office will be closed.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler
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Todah Rabah Miriam Davidson!
Miriam Davidson will be leaving her position as Education Programs Administrator at the end of June. She is moving on to work in other educational technology areas. Luckily for Beth Emet, she will remain as one of our phenomenal B’nei Mitzvah tutors. Miriam has taken care of our Beit Sefer, Early Childhood and Adult Education families with her heart for the last two years and we are very grateful. Feel free to send a note of your appreciation or send a picture of your family to her, at
miriamshare@yahoo.com
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Office Closure
Week of June 29 – July 3
During these times of virtual Beth Emet, the staff has been working very hard to ensure that we continue to fully operate and then some. As self-care is so very important these days, we will be closing the office next week through the holiday weekend. We will continue to send the congregational emails including BE Connected (listing the schedule for the week), Tuesday’s EmetMail (happenings and updates) and Friday’s Shabbat email. Should you need to contact someone at Beth Emet during this time, please call the main number (847-869-4230), and press 4. We look forward to connecting with you when the offices reopen on Monday, July 6.
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To access Virtual Beth Emet via Zoom, please check the latest info/links on the online calendar (with hyperlink). You can also find online the Zoom instructions (with hyperlink). Please note that worship services are also posted on
Facebook Live
(Please note that when on Facebook Live, your user name will appear when you speak. If you wish to preserve your privacy, please make sure to rename your user name.
If you don’t have a copy of
Mishkan T’filah
at home, you can get a
free online flip book,
a discounted
Kindle ebook version of
Mishkan T’filah
,
or a full
Mishkan T’filah
.
It’s also just fine to listen in!
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Today, June 26
3:00 p.m.
Fridays with Cantor Cotler
Cantor Cotler will welcome Shabbat with singing and movement songs. This is geared for families with kids under 6.
Feel free to share
Zoom link
with friends and family near and far!
5:15 p.m.
Family Shabbat Service
Zoom Link
| Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID:
839 9640 6743
Come to see friends and hear familiar tunes or to learn a new one. Cantor Cotler will lead an engaging family service to welcome in Shabbat and Marci Dickman will share a story with a mystery guest. Designed for Beit Sefer families however all are welcome!
Z'Oneg - Oneg via Zoom
Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID:
853 5684 6772
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6:30 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat Worship Services celebration of Pride Month via Zoom and Facebook Live
D’var Torah: Nathan Render celebrating Pride Month
Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 M
eeting ID: 853 5684 6772
Saturday, June 27
9:30 a.m.
Zoom Link |
Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 846 1457 4064
This Shabbat we will be reading:
Korah
Num. 16:1-17:15 p. 1003
I Sam. 11:14-12:22 p. 1019
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8:45 p.m.
Chicago Pride Havdalah
While Chicago's annual Pride Parade has been canceled for 2020, join the Chicagoland Jewish Communities for a Pride Havdalah as we build community and honor our LGBTQ+ community virtually via Zoom. We'll schmooze casually before our program, then embrace Havdalah together, and afterwards hear from speakers, enjoy songs, writings, and more. All members of the LGBTQ+ and Allies communities are invited to join this totally free event at any point in the evening that feels comfortable. Beth Emet is among the Core Partners. Our Youth Director, Maia Volk, and Rabbi Memis-Foler will be among the presenters following Havdalah. Read more about
our event on Facebook
. Mark your calendar now, we will provide the Zoom link in the near future.
Sunday, June 28
9:00 a.m.
Weekday Minyan via Zoom
Zoom Link
| Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID:
859 951 72738
Password: 5OI55V8b
If you are observing a
Yahrtzeit
or are in a period of mourning,
click here
to get a copy of the Mourner’s Kaddish. During this time in which the building is closed, we will be reading the names on Friday as part of the Kabbalat Shabbat services, beginning at 6:30 p.m. You can find the link to Zoom on the Beth Emet website or you can watch it live via Beth Emet’s Facebook page. On Shabbat mornings we hold services at 9:30 a.m., again virtually, and while we do not recite the name, we do invite everyone to unmute or add to chat to share the names with the community
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Office Hours with Karen Isaacson, President
Sunday, June 28 at 10:00 a.m
.
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Resources Matter: Doing More to Waste Less with Mary Allen
Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Zoom Link
Phone: 312-626-6799 / Meeting ID: 849 4846 1690
brought to you by Beth Emet’s Environment and Climate Action Committee (ECAC)
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Swamped by Take-out Containers? What to Do?
Are take-out containers spilling out of every kitchen cabinet?
Has your support for local restaurants during the pandemic brought you mounting stacks? Unfortunately, most of these single-use containers are not recyclable or compostable, according to Mary Allen, Education Director of Solid Waste of Northern Cook County (SWANCC). Allen will speak to us about recycling on June 30 at 7 p.m via
Zoom
In the meantime, you might use these containers to store:
- art & craft supplies
- game and puzzle pieces
- snack containers
- memorabilia (ticket stubs, etc.)
- gardening scoop and seed trays
- organizing junk drawers
- office supplies
- small household supplies
Let
us
know if you find any other interesting ways to reuse your take-out containers!
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Beth Emet Early Childhood Celebration Project
Thank you
to everyone who has submitted memories, photos, and videos to the Beth Emet Early Childhood Celebration Project. It has been wonderful to see all of the pictures of kids, parents, and teachers over the past 5 decades. We have expanded our outreach to
over 300 households
which includes student alums ranging in
age from 3 to 53
! But we know there are even more of you out there so please continue to forward this message to people in your network.
If you are hearing about this project for the first time, continue reading below for more background. If this is a reminder for you, please note that we have extended the
deadline for submissions to June 29, 2020
.
After
over 50 years
of outstanding education for young children and their families, the
Beth Emet Early Childhood Program
is coming to an end. Beginning this fall, the Jewish Community Center will offer a full child-care program at Beth Emet.
In lieu of an in-person celebration and commemoration, we are gathering memories that span the decades and include perspectives of former students, teachers, parents, and grandparents.
This is NOT a fundraiser
. The only objective is to honor and celebrate our Early Childhood program and its impact on participants over the years.
So whether it was taking Shabbat Bear home, slurping a popsicle on the playground during Camp Kayitz, reading a special book in the G'dolim loft, or romping in the Crown Room,
we want to hear about your favorite memories
. Using the link above, please submit photos, videos, or brief narratives. These submissions will be assembled into an online scrapbook/slideshow (and perhaps a printed version as well).
Please submit your responses by JUNE 29, 2020
. These submissions will be assembled into a publicly accessible online scrapbook/slideshow and perhaps a printed version as well. By submitting photos or material, you agree to its public use.
Questions? Please reach out to Kathy Kaberon or any of the committee members working on this project.
Brooke Freed
, EC Family '15-'20 (Ben Freed was an EC Student in the 80s)
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Shabbat Connections in Need of Volunteer Cooks/Drivers for July and August
We’re excited to announce that we’ve resumed Shabbat Connections, with some minor adjustments for everyone’s safety.
Every week, Beth Emet provides a Shabbat Connection dinner for four to a congregant family who is in need of some additional kindness and support. The dinner can be home made by a healthy Beth Emet member, who chooses the menu, purchases the food, cooks a meal, packages it in disposable containers, and delivers it Friday to the recipient. OR, the dinner can be purchased from a restaurant by a Beth Emet member, and then delivered directly to the recipient. This is a wonderful way for Beth Emet families to safely support one another, and the meals are so greatly appreciated by the recipients.
We are looking for cooks/drivers for July and August. Questions? Please let us know. We are fortunate that Beth Emet has a limited fund to subsidize the cost of ingredients, if you’d like to prepare or purchase a dinner but feel it may be too expensive.
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Let Us Build a World of Love
Get Your Beth Emet Lawn Sign Today
Whether you live in a house or an apartment dweller who can possibly display the sign from your window,
order yours today online
for an $18 donation. There will be 3 locations in which to pick up or we have volunteers who will deliver (and even install).
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And once you install your sign,
we would love for you to post a picture on social media with the hashtag
#BethEmetWorldofLove
.
And if you can’t get a sign, drive by Beth Emet and take a picture of yourself in front of the banners (both ends of Dempster), and post your picture online!
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Looking for some exciting new opportunities for this summer?
RJ on the Go
launches this summer with two tracks: Jewish Life in Your Family Life, designed for families of school-age children to participate in together, and the URJ Camps’ Virtual Experiences, where camp-age young people can participate in programs run by URJ camps. These
programs from Union for Reform Judaism are open to our entire Beth Emet community and Camp OSRUI families.
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Showing our Support for Racial Justice: Together as Beth Emet
Several Beth Emet members have expressed an interest in participating together as Beth Emeters at various events coming up.
Sign Up Here So We Can Coordinate
.
So please enter your relevant numbers on the sign up form. We hope to use this method for future events and opportunities as well
are testing communicating during the event via WhatsApp
. Please reach out to our very own
Judy Caplan
with any questions or future events.
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contact us
. If you use the unsubscribe button, you will no longer receive any emails from Beth Emet.
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