While we cannot be together physically, the importance of community and staying connected is more important than ever. |
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Mon
January 18
Offices are closed in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday. For emergencies, call 847-869-4230, dial 4
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Missed Friday's D'var Torah?
Challah Midrash Corner
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Debbie Render’s clever Challah Midrash for Parashat Vaera: The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt... but Pharaoh’s heart stiffened.
You too can sign up to bake Challah for a particular week by emailing Karen Isaacson.
7:30 pm
Joan Micklin Silver, who died on New Year’s Eve at age 85, was a pioneering female Jewish director whose biggest hit was this charming romantic comedy that pairs Amy Irving’s Upper East Side book store clerk with Peter Riegert’s Lower East Side “pickle man.” Is this, as one reviewer called it, "the ultimate Jewish rom-com”? Let’s revisit it together. Available (for purchase) on Prime and on demand.
Zoom Link -Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 824 0773 8853 / Passcode: 1224
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11:30 am
Daily Meditation
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6:00 or 7:00 pm
Community Support in Unsettled Time
The Skokie Public Library invites all community members to connect with other community members as we reflect on how we are managing these days, and processing the thoughts, feelings, and images we’re experiencing.
This online public event will include opportunities for kids, teens, and adults to participate in:
- Making art with an art therapist and library staff
- Group conversations facilitated by a Turning Point counselor
- Yoga to de-stress, with Jackie Jasperson (for adults)
The evening will start at 6:00pm for kids, teens, and youth caregivers, and continue separately at 7:00pm with options for adults. Learn more and register here.
7:30 pm
Orot Live Zoom Meditation
In times of chaos, we can all try to cultivate a consciousness of more kindness, more generosity, more compassion, more calm, so we can bring these attributes, these middot into the world through our actions. Join Orot Center for Jewish Learning for these Tuesday evening meditations and sits.
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11:30 am
Daily Meditation
At your Leisure....
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See the photo above from the Town Hall blessing for those who are essential front line workers! |
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11:30 am
Daily Meditation
7:30 pm
2020 in Hindsight: Challenges, Gains and Losses, and What We’ve Learned
Rabbi London and the Beth Emet Well-Being Committee will lead us in this conversation to understand how 2020 has impacted each of us. We’ll hear from mental health professionals about the impact that COVID and the other stresses of 2020 have had on our lives. Then we’ll break into small, facilitated groups to discuss our experiences and how we might better support each other. We’ll conclude with ideas and strategies for weathering this challenging time and discuss activities/programs that we might do in the future.
Zoom Link - Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 884 1051 6194 / Passcode: 1224
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9:30 am
A Close Look at Torah with Rabbi Andrea London
There are many ways to interpret Torah and its nuances of meaning that are often overlooked. We will continue our learning from last year, reading and interpreting the text of the Book of Numbers line by line. New learners are always welcome. Texts will be provided.
No fee for members, non-member fee $100
Zoom Link - Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 880 3271 0378 l Passcode: 785827
10:00 am
Shabbat Singing with Cantor Cotler
Everyone is welcome. Perfect for kids up to age 6.
Zoom Link Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 825 2802 4744 / Passcode: 671592
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10:45 am
What is Idolatry? with Samuel Fleischacker- Part Two
Why is idolatry such a severe sin in Judaism, not just an error? Are polytheistic religions all idolatrous, and their followers therefore all condemned by God? Is idolatry a sin that Jews stopped committing in Second Temple times (as the Talmud suggests), or are we still in danger of it today? Answers to these questions depend on what we think idolatry is. We'll try to figure that out with the help of texts from the Tanakh, from Maimonides, and from Yeshayahu Leibowitz.
Member fee $25 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $35
Zoom Link - Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 815 7403 7535/ Passcode: 376119
6:15 pm
Z’oneg
Login to services a few minutes early to wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom. As we continue to find new ways to connect, stay a few minutes after services to say hello – just like we would do in the lobby following services!
Zoom Link Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772 / Passcode: 1224
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6:30 pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Ph: 312-626-6799 -Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772
Passcode: 1224
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9:30 am
Kahal Shabbat Morning Service
Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 813 2237 5514/ Passcode: 1224
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9:00 am
Weekday Minyan
Zoom Link Ph: 312-626-6799 - Meeting ID: 883 0113 9619 / Passcode: 075031
10:00 am
Office Hours with Karen Isaacson
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11:30 am
Daily Meditation
Special Shout Out:
First time challah baker, Neal Shanoff
If you want to learn how to bake your own Challah, watch our resident Challah baker Karen Isaacson's step by step Zoom lesson.
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11:30 am
Daily Meditation
1:00 p.m..
Torah and Mussar: A Path for Personal Development with Rabbi Andrea London, Rabbi Barry H. Block, and Rabbi Mari Chernow
*New Offering*
Mussar is a Jewish ethical discipline aimed at developing personal character traits in pursuit of a meaningful life. Join our Rabbi Andrea London, along with Rabbi Barry H. Black of Temple Chai in Phoenix and Rabbi Mari Chernow of Congregation B'nai Israel in Little Rock for a fascinating conversation about using our sacred text as a blueprint for personal development.
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7:30 pm
Orot Live Zoom Meditation
In times of chaos, we can all try to cultivate a consciousness of more kindness, more generosity, more compassion, more calm, so we can bring these attributes, these middot into the world through our actions. Join Orot Center for Jewish Learning for these Tuesday evening meditations and sits.
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Events or links may change on occasion - check out the calendar on the homepage of bethemet.org for the most up to date information!
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-Help Wanted-
Do you have a special skill that you'd like to share with our community?
We're planning lots of great programs this winter and are looking for volunteers who have the following skills and/or interests:
- Home Organizing
- Baking/Cooking Demonstrations
- Family Art Projects
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Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Tu B'Shevat Seder Attuned to the Environment with Beth Emet’s
Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler
Celebrate the Birthday of the Trees at a unique, participatory seder, in which we connect this Kabbalist tradition with our Jewish values about the environment and ways we can care for the earth today. Participants are invited to provide their own white wine or grape juice, red wine or grape juice, and three types of fruit: 1) containing an outer peel or shell; 2) containing an inner pit; and 3) entirely edible fruit.
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Wednesdays January 27, February 3, 10, 17, 24 at 12:15-1:30 pm
A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path- Taught by Rabbi Oren Postrel
What in God’s name is sustaining us in this time? What is bringing us joy, deeper meaning, life purpose, comfort in distress, optimism in the future? We will discuss these questions against the backdrop of the 2018 book A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path, a collection of writings by Reform rabbis and scholars that stretches our minds and opens our hearts to the deepest questions of our existence, right now. Part theology, part ritual, part reflection, this class is open to all. You do not need to read the book to participate, though you’re welcome to read the book if you’d like! (Beth Emet has a limited number of books available at $16.00.) Not sure? – feel free to attend the first session and then register before the second.
Price: Members $50 / Non-members $70
January 28 at 7:30pm
Israel Climate Change Challenges, Mitigation and Adaptation
A program by the Israel Committee and the Environmental Climate Action Committee
The presentation will focus on the challenges for Israel caused by Climate Change, and Israel's mitigation and adaptation responses for itself and the world. We will look at issues of greenhouse gases, desertification, water issues, food production, recycling, composting, forest fires, flooding, aid to other countries and the politics of regional cooperation. Harry Rhodes will share his experiences of environmental work leading to progress in a peace initiative and collaborating with an Israeli ecology center.
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Fridays, January 29 and February 5 at 10:45 am
Religion and Literature with Claire Sufrin
We will explore different aspects of the relationship between religion and literature in contemporary novels and poetry, including rewritings of biblical stories, portrayals of religious life, and characters wrestling with religious ideas and values. Most examples will be focused on Judaism and Jews, though some may be drawn from other faith traditions.
Member fee $25 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $35
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Sunday, January 31 at 11:30 am
War of Shadows: Codebreakers, Spies and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East by Gershom Gorenberg
Gershom Gorenberg will talk about his new book—the true story of the World War II espionage affair that brought Germany's Erwin Rommel to the very brink of conquering the Middle East. Only a last-minute intelligence breakthrough cut off Rommel's secret source and defeated the Nazis.Gershom Gorenberg is an Israeli historian and journalist. His previous books include The Unmaking of Israel and The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977. He is a columnist for the Washington Post. He lives in Jerusalem.
Sunday, January 31 at 3:00 pm
We’ve been invited- Our friends at JRC have invited us to be part of an event they are hosting on the topic of reparations.
JRC Racial Equity Task Force will host a presentation by Evanston’s 5th Ward Alderwoman, Robin Rue Simmons. Alderwoman Simmons will discuss the history of systemic discrimination in Evanston and the ways in which Evanston’s Reparations Plan addresses the present-day effects of that systemic discrimination. Beth Emet members have been invited to participate in what will certainly be an enlightening and informative Zoom presentation.
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- Additional Ideas & Resources - |
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BE Connected is an opportunity for groups with similar interests to come together as well as opportunities for conversation around various topics. What better way to engage with the Beth Emet community, try something new, and connect when we have a bit more time on our hands? Given our new reality, this initiative will start virtually, but we hope that this will continue once life returns to normal.
Each week you will receive a dedicated email with a listing of opportunities for the next two weeks. If you do not have access to a web camera for a video call, we will include phone numbers as well. And if you have an idea as we expand the reach of BE Connected, contact Marti Netler.
We look forward to seeing you very soon.
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