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| | December 4, 2025 | 14 Kislev 5786 | | | The Shortlist: 12/4 -12/14 | | |
Thursday, Dec 4
Beacon of Light Protest | 4:00 pm
Beit Sefer | 4:15 pm
Israeli Dancing | 7:15 pm | Weiner Room and Zoom
Tikkun Middot | 7:30 pm | Beit Midrash
Friday, Dec 5
A Close Look at the Prophets with Rabbi Andrea London - No Class
Beth Emet Community Retreat at OSRUI | Begins 5:00 pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Services | Oneg 5:45 pm | Services 6:30 pm | Sanctuary and LiveControl
Saturday, Dec 6
Cradle to Crayons Social Action for Beit Sefer Families
Beth Emet Community Retreat at OSRUI
Kahal Shabbat Morning Service | 9:30 am | Weiner Room and Zoom
Kahal Potluck Lunch | 12:00 pm | Sanctuary and LiveControl
Sunday, Dec 7
Beth Emet Community Retreat at OSRUI
No Beit Sefer
Sunday Morning Minyan | 9:00 am | Beit Midrash and Zoom
Monday, Dec 8
Siddur (Prayerbook) Hebrew | 11:00 am
Beth Emet Coat Drive
Tuesday, Dec 9
Jamberry Music with Nicole Jaworski | 9:30 am
Wednesday, Dec 10
Inclusion Committee Meeting | 4:30 pm | Beit Midrash and Zoom
The Rabbi Peter and Elaine Knobel Soup Kitchen | 6:00 pm
Social Justice Committee Meet-Up | 7:30 pm | Weiner Room and Zoom
Thursday, Dec 11
Beacon of Light Protest | 4:00 pm
Beit Sefer | 4:15 pm
Israeli Dancing | 7:15 pm | Weiner Room and Zoom
Performing Exile: The Impact of Jews and Judaism on Theatre and Performance with David Chack | 7:30pm | Weiner Room and Zoom
Friday, Dec 12
A Close Look at Prophets with Rabbi Andrea London | 9:30 am | Weiner Room and Zoom
Soul Spark Shabbat | Oneg 5:45pm | 6:30 pm | Sanctuary and LiveControl
Saturday, Dec 13
Kabbalat Mitzvah of Maddy Freed |10:30 am | Sanctuary and LiveControl
Kahal Shabbat Morning Service | 9:30 am | Weiner and Zoom
Sunday, Dec 14
Kochavim Youth Choir | 9:00 am | Sanctuary
Sunday Morning Minyan | 9:00 am | Beit Midrash and Zoom
Beit Sefer | 9:30 am
Conversational Hebrew | 11:00 am
Introduction to Hebrew | 12:15 pm
Tikkun Middot through the Senses | 1:00 pm
First Night of Chanukah Begins at Sundown
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Click the blue hyperlink in the titles to access the event website page,
including links to registration, LiveControl, and more.
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Soup Kitchen Coat Drive Is Just Around the Corner
Your help is still needed to volunteer and to donate by December 8.
This is the last week for donations of adult-sized coats, winter hats, gloves and boots.
3 Volunteers are still needed for the Coat Drive Set-up at Beth Emet on December 10 from 4:00 - 5:15 pm.
6 Volunteers are still needed to help the guests at the Coat Drive on December 10 from 5:20 - 7:00 pm (even an hour of your time will be beneficial).
Interested? Contact Leslie Shulruff at zamaed@comcast.net.
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Get Ready for Shabbanukah
Friday, December 19 | Dinner and Art Activities | 6:30 pm Services in Sanctuary and LiveControl
What do you get when you add Chanukah + Shabbat? Shabbanukah! Celebrate the lights of Chanukah AND Shabbat at our multi-age evening of food and community. The night will include dinner, art activities, Shabbanukah service, and youth group events for middle school and high school students. An evening full of light, laughter, and connection awaits.
5:00-6:30 pm Congregational dinner and art activities
Dinner: $18 (COMPLIMENTARY for our newest members - those who joined since July 1, 2025)
Members, register here.
Guests, register here.
5:30-6:30 pm Middle school youth group event - Register
6:30-7:30 pm Shabbanukah service in the Sanctuary
7:30-8:30 pm BESSY event - RSVP to Emmie Weprin
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Challah Bakers Needed for January 2026 and Beyond
Beth Emet has embarked on a popular new initiative called A Gift of Challah, initiated by Cantor Young. Each Shabbat, someone signs up to bake challah (or two) in their home. The Klei Kodesh identify member(s) in need of a little extra love--perhaps someone who is celebrating an accomplishment, is ill, or had an especially challenging week. During Kabbalat Shabbat services, the Rabbi and Cantor ask for a volunteer in the Sanctuary to deliver the challah to that congregant. Please find additional information, including a link to the SignUp Genius sheet, here. Please contact the office with any questions.
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The Green Maven Blog Is Back By Popular Demand
This blog is designed to educate, inspire, and hopefully motivate you to act on behalf of the planet and all living things. Every year our Dayenu Circle (Beth Emet’s green team) focuses on a different aspect of the environment and climate action. This year we are exploring the health concerns over plastics, especially microplastics.
Check out the website for the latest.
| | MORE UPCOMING BETH EMET PROGRAMS | | |
Social Justice Committee Meet-Up
Wednesday, December 10 | 7:00 -8:30 pm Weiner Room and Zoom
Mark your calendars! Come join us either in the Weiner Room or on Zoom. Along with sharing updates on our many Social Justice initiatives, we’ll explore together some Jewish teachings on immigration and welcoming the stranger, and how they relate to our Social Justice work.
Please bring items for Interfaith Action Evanston’s SNAPgap collection: toothpaste, toothbrushes, and lotions.
All are welcome to join! Questions? Please contact any member of the Social Justice Leadership Team (Lisa Levine, Ted Goldsmith, Judy Caplan, Sharon Smaller, or Bekki Kaplan).
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Performing Exile: The Impact of Jews and Judaism on Theatre and Performance with David Chack
December 11, 7:30 pm | Virtual
Jewish culture has contributed immensely to theatre and performance of all kinds in this country. Some would say that “Broadway” is a Jewish legacy. What is it that has drawn Jews so inordinately to the theatre and performance? To answer this, we will look at Yiddish Theatre, playwrights such as Arthur Miller and Tony Kushner; musicals such as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and Indecent; and humor such as the work of Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner, and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — continuing to ask why have Jews and Jewish culture made performance a home in exile. This exploration will take place in the Wiener Room as well as on Zoom.
David Y. Chack is Founding Producing Artistic Director of ShPIeL-Performing Identity Theatre in Louisville, Chicago, and Los Angeles and a professor in Theatre Arts at DePaul University in Chicago. He has directed and produced in New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. David has a B.F.A in theatre from N.Y.U. and Circle-in-the Square Theatre on Broadway. He is a theatre consultant for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Members, register here.
Guests, register here.
Reengaging Psalms with Rabbi Michael Balinksy
December 19, 11:00 am
The book of Psalms in the Bible are the foundation of a significant part of our liturgy. In this session we will look at Psalm 92, the Psalm for Shabbat; Psalm 27, recited during the month before the High Holidays until Simchat Torah; and Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd. Through close readings we will see how our ancient texts may nourish our contemporary sacred journeys, and what we experience when we study them as text and then use them for prayer.
Rabbi Michael Balinsky has taught at Beth Emet for many years. He first came to Evanston in 1981 where he was the Hillel director at Northwestern for 20 years, was next the Director of Faculty Development for Melton, and then led the Chicago Board of Rabbis. Michael is a graduate of Yeshiva University.
Members, register here.
Guests, register here.
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Jamberry Music at Beth Emet: Winter Session Coming Soon
Tuesdays, January 6 - February 24, 2026 | 9:30 -10:15 am
Join us for joyful, collaborative music-making with Nicole Jaworski and Jamberry Music. In this class, you and your little one will bond with each other and make new friends while we sing, dance, play, pretend, and experiment with instruments. Class is geared to kids 6 months to 2.5 years old, and siblings are welcome to join! Sign up for the winter session.
| | Majhong buddies Karen Isaacson, Elaine Lev, Marti Nettler, and Julie Lipkin enjoying a game in the Lobby | |
A Note of Thanks from the Ark
Now that the High Holidays are behind us, and all of your donated groceries have been picked up, sorted, and are on our shelves, we want to take a moment to send our sincere gratitude for partnering with The Ark to help ensure that our pantry shelves remain stocked with kosher food, household essentials, and personal care items.our efforts to raise awareness about the needs of 1 in 5 households in the Jewish community who are facing economic vulnerability, and to educate about the services offered by The Ark have allowed us to expand the support system that helps individuals and families who are in need.
Thanks to the efforts of our local synagogue community, we received over 80,000 dollars in monetary donations that go directly to our pantries in Chicago and Northbrook, 10,000 dollars in products via our Amazon Wish List, and 60,000 dollars worth of material donations of kosher food, household essentials, and personal care products. These impressive totals will stock our pantry shelves for over 2 months!
The recent unexpected freeze in SNAP benefits impacted 70% of our pantry clients, and the donations provided by your congregation helped us to mobilize quickly to create emergency grocery packages that were offered to 800 households over the last 4 weeks.
But our work isn't done. Let's keep packing the pantry: https://arkchicago.org/packthepantry/
For any specific questions about how to expand your partnership with The Ark, please contact our Community Engagement team at volunteer@arkchicago.org.
Together we really can make a difference!
Thank you again for your partnership,
Dawn Lieberman, Directory of Community Engagement and Programs
The Ark
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JCFS Chicago Programs
Journey to Build a Family (Virtual)
Monday, Dececember 15 | 7:30–8:30pm
A drop-in space for those experiencing infertility, pregnancy loss, or related grief.
Contact AndreaJacobs@JCFS.org or call 847-745-5425
Through a Jewish Lens: Hope and Healing for Suicide Loss Survivors (Virtual)
Sunday, November 23 |11:00 am-1:00 pm
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day program for Jewish suicide loss survivors, family and friends to find connection, understanding and hope through shared experience. Sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Co-sponsored by JCFS Chicago, No Shame on U, and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains.
To register, contact AlizaBecker@JCFS.org or call 847-745-5459
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Come Hear Beth Emet's own Ellen Blum Barish and Dina Elenbogen at Chicago Jewish Book Festival
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OY! runs every Saturday through 12/27 at 6:00 pm. The Annoyance Theatre is located at 851 W Belmont Ave, Chicago.
Following up on last year's hit, "OY!" will feature brand-new sketches, songs, and improv from an all-Jewish cast as we explore the customs and cultures that unite Jews worldwide, while also celebrating Jewish joy and traditions. We understand the trying times our Jewish community is facing, and we hope this show can provide an opportunity to gather and to celebrate what unites us!
Tickets can be easily purchased at www.theannoyance.com.
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Our Community Needs Our Help.
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Come Be a Beacon of Light!
Every Thursday, between 4:00 and 4:30 pm | Corner of Dempster & Ridge
Started by Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, the Beacon brings together people of all faiths and secular backgrounds who feel called to stand with those facing injustice. The Beacon mobilizes its diverse community members to take action. Where there is cruelty, we create visible acts of solidarity and compassion. Where there is fear, we build community and mutual understanding. This powerful movement, which is spreading throughout the country, is held in Evanston weekly, on Thursday evenings, at 4:00 pm. The Beth Emet community, along with members of other local faith communities, stand together, with signs in hand, to stand against the hate, fear, and despair that is so prevalent these days. See you on the corner of Dempster & Ridge.
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What's a One Congregation, Many Voices Salon Group and How Can I Join One?
This is a time of transition for Beth Emet and for the broader Jewish community. We’ll continue to explore the Thresholds theme throughout the year in small lay-led “salon groups” that meet in facilitators' homes or on Zoom. Learn more about the salon program here. If you’d like to join a group, please contact ManyVoices@bethemet.org.
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Sponsor an Oneg Shabbat or Soul Spark Shabbat Service
Whether you’re celebrating an important milestone, remembering the memory of a loved one, honoring a fellow congregant for a job well done, acknowledging a Beit Sefer teacher's big teaching anniversary, or fete-ing a Beth Emet staff member (!), sponsoring an Oneg Shabbat or a Soul Spark Shabbat service is a wonderful way to share the event with the community. An Oneg Shabbat before services is an opportunity to welcome Shabbat with catered or homemade (or store-bought) treats. The Oneg offers time for everyone to come together to chat, meet new friends, and reconnect with those you already know. Once a month, we have a music-filled, contemplative Soul Spark Shabbat service, another opportunity to sponsor and add to the splendor of services. To learn more or choose a date, please reach out to Debbie Siegel-Acevedo—we’d love to celebrate with you.
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Shabbat Connections Cooks Wanted
Every week for the past 25 years, a Beth Emet volunteer cooks a complete Shabbat dinner for a member of the Beth Emet community. Whether due to illness, a recent death in the family, a new baby, or a recent move, a delicious home-cooked meal is always welcome. This mitzvah is only possible with your help.
We're looking for new volunteers. Whether you’re available once a month, or as your schedule permits, we’re happy to welcome you to our list of generous cooks. (To KM students or parents: This is one way to help fulfill your services hours to Beth Emet.)
Questions? Ready to volunteer? Please contact Arlene Berke at ajberke@sbcglobal.net.
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Sermons Available Online
To watch our past sermons, please click here.
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Sign Up to Receive Lifecycle Notices
To receive announcements for all births, weddings, and deaths, add your name to the mailing list through MyBethEmet (our member portal) on your individual page or contact the office.
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Consider a Donation to Beth Emet
It's a great way to honor or remember someone special or to celebrate a wonderful moment in the congregation's life. This is an important way to support our community. If you have questions, email the office.
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