Tuesday, May 2, 2017 | 6 Iyyar 5777

May this be a Mitzvah Month! 1. Roll up your sleeves and join us on Mother's Day for Beth Emet's Blood Drive.   2. Honor the women (or men) in your life by supporting Jewish Women International's Mother's Day Flower Project which sends bouquets of flowers to 200 domestic violence shelters (plus, for each $25 donation made they'll send a card to the honoree!). 3. On Sunday, May 21 explore concrete ways to take action and support immigrants in our community and hear from immigration activists and clergy leaders about what we can do to make a difference. Beth Emet students will also share details on their recent travel to U.S.-Mexico border. 4. Hear renowned Syrian trio Hewar at a fundraising concert for Syrian refugee relief Sunday, May 7. (Beth Emet is a co-sponsor) 5. Join Beth Emet's team for the annual Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate on Sunday, June 18, sign up today.  Plus, visit Pushing the Envelope Farm and learn about Jewish sustainable farming; attend BESSY Kabbalat Shabbat Service; hear Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg as she reads from her new book God Loves the Stranger, and much more. Read below for details.

Visit our website Worship Schedule Calendar

Around the Congregation

Dinner After Friday, May 5 following Kabbalat Shabbat Services (at Koi 624 Davis St., Evanston) Following Kabbalat Shabbat Services, enjoy Shabbat dinner at a nearby restaurant with fellow Beth Emet congregants! Dinner After offers a wonderful opportunity to dine with old friends, or to make new friends in the Beth Emet community! No need to RSVP!

Explorations of Our Changing Selves: a Tea and Discussion for Women 60 and Over sponsored by FIAT Monday, May 8 at 3:00 p.m Family Issues Aging Task Force (FIAT) popular series Explorations of Our Changing Selves, a Tea and Discussion for Women 60 & Over meets on the second Monday of each month to discuss topics on wise aging. Facilitators Martha Holstein, Phyllis Mitzen, and Micki Iris have led conversations on health care ethics, how aging affects self-esteem, the unexpected gifts of aging, managing family relationships, and more.  RSVP or call 847-869-4230 ext. 301.

BESSY Kabbalat Shabbat Service Friday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. (5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat) Beth Emet's peer-led high school youth group hosts a special service filled with music and reflection.

Mother's Day Blood Drive Sunday, May 14 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Roll up your sleeves and join us on Mother’s Day for an important Blood Drive here at Beth Emet. The Blood Drive will is sponsored by Lifesource and we will have the best painless professionals here to draw your blood.   Do a mitzvah and be part of this valuable project. To schedule an appointment call 877-543-3768 or visit lifesource.org. And don’t forget there’s juice and cookies after you’ve done your part.

Immigration Community Action Sunday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. at Beth Emet Explore concrete ways to take action and support immigrants in our community. Hear from immigration activists and clergy leaders about what we can do to make a difference. Beth Emet students will also share details on their recent travel to U.S.-Mexico border.

Visit Pushing the Envelope Farm: Jewish Sustainable Farming with Trisha and Rabbi Fred Margulies Sunday, May 21 |12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pushing the Envelope Farm is a 14-acre community farm and education center that fosters Jewish communal life by exploring Jewish agricultural traditions and contemporary ecological understanding.  Get ready to get your hands dirty, learn new skills, and relax in nature. Our visit will include a tour of the grounds, meeting farm animals, learning about organic farming and gardening, and much more. This farm visit is suitable for both adults and families.   We will leave Beth Emet at 12:30  p.m. and travel by bus to Geneva, Illinois where the farm is located.  We will return by 5:00 pm.  $10 transportation fee (please register).

God Loves the Stranger: a D'var Torah by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg Friday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. (5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat) Beth Emet welcomes author, poet, and teacher Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg who will be reading from her new book, God Loves the Stranger. Using a blend of ancient and modern ideas, her book carves a clear pathway that enables us to learn how to love one another and create just societies. Through stories, blessings, poetry, divine teachings, and meditation exercise, Rabbi Weinberg conveys a single, powerful message: Let us not be strangers. God loves us all. God Loves the Stranger will be available to purchase in the office for $18.

Catch up on past Divrei Torah Catch up on recent sermons by Rabbi Andrea London from April 21 .

Beth Emet Community

Renowned Syrian trio Hewar returns to Chicago for a fundraising concert for Syrian refugee relief Sunday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington Street, Chicago.  Co-sponsored by Beth Emet Synagogue The renowned Syrian trio Hewar will return to Chicago for a fundraising concert in support of Syrian refugee relief. The artists will be joined by guest percussionist Omar Al-Mufsi and Catherine Brubaker, violist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who has organized a chamber orchestra for this concert of more than a dozen of Chicago’s top classical musicians. All the musicians are donating their time and proceeds from the concert’s ticket sales will be donated to Save the Children. The concert is organized and sponsored by Tzedek Chicago; it is co-sponsored by Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston; Congregation Hakafa in Glencoe and Chicago Area Peace Action. Purchase tickets online at https://tzedekchicago.org/.

JUF's Israel Solidarity Day featuring Walk with Israel Sunday, May 7 at 2:00 p.m. Ravinia Festival, Highland Park Activities for children of all ages  Kosher food for purchase  NEW! Israeli Market Place and Art Festival  Featuring Idan Raichel  Learn more and register.

Israel: Many Voices: Stories from and of the Land Sunday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. at the Chicago-North Shore Conference Center Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership hosts an entertaining afternoon of contemporary Chicago-area storytellers sharing personal experiences about Israel. Beth Emet congregant Dina Elenbogen is part of this community event. Details and tickets.

Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate - Join Beth Emet's Team! Sunday, June 18 Beth Emet will field a team to participate in the Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate. All members of the congregation are encouraged to attend this annual event that supports racial justice and violence prevention in our community.  This is family friendly event, and casual walkers, competitive runners and everyone in between are invited to join the team and participate. There is a 5K run, a 10K run, a 5K walk, and a youth mile, all of which take place near Northwestern University. Strollers and wheelchairs are permitted during the 5K walk, and parents may accompany their children on the youth mile. The Race Against Hate honors the legacy of Ricky Byrdsong, former Northwestern University Men's Basketball Coach who, while walking with his two young children in 1999 was murdered by a white supremacist. Learn more.

Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute (NRCI) for Mental Health Education CHILDREN AND RESILIENCE: PRIORITIZING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH Sunday, June 4 Beth Emet has supported NRCI since its inception sixteen years ago. Every year on the first Sunday in June, Beth Emet gladly opens its doors and welcomes hundreds of community members and mental health professionals to a day long program that centers on issues facing our communities today.  Staff and members of Beth Emet will play an integral part in this day; Cantor Susan Friedman, Abigail Backer, and Kathy Kaberon will co-lead panels and discussions.To learn more  View the brochure.  Volunteers are needed throughout the day, please feel free to email Jill Randell  if you are interested or have any questions.

Adult Education

Chain of Tradition or Abyss of Despair: Jewish History as Crisis with David Shyovitz Fridays, May 5 and 12, 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. The history of the Jewish people is often conceptualized as an unceasing succession of crises: from onslaughts of the Greeks and Romans; through Crusades, blood libels, and Inquisitions; to pogroms and genocide. Increasingly questioned by recent scholars, this "lachrymose conception" of Jewish history has endured in the popular imagination. We will use select case studies to explore how pre-modern Jews responded to episodes of crisis, how tales of Jewish suffering have been written, and the purposes those narratives have served.

Beyond Om: Spiritual Practice for the Jewish Soul With Rabbi Andrea London Shabbat,  May 13, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Once a month on Shabbat afternoon at Rabbi London's home, explore Jewish spiritual practices that combine prayer, meditation, study and discussion, particularly emphasizing the teachings of early Hasidism and the practice of meditation. New participants always welcome.

Drumming for Self-Renewal with Linda Schneider Wednesday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. Drums and percussion have long played a role in Judaism offering a hands-on, non-verbal route to accessing the spiritual and emotional. No musical experience is needed, and instruments will be provided (though feel free to bring your own if you have them).

For more information including fees and registration information, click on the link in the class title above, or   visit the Upcoming Courses section online.

Social Justice

Tzedakah Committee Grant Awards Thanks to your generosity--either by dropping a dollar in the Lucite Tzedkah boxes or by turning in your  pushkie (tzedakah box cans)--the Tzedakah Committee was able to make the following grants: $500 to Center for Independent Futures, earmarked for student scholarships for the heARTwords workshop program. $500 to Family Matters, earmarked for the Family Connections program to underwrite the cost of academic texts, art supplies, chapter books, workshop tools, online literacy, and learning and assessment tools.  $500 to Center for Enriched Living, earmarked for additional yoga classes for disabled clients. Award $180 to the Beth Emet Soup Kitchen, demonstrating the committee's support of the current fundraising campaign.

Pre- and Post- Pesach Food Drive   Thank You, to all the Beth Emet Congregants, who participated in the Pre- and Post- Pesach Food Drive.   Our community donated: Four grocery bags to Hilda's Place and 31 grocery bags to The ARK. Your time and generosity is truly appreciated.

JWI Mother's Day Flower Project   More than 45,000 women and children spend each Mother’s Day in domestic violence shelters. Jewish Women International (JWI) Flower Project sends bouquets of flowers and financial literacy resources to 200 shelters across the U.S. on Mother’s Day. For each $25 donation you make, we'll send a beautiful Mother’s Day or Father's Day card to anyone you choose to honor - mom or dad, brother or sister, grandparent, in-law or friend. Be sure to click on Beth Emet Synagogue from the drobox upon check out so they know we support them! More info at JWI.org. Order by May 5 for best chance of card delivery by Mother's Day.

Upcoming Social Justice Events May 15 - May 30: March to Springfield; Advocate for better jobs, better schools, communities free of violence.  The first 7.5 miles on May 15 is from Thompson Center to Archer & Pulaski, for more information check website, www.marchtospringfield.org. May 22, 7:00 pm; The Dual Challenges of Homelessness and Mental Health, talk sponsored by Interfaith Action at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1012 Lake St., Evanston. View Social Justice resources

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism For more than 50 years, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (or "the RAC") has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in Washington, D.C.   The need for tikkun olam, world repair, at this moment in history is palpable and enormous. See latest press statements below: Reform Movement Urges Congregants to Protect Undocumented Immigrants Facing Deportation with New Resolution.

Life Cycle

Births Issac Simon Greenberg, son of Jaclyn Greenberg and Daniel Eisen. Proud grandparents are Steve Greenberg and Jeff Mono B'nai Mitzvah Ella Greenberg Winnick daughter of Michael Winnick and Deborah Greenberg May 6 Deaths Lenora Levy mother of Barry (Barbara) Levy and grandmother of Anne and Sharon Edwin Joseph husband of the late Elaine Joseph, z'l, and father of Karen (Michael) Gilman, Gail Joseph, and Mark (Patty) Joseph Ruth Kaufman sister of  Larry (Jenny) Kaufman Rebekah Rimkus mother of Anne Rimkus (Jeffrey Gantwerker)

General Community

Networking for Success: The Jewish Connection May 3, 6:00 p.m. at Congregation Solel Temple Jeremiah's 2017 Golder Interfaith Initiative: "Race in America: Using Faith to Change the Conversation" with Clarence Page, Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Ivory Tower Terror. Anti-Semitism on Campus: A Special Joint Presentation with Dr. Raheel Raza, President, Council for Muslims Facing Tomorro, and Professor Steven H. Resnicoff, DePaul College of Law & Director of its Center for Jewish Law & Judaic Studies. Sunday, May 7 at 11:30 a.m. Bridges of Hope: Faithful Response to Mental Health Challenges, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. Grief & The Family: Finding Balance After Loss May 18 at 7:00 p.m. Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Gettleman at National Lewis University Thursday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. Hevreh of Adult Jewish Learners July 19-23  Upcoming OSRUI Programs for Adults, Youth, & Families

Beth Emet The Free Synagogue 1224 Dempster Street  Evanston, IL 60201                                                    847-869-4230

If you do not wish to receive this email, please contact us. If you use the unsubscribe button, you will no longer receive any emails from Beth Emet.

CONTACT US