August 4, 2022
5 Av, 5782
Reserve your High Holiday tickets today
Learn with our Rabbi and Cantor as well

Rabbi Aron Wolgel is excited to return to Chicago Loop Synagogue after leading us in ruach-filled Yom Kippur Services last year. A graduate of Brandeis University and the Pardes Educators Program in Jerusalem, he incorporates creative education strategies into his tefilah practice. He received Rabbinic Ordination from Machon Yashrut and is looking forward to bringing a thoughtful blend of tradition and innovation to create meaningful and memorable High Holidays for us all. 
 
Cantor Jonathan Kohan currently serves as Director of the Cantorial Institute at Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano (Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary). After finishing his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires, he graduated as Cantor and Jewish Studies Professor in the Seminary. He is currently a Rabbinical Student in the Seminary, and a Master’s candidate in Jewish Studies at the Hebraica University of Mexico.
 
Early bird tickets (through August 15) are $400 per seat, and after that are $500 per seat. $100 per seat pricing available for students with valid ID and their parents. Discounted parking at the Washington-Madison-Wells Garage (172 W. Madison).
 
To reserve your seats now or contribute to the l’dor v’dor tzedakah fund, click here.  
 
In addition, Rabbi Wolgel and Cantor Kohan will be teaching two classes each (all classes on Thursdays at 7:00 PM on Zoom).
 
Rabbi Aron Wolgel will be teaching:
 
Making Meaning from the Machzor - without
knowing the words
Thursday, September 8, 2022
 
Navigating the High Holiday services can feel like a daunting task. In this session, we will examine the machzor's layout and structure to unlock deeper understandings for approaching this awe-inspiring time. We will utilize tools and techniques that can be applied during services to enhance our prayer experience.
 
Who Will Live and Who Will Pray? - An in depth look at the central prayers of the High Holidays
Thursday, September 22, 2022
 
The Unetaneh Tokef prayer contains the refrain "On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed." Through a close reading of the text, we will explore how context and literary devices are used to evoke powerful emotion. We will also examine the idea of being "written" and "sealed" as it applies daily.
 
Cantor Jonathan Kohan will be teaching:
 
What makes a good Hazzan? Classic and modern Jewish thoughts about the art of the Cantor
Thursday, September 1, 2022
 
A good voice? A pious heart? Religious literacy? From the very beginning of synagogues, what it takes to lead a Jewish religious service has been a matter of debate. In this session, we will discover how for centuries Rabbis and Cantors have tried to develop the ultimate "perfect Hazzan" checklist.
 
Prayer in song: How music enhances our High Holidays Experience
Thursday, September 15, 2022
 
While music has a very important role in Jewish life, High Holidays melodies are particularly vital to achieve a deeper intellectual and emotional connection to the transcendence of the High Holidays. In this session, we will explore the strong connections between music and text that are the basis of some of the most popular melodies of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

To RSVP for these classes, click here.
Rabbi Aron Wolgel
Cantor Jonathan Kohan
Yizkor Memorial Tributes
 
Remember and honor your loved ones with a tribute in our Yom Kippur Yizkor Memorial Book, which will be distributed to the congregation at High Holiday services.
 
The names of your family or friends will be listed and remembered at Yizkor services on Thursday, September 16. ($18 up to 3 names, $36 for 4 or more).
 
Yizkor Tzedakah has traditionally been given in order to elevate the souls of the departed - and to enhance our personal atonement by doing a deed of loving kindness.
 
Please fulfill this tradition by clicking here if you are interested.
 
The deadline for tribute placements is Thursday, September 15 at 4:00 PM.
Join us as we visit Israel!
As COVID has relaxed and society is returning to normal, how about joining Chicago Loop Synagogue on a custom trip to Israel?

Right now we’re developing an itinerary, pricing and dates, and we’re looking for interested people who might want to go. If we band together as a congregation, we can get discounts on hotels and tours, plus upgrades on a lot of our events. Let us know if you’re interested and we can make it work!

For more information, click here.
Next Week's Service Schedule
Reservations required for all services
 
Visitors must show proof of vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours of the visit.

Masks optional.
 
For those who are driving, due to construction there is no parking in front of our building on Clark Street for the foreseeable future, so please allow extra time to arrive. If street parking isn’t available elsewhere, remember that we have discounted parking at the Washington-Madison-Wells Garage at 172 W. Madison.

For more information or to RSVP, click here.
This week, our members received notice of
two new programs!
 
If you didn’t get it, maybe you’re not a member. Why?

To make it easier for everyone to find the information they need, we are sending nonmembers a free abbreviated ebulletin focused exclusively on Loop events. If you want to keep up with what’s going on in the larger community by receiving our full eblast, simply join us today by clicking here!
Sunday, August 7, 2022
11:30 AM

For Tisha B’ Av, the Warsaw Ghetto Museum invites you to a real time walking tour of the first excavations of Mila 18/20 after 80 years.
 
Anielewicz's bunker at 18 Miła Street – a bunker that no longer exists – was located at the corner of Miła and Dubois Streets in Warsaw's Muranów district. After heavy fighting during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the fighters of the Jewish Combat Organization had hidden there. On May 8, 1943, they were surrounded by the Germans. In a hopeless situation and without ammunition, they did not want to surrender to the enemy and several dozen of them committed suicide – together with their leader Mordechaj Anielewicz.
 
Since the beginning of June 2022, the Warsaw Ghetto Museum has been conducting excavations near the former bunker in the neighborhood of Miła – Dubois – Niska – Karmelicka streets in Warsaw's Muranów district. The research in Miła Street could be an important element of teaching about the history of the ghetto in the future and contribute to changing our knowledge about the history of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
 
The Warsaw Ghetto Museum together with Archeologist Jacek Konik in conversation with Michael Traison will broadcast live from the site of the excavations.
 
The interview will be conducted in English, with a simultaneous interpreting into Polish. It will take place via Zoom.

To watch, click here.
 
Co-sponsored by Chicago Loop Synagogue, Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation, the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities the Standard Club of Chicago and the Warsaw Ghetto Museum.
The Discussion

Tuesday, August 9, 2022
5:30 PM

Express yourself in “The Discussion,” a lay-led zoom group that will examine an article and critique it.
 
We will discuss the article from Tablet Magazine: "The Nazi Roots of Islamist Hate" by Jeffery Herf.

To read the article, click here.

To RSVP, click here.
Brunch and Learn with Renan Sugarman
Sunday, August 14, 2022
11:00 AM

Enjoy your Sunday morning lox, bagel and coffee virtually with Renan Sugarman via Zoom as he goes over the Torah portion of the week and other texts.

Classes meet one Sunday per month at 11 AM.

To RSVP, please click here.
Book Club Meeting - The Netanyahus
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
5:30 PM - Online via Zoom
 
Zoom link will be provided to those who register.

Please RSVP by emailing [email protected]. 
Shofar – Sho Good! Learn how to blow the Shofar with Mark Grant

Thursday, September 8, 2022
5:30 PM

While every Jew is commanded to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, we’re not all required to learn how to blow one. But for those wanting to give their lungs the ultimate workout, Mark Grant, our Senior Shofar Blower, will show you (and your family and friends), how to perform this valuable skill. Help us pass this experience L’dor V’dor – from generation to generation!

If you would like to order a shofar, Rosenblum’s is offering attendees a 10% discount. Click here for more information.

This event will take place on Zoom, so get your shofar and log on. We guarantee you will have a blast!

To RSVP, contact us by clicking here.
Connect with an Emotional Support Professional
 
The JCFS Chicago Warm Line phone connection is open. This line is available to provide assistance to anyone affected by the Highland Park shooting who does not have an urgent need and is looking for someone to talk to about their emotional distress.

Call the warm line to connect to an emotional support professional between 9:00 am and 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am and 4:00 PM Fridays at (855) 275-5237.
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