Comprehensive Weekly Newsletter
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 / 18 Tevet 5782

Beth Emet Offices Closed on Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31.
Should you need to reach someone, please call the Beth Emet afterhours line (847-869-4230 x 4).
Missed Friday's D'var Torah?
Rewatch (or catch up on) D'var Torah by Rabbi Amy Memis-Foler, from Friday, December 17.
Did You Know….
Missed a past EmetMail and want to catch up on something special? Check out the archives on our new website!
In the BE Family
Send Us Your News!
Beth Emet has so many amazing members, each offering unique talents to the greater community. Share your news with all of us so we can both celebrate and get to know one another a bit better…. Especially during these (mostly) virtual times. Send your news to Bekki Kaplan, and if possible, please include a photo!
Thalia Selch, Oliver Seder, and Daniel Durango-Cohen Hard at Work on Student-Run Theatre

For the past few months, Thalia Selch, Oliver Seder, and Daniel Durango-Cohen (not pictured) have been hard at work on YAMO, Evanston Township High School's student-run theatre showcase. The show was fantastic and hilarious. Thalia and Oliver did behind the scenes work on props and costumes, and Daniel played piano in the band. Congrats on a great show!
Congregational Opportunities
Dayenu Circle
TONIGHT, December 22 at 7:30 pm
Do you want to get involved with Dayenu, a fast-growing Jewish advocacy group calling for bold climate action? Consider attending the next meeting of the newly launched Beth Emet Dayenu Circle. Be part of our planning process for the coming year and help increase our impact as Jewish voices come together through Dayenu Circles. Collectively, our circles from coast to coast will demand policies from our lawmakers that will get us on track for improving environmental health and justice for generations to come.
RSVP to Sharon Smaller.
Kabbalat Shabbat Babayit: Services, Movie & Chinese Food
Friday, December 24 at 6:30 pm
No In-Person Services
Welcome Shabbat from the comfort of your own home with this abbreviated 30 minute Kabbalat Shabbat service.

Following services, in the wonderful tradition at this time of year of having Chinese food and watching a movie, heat up (or order) your favorite Chinese dinner, find your favorite cozy blanket, and settle down for a night of fun. We will be showing "Keeping the Faith," a movie about two friends, a priest and a rabbi, who fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance.
Kahal Shabbat Morning Service
Saturday, December 25 at 9:30 am
No In-Person Services
Please note, Kahal will not be meeting in-person this Saturday (a change from what was previously advertised). We look forward to worshiping together on Zoom.
Zoom Link-Ph: 312-626-6799 | Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772 | Passcode: 1224
Kabbalat Shabbat Babayit
Friday, December 31 at 6:30 pm
No In-Person Services
Welcome Shabbat from the comfort of your own home with this abbreviated 30 minute Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Zoom Link-Ph: 312-626-6799 | Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772 | Passcode: 1224
Make Your End of Year Donation to the Mitzvah Appeal and Add Your Name Here
A special thank you to all those who have made a commitment to this year’s annual campaign. We are 75% towards our goal of $250,000. If you have not yet contributed, your gift, no matter the amount, gets us closer to meeting our goal and ensuring that we continue to support all that Beth Emet has to offer. Every donation counts!  
Support the Mitzvah Appeal Campaign and Check Out an Annual Favorite
DC 2022 Spotlight: Brunch with U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky
Sunday, January 9 at 10:00 am
Suggested Minimum Pledge: $36 per Zoom link.
Grab your bagel or your favorite brunch dish and Zoom in as Jan updates us about what is happening in the ever-changing political landscape in Washington. This is the final event in our Mitzvah Appeal 2021-2022 campaign.
Young Family Programs
Jamberry Music with Nicole Jaworski Now on Wednesdays!
Starting Wednesday, January 26 at 9:30 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! Masks for everyone 2+, and social distancing, will be expected. Class will be held on Zoom if conditions change. This program will continue through March 2 from 9:30-10:15 am at Beth Emet Synagogue.
The fee per family is $90.00. Please register here.
Gan Yom Rishon
Starting Sunday January 9 from 9:30 -11:00 am
Gan Yom Rishon is an interactive class for children ages 3-5, with a parent/caregiver, that meets on Sunday mornings in-person at Beth Emet this winter.

6 Sessions: January 9 - February 13.
4 Sessions: February 27, March 6, March 20, and March 27 (and the Purim Carnival on 3/13!)

Each week we’ll experience Judaism through music, art, cooking, and yoga. Gan Yom Rishon is also open to non-members. Register Here
Social Justice
Sign Up to Volunteer at the Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen continues to provide take-away meals every Wednesday evening. We rely on a small onsite adult team with many volunteers making part of the meal at home. Volunteer dates are now available for the last few weeks in December, January, and February. This includes adults available to help onsite 4:00 - 5:30 pm, and those interested in helping make either sack lunches, a large salad, or nut-free desserts at home, and delivering them to Beth Emet on the scheduled date. Cost of groceries is about $35 for 20 lunches and $20 for a large salad. Please let us know your interest in helping out, and we'll find you an open date and provide the shopping list and/or instructions.  
Walk for Warmth is Back!
Monday, January 17, 2022 at 11:00 am
Join Beth Emet’s team in support of Interfaith Action of Evanston’s third annual Walk for Warmth and help raise funds to support the Emergency Overnight Shelter and the Warming Centers. Interfaith Action has expanded its services, extending the dates for the overnight shelter and the hours for our Warming Center and we need your help to sustain these efforts. On MLK Day of Service 2022, join us in the fight against homelessness and hunger in our community. Let’s carry on Dr. King’s legacy and continue his fight for economic, social, and racial justice. Teams will meet at the Hinman entrance of the First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St, Evanston, IL 60201 in Evanston, at 11:00 am to walk a two-mile circuit of eight of the IAE overnight shelter sites.

This is a family-friendly event and people of all ages are welcome to show their compassion by walking all or part of the route. To join Beth Emet’s team, or to donate in support of our team, click here. In keeping with Beth Emet's COVID protocols, we will be wearing masks outside as well as inside.

Contact Leslie Shulruff with any questions
Beth Emet Co-Sponsors Afghan Refugee Family
Beth Emet will be supporting the relocation of a refugee family to Chicago from Afghanistan. They are a family of six: Two adults and four kids, age 18 months to 7 years old, who will be living in the West Rogers Park neighborhood. They could arrive as soon as January 10th! Help is needed from the Beth Emet community to furnish their apartment by donating or purchasing items from our wishlists. If you'd like to join the volunteer committee supporting these efforts, contact Alison Finkel.
Lifelong Learning
Adult Education
No Class: A Close Look at Torah with Rabbi Andrea London
Class will not be held on Fridays, December 24, or 31 and will resume on January 7, 2022.
Current Politics With David Zarefsky
Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 pm
A continuing lecture-discussion class on contemporary public issues of interest to Jews as citizens. Special attention will be given to the policy and political issues facing the Biden administration.
No fee for members; non-member fee $10

David Zarefsky is the Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, specializing in argumentation and the analysis and criticism of American political discourse. He is a former president of the National Communication Association, the Rhetoric Society of America, and the Central States Communication Association. In 2012 he received the Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award from the National Communication Association. David is a past president of Beth Emet.
The Missing Hand, Book Discussion with Author Susan Van Dusen
Wednesday, January 19 at 7:00 pm
Author and Beth Emet member Susan Van Dusen will join us for an exciting book discussion on her novel, The Missing Hand, a cozy mystery which follows the rules of no sex, no swearing, no violence, but lots of fun and fright.
 
Van Dusen has been a teacher in Chicago and Jerusalem, award-winning editorial director of WBBM Radio, magazine and newspaper writer. Author of four children’s books, three on the history of Skokie, and is a founder of “Coming Together in Skokie,” a project to bring diverse cultures together.
 
A valuable heirloom has been stolen. Grievous sins of the past have pushed their way into the present. Murder and ill-gotten gains from World War II Bohemis threaten the peaceful Jewish community of Crestfall, Illinois. We encourage you to read the book prior to the zoom program, as this is a mystery (we don't want to spoil it for anyone!). Copies of the book can be purchased at the Synagogue, The Book Stall in Winnetka, or ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target.
Abayudaya: Music, Judaism, and Community in Uganda
Sunday, February 6 at 10:00 am
Music is central to the Abayudaya, a Jewish community in eastern Uganda, and unites the different synagogues there as it allows them to express their unique voices. Musicologist Amanda Ruppenthal Stein, Ph.D. will offer us a glimpse of the importance of music in ritual and daily life for this flourishing part of klal Yisrael. She will share studio and field recordings, including Psalm singing in Luganda, the Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region; it is the core repertoire of the Abayudaya liturgy. 

Amanda Ruppenthal Stein, Ph.D. is lecturer in music at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a recent graduate of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where she was also the Crown Graduate Fellow of the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies. In 2019, Amanda traveled twice to Uganda to conduct fieldwork in collaboration with a solidarity mission and recording project of the Cantors Assembly, celebrating 100 Years of the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda.
Community Programs
Kwanza Storytelling with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre and Evanston Public Library:
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story and Festival Celebration
Sunday, December 26 from 2:00-4:00 pm
This year’s City of Evanston’s Kwanzaa Celebration will include local artists, a family art and crafts area, West African Community Drum Circle lead by Evanston’s Tony Garrett, a contemporary West African Dance performance, and a beautiful storytelling presentation of Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearisadapted and narrated by nationally renowned storyteller, Dr. Stephanie Davenport, member of ASE, The Chicago Association of Black Storytellers. The entire family will enjoy celebrating the first day of Kwanzaa with other Evanston families.
Please note: This will follow the Fountain Square Kwanzaa Kinara Lighting at 12:00 pm.
The Kwanzaa Storytelling Event is FREE to the public, but you must RSVP to attend.
Special Early Childhood Incentive
For the 2022–23 school year, JUF Right Start is expanding its existing incentive program to provide additional dollars for families receiving the full Child Tax Credit. Families who qualify could save up to $7,200 on a Jewish early childhood program. Learn more here.
Bringing In 2022 with You!
Sunday, January 2 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Bernard Weinger JCC in Northbrook
Celebrate the new year with your family at Bernard Weinger JCC. Round out your winter break in style with s’mores, indoor games, swimming and a flick n’ float (watch cartoons while floating in the pool!) This FREE program is for ages 5 and up.
Save the Date: The Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest
January 10-14, 2022
The 2022 Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest will be centered around investing in solutions – focusing on how our values can be expressed through our personal, professional, communal, organizational and societal investments – and shifting away from systems, practices and ways of thinking that perpetuate climate destruction and inequity. This year’s Festival is full of practical and informative workshops on how each person in the Jewish community can take action for our climate. Sessions will be on Zoom, streaming on Facebook, and Instagram Live.

Follow our social channels to get updates, access to archives and much more. You can find more info about the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest at www.jewishclimatefest.org. More details, including the full schedule of Festival programming, will be coming soon!
Educational Scholarship Funds by Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicag0
Application deadline February 1, 2022
Educational scholarship funds from grants administered by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago are now available for Jewish college and graduate students for the 2022-2023 academic year! Approximately $350,000 in total is available each year to be allocated accordingly for full-time students with financial need who are pursuing careers primarily in the helping professions. Awards range up to $4,000 and may be renewable. Make sure you check out the Faye Goldfarb Tatel Memorial Scholarship Fund, awarded to one Jewish female college and post-graduate student in the field of math education.
For more information and/or to apply, please visit our website.