Join us for
Shabbabaque:
"Blue Jean" Shabbat
Friday, May 31st
BBQ Dinner - 6:00 PM
Informal Service by the Lake - 7:00 PM
Meet our new Cantorial Soloist
Heather Aranyi!
Cost - $10.75 per person
Casual Cuisine Catered by Michaels
Please mail your payment to
B'nai Torah, 2789 Oak Street, Highland Park, IL 60035
Tables & chairs will be provided but feel free
to bring a blanket if you like!
Please RSVP to Dori at dori@BnaiTorahHighlandPark.org by Wednesday, May 29th.
Anyone?
Join us on Wednesday, July 24th
for an afternoon of fun in the sun!
Everyone invited! Past, present & future members
and their guests—men and women of all ages.
Details to come.
If interested, please email one of the following by May 24th.
Dori at dori@BnaiTorahHighlandPark.org,, Steve Adler, jsa2765@adlers.org,
Kent Jaffe, dandy08lion@gmail.com, Howard Walton, homawa@comcast.net,
or Carl Spielman, carlspielman@yahoo.com
BT Feeding the Homeless Project
Please join us on Sunday, June 2 at 4:30 PM
Adults, Families, Kids - Everyone is invited to participate in B'nai Torah's Feeding the Homeless Project on Sunday, June 2 at 4:30 PM. We will be assembling dinner and bag lunches once again for the PADS Family Center Shelter. The Family Center is the only year-round unrestricted shelter for families with children in the area providing shelter all day/every day.
We need food donations and volunteers to help prepare the lunches and dinner. Volunteers who wish to stay to help deliver and serve at the shelter in Waukegan will drive there at 5:30 PM as a group.
If you can donate food items and/or volunteer your time, please contact Ellen Stafman - 847-948-7082 or eastaf40@aol.com. We really need your help and we are going to have fun doing something wonderful for others!
Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel
A Message in the Aftermath of the Bombings at the Boston Marathon
April 16, 2013
Dear Friends,
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the community in Boston who suffered from the bombings during the Boston Marathon yesterday. We pray for strength, healing and wholeness for the families of the victims, the injured and everyone that was touched in some manner by this horrific tragedy.
Most importantly, we want you to know that we at Congregation B'nai Torah are here for you - however you may need us at this time:
If you or someone you love or know was in Boston yesterday at the time of the explosions, please let us know.
If you, your children or anyone in your family would like to talk about what happened yesterday, please call us - we are here for you. 847-433-7100, rabbisobel@BnaiTorahHighlandPark.org.
We don't have all the answers, but there is tremendous power in the connection of community. There is strength and comfort in the loving embrace of family and friends. Chicago/Highland Park and Boston become one community when we reach out in support and friendship.
Our greater Reform Movement, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) has prayers/resources on two of its websites (Prayers/Readings in Times of Disaster and Tragedy):
URJ: http://urj.org//life/community//?syspage=article&item_id=17860
http://www.reformjudaism.org/blog-tags/current-events
Watch the URJ homepage for updated resource material: www.urj.org
I would like to conclude with a final reflective prayer by my friend and colleague,
Rabbi Joe Black:
A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing
By Rabbi Joe Black
Our God who dwells in the highest heights and in the souls of our feet:
We find You in the passion of those who delight in testing and celebrating the power of their bodies:
The runners who push themselves to find new challenges in the rhythm of the road and the camaraderie of the race;
The doctors, medics, police, fire fighters and bystanders whose dedication to humanity drives them to run into the fray - towards the bruised and bloodied bodies in the streets.
On this day of destruction, we need to remember that the race is not for the swift - there is no finish line for those who seek a better world.
Neither bombs, nor blood, not death, nor destruction can deter us from running, O God.
We run to You.
We run towards a vision of perfection that is always in our sights.
We run determined to never allow hatred to obscure Your presence.
We run to build a better world.
Be with those who have lost loved ones on this tragic day.
Send comfort and healing to the injured and the maimed.
Heal them - heal us all - body and soul - as we strive to find You.
Give us hope.
Help us to use our arms, our legs, our breath, our determination to unite in a common purpose.
In our grief may we find the strength to keep on running.
AMEN
Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel
Senior Rabbi
Congregation B'nai Torah
2789 Oak Street
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-433-7100, ext 246
RabbiSobel@BnaiTorahHighlandPark.org
A Note from Rabbi Michael Sommer and Andy Lask - 4-12-2013
Dear B'nai Torah Congregants:
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you an update from Rabbi Sommer concerning his son Sam.
Dear friends:
Last week Sam, now 7, relapsed with his leukemia. This morning Sam was once again admitted to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. He had minor surgery today to have a central line installed again in order to faciliate the constant administering of fluids, pain medication and his chemo therapy. We believe he will have two month long rounds of chemo therapy leading up to a bone marrow transplant. We will have many more details on the blog in the near future.
The link to the blog is: http://supermansamuel.
Phyllis and I along with our children David, Sam, Yael and Solly thank you for the outpouring of emails and messages we received over the weekend. A meal calendar is being coordinated by Rabbi Lowenstein of Am Shalom, our own Rabbi Sobel and Rabbi Geffen of North Shore Congregation Israel.
With eternal gratitude,
Rabbi Michael Sommer
Once again, anyone who wishes to correspond can forward all letters directly to:
Rabbi Michael Sommer
B'nai Torah
2789 Oak St
HIghland Park, IL 60035.
I know Rabbi Michael takes some measure of solace in knowing he has the love and support of the B'nai Torah community, and that we will do whatever is necessary to accommodate and assist the family to help them during this challenging period in their lives.
Sincerely,
Andy
CLICK ON BOOK TO VIEW OUR NEW
WINTER 2013 PROGRAMS!
Please join Cantor Lynda Dresher!
Mindfulness Meditation
Tuesday nights
7-8:30 PM in the Shapiro Library
Members & Non-Members welcome!
Free of charge
CANTOR LYNDA'S LATEST CD
"ONE HEART"
is available on OYSONGS.COM
View it on the newest CD front page
Listen to each track and share with friends.
May it bring your love, peace & joy.
Donate to the Israel Terror Relief Fund
Though a cease-fire has gone into effect, many Israelis have already been impacted by the violence that swept southern and central Israel last week. The Israel Terror Relief Fund has made up to $5 million available to address the most critical needs in Israel: trauma counseling, financial assistance, portable bomb shelters, and potentially other initiatives including bringing children in the strike zones out of harm’s way.
Please click on the link below to help donate to this fund.
secure-fedweb.jewishfederations.org/page/contribute/help-israel-now
Dear Fellow Congregants,
We are heading into a year in which we will be redefining who we are as a congregation under the leadership of Rabbi Sharon Sobel and Rabbi Michael Sommer. Fortunately, we are also entering a year filled with the promise of renewed hope for the future of our congregation. It is our connections to one another that will help us all work together to grow as a community.
The first few steps on the road ahead will be welcoming Rabbi Sobel into our congregation, getting to know her and helping her get to know us and our community. To help facilitate this process, the Board has established a Transition Committee. Volunteers on this committee are focused on planning and facilitating events that will provide opportunities for meaningful interactions between Rabbi Sobel and our members as well as finding ways to introduce her to the community at large beyond B'nai Torah. Initially, we will be organizing volunteers to help Rabbi Sobel get settled in her new home in mid-July. Next, we are planning a variety of events at B'nai Torah as well as at homes of members and community venues during the remainder of the summer. Our work will then continue throughout the year. It is our hope to offer all of the members of our congregation a variety of opportunities to meet and interact with our entire clergy team of Rabbi Sobel, Rabbi Sommer, Rabbi Persin and Cantor Dresher while reconnecting with one another.
Of course, we could use all the help we can get with this endeavor and so we invite anyone interested in helping with the work of the Transition Committee to reach out to one of us and let us know how you would like to help. Maybe you would like to help organize or host one of the events we are planning (or one we haven't even thought of yet), maybe you would like to bring Rabbi Sobel a meal during her first few weeks in her new home, maybe you would like to attend a local event with Rabbi Sobel and introduce her to a group with which you are affiliated, maybe you would like to help out with communications or serve on the Transition Committee. Please check out the list of summer events we are planning at this point and let us know how you'd like to participate.
Please know that the most important way that each member of our congregation can assist with this transition is to participate and get involved in the events that are planned. Come and meet Rabbi Sobel while reconnecting with one another in the process. Help us to bring our congregation together so we can move forward as a sacred community that nurtures one another throughout our lives.
We hope to see you or hear from you soon!
Your B'nai Torah Transition Committee,
Steve Adler (jsa2765@adlers.org)
Sharen Berman (bybabe16@sbcglobal.net)
Adam Blonsky (ablonsky@coyleasset.com)
Lorena Blonsky (Lorena@lmbassociates.com)
Amy Borsand (aebor@aol.com)
Helene Gelberg (gelberg.helene@gmail.com)
Russ Gelberg (Russ.Gelberg@53.com)
Tricia Goldfarb (pagoldfarb@comcast.net)
Mitchell Hoffman (mlhoffman22@gmail.com)
Sara Hoffman (saramax58@gmail.com )
Theresa Jaffe (theresajaffe@comcast.net)
Amy Lask (amylask@comcast.net)
Andy Lask (andylask@comcast.net)
Merle Lask (sales@rossnut.com)
Ellen Levine (ellenjlevine@hotmail.com )
Matt Sands (sandsmatt@me.com)
Suzanne Sands (sandssuzanne@gmail.com )
Carol Spielman (carolspielman@comcast.net)
Marc Tepper (MCSLTD@aol.com)
Danny Wilk (dannyw@wilkinsurance.com)
Joyce Witt (classwit@aol.com)
Laurie Wolf (lauriewolf1@comcast.net )
The rest of our Clergy Team (from left to right):
Rabbi Anne Persin, Rabbi Michael Sommer, Cantor Lynda Dresher
