INSIDE THIS ISSUE Special Event .............................................. 2 President’s Message.................................. 3 Lox Box ....................................................... 4 Megillah Mania............................................ 5 Q&A/CBS Staff........................................... 6 Legacy Society............................................ 7 Shabbat at CBS .......................................... 8 Youth/B’nai Mitzvah ................................. 9 Religious School ...................................... 10 Purim Carnival ......................................... 11 CBS U/Adult Ed/HAZAK ...................... 12 Keruv Korner .......................................... 13 Sisterhood........................................... 14-15 Men’s Club .......................................... 16-17 CBS Connections.................................... 18 CBS FUNraiser/CBS de Mayo ............. 19 JCFS ............................................................ 20 Birthdays/Anniversaries ......................... 21 Milestones ................................................. 22 Yahrzeits ................................................... 23 Donations ........................................... 24-25 Ads ........................................................ 26-27 Service and Candle Lighting ................. 28 Rabbi ................................................... Aaron Melman Cantor ..................................................Steven Stoehr Assistant Rabbi ..................................... Ari Averbach Executive Director ............................ Michael Garlin Director of Jewish Life & Learning ................................................. Leann Blue Director of Education .......................... Stacy Ybarra Ritual Director ............. Cantor Raquel P. Gershon Director of Youth & Young Family Engagement................ Matt Rissien Controller ......................................... Susan Karlinsky President .........................................Debbie Solomon Sisterhood President..........................Leatte Gelfeld Men’s Club President ................................. Dan Sher USY President .............................. Rebecca Jacobson
Rabbi Emeritus .......................................Carl Wolkin Executive Director Emeritus .................................... Harvey Gold, FSA z’l Director of Education Emeritus ................... Rabbi Sander J. Mussman, RJE SHALOM INFO Shalom is published monthly by Congregation Beth Shalom, 3433 Walters, Northbrook, Illinois 60062-3298 for the exclusive use of its members and staff. All material contained herein is the property of Congregation Beth Shalom.
FEBRUARY 2019 • VOLUME 68 ISSUE 38
FEBRUARY 2019 • VOLUME 68 ISSUE 38
RABBI AVERBACH’S REVELATIONS Rabbi Averbach
As winter rages on, we keep putting coals in the fire, with countless occasions for warmth and growth at Beth Shalom. A few noteworthy programs and opportunities to point out:
We are gearing up for our March of the Living trip. We have a very strong and diverse group to travel to Poland in memory of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and then to celebrate in Israel for Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day). We have started reading books, articles, and watching movies so that we are prepared for the historical information and (more importantly) the emotions of the trip. For those interested in joining, we still have a few spots left on our bus. Through Sulam, a program of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Rabbi Melman, Seth Schrank and I are leading a cohort of emerging leaders, using a variety of methods, including deep dives into Jewish texts, to ensure that CBS continues to be an approachable, welcoming place into the next generation. If this year of learning goes as planned, we hope to continue this with a new team in the future. Our twice-monthly program Shabbat with a Twist, which is a fun Friday morning filled with songs, books, snacks, and braiding challah dough for preschoolers and their grown-ups, keeps expanding, with participants bringing in new friends each time. Together we cover the classics (like “Bim Bam”) and the new hits (like “There’s a Dinosaur Knocking at My Door”), all to the delight of the children. In addition to singing and hearing a story, they learn to socialize, play instruments, and feel comfortable with our clergy. And a final note about the refugee family we helped sponsor. Hassan, the father, is reading and writing English, and he has a fulltime job. Minara, the mother, and their son Anoos are making progress as well. More importantly, our community has stepped up in incredible ways. More than 100 people have donated goods to help set up their apartment, and twenty people have gone to visit them to help them get acclimated and show them around. It is not an easy process, but it is meaningful and holy work for CBS. This month they will be able to start paying their own rent, and our goal is for them to be on their own by April. With all that is going on here, it is certain to be a busy few months, filled with the warmth of our community.