1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

JANUARY 2014 | VOLUME 42, NUMBER 5
INSIDE
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein
2
Cantor Andrea Rae Markowicz
3
Executive Director Edward Alpert
4
President Mark Burnstine
5
It’s a Social Action Shabbat
honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Soul Children of
Chicago
Walt Whitman’s
Director of Education Judi Berliner
6
With Appreciation
8
Youth Group Events
8
Library News
10
We Remember, We Celebrate
11
Calendar
NEW! Removable insert — put it up
on the wall, and don’t miss a single
event at Am Shalom!
Many Doors,
One Congregation.
Rabbi David Ellenson
plus Guest Speaker
former President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
St. Paul AME Church Choir
Additional music from the
Am Shalom Ruach Choir
and the
Friday, January 17
@ 6:30 p.m.
followed by a “soulful” Shabbat dinner!
Opening Doors to
ourselves * our loved ones
* our community *our world
* God
$11 per person for dinner
RSVP for dinner online @ amshalom.com, or call Gia at (847) 835-4800
Am Shalom’s mission, as a Reform congregation, is to engage, enlighten, embrace and educate
our members in ways that build a sense of community, while respecting individual forms of
expression and belief. We seek to explore our Jewish roots, awareness and values, and enrich the
spiritual lives of our members, while serving humanity through social action.
Am Shalom is proud to be a member of the Union for Reform Judaism.
FROM THE DESK OF RABBI
STEVEN STARK LOWENSTEIN
As a community our hearts are breaking. At a time like this we help each
other cry. The death of Samuel Asher Sommer at age eight is a drastic
reversal of the natural order. This just shouldn’t be. The tears keep
flowing like a faucet. They just will not stop. Washington Irving once
wrote:
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are
not the mark of weakness, but of power.
They speak more eloquently than ten
thousand tongues.
They are the
messengers of
overwhelming
grief, of deep
contrition, and of
unspeakable love.”
So here we are, our
eyes filled with
tears, our hearts
heavy with sadness, to share our grief,
and our deepest love.
We are desperate to make some sense
out of it all. But nothing about Sam’s
illness, or what the Sommer family has
had to endure makes any sense.
Tradition teaches us that Aaron was
silent when he heard of the death of his
sons, but we can’t be silent.
As a Rabbi, I could not be more
gratified by the community that we
have built here at Am Shalom and the
love that this community exhibited to
Rabbi Phyllis, her family, and to each
other. Before the funeral, Rabbi Phyllis
asked me to
read a series
of her
thoughts
thanking the
many people
who have
helped them
2
through this eighteen month journey.
On the top of that list was Am Shalom.
She wrote:
“Am Shalom — I can't possibly ever
thank our community for all that they
have done for us, and I can't be prouder
of our synagogue. Calls and emails and
cards and packages and gifts and meals,
oh the meals, and Facebook messages
and fundraisers and sweet notes from
our students … the hugs, the squeezes,
the full embrace of this synagogue … I
cannot imagine a rabbi who has ever
felt such love as this. A special thank
you to the Board as well, for
understanding and caring. To the Am
Shalom staff — you are my family. I
can't imagine how this would have gone
without knowing you were all behind
me and with me. Knowing that there
was a team behind me, always … I am
eternally grateful.”
There is no doubt fear and pain are part
of the journey that we all travel. The
courage to speak and to articulate
helped make us better individuals and
will continue to make our community
even stronger. There is no doubt that,
in Sam’s death, we all share the same
feelings of pain, hurt, devastation and
angst; but the dignified way the
Sommer family continues to teach us
will lift us even higher. Like so many,
my faith may have been challenged. I
too have had more questions than
answers, BUT my
belief in the
power of God’s
community has
never wavered.
The outpouring
of love and
support is what
we carry with us
each and every
day. At the end of the book of Samuel
it is written, “And Samuel died; and all
Israel gathered together.” We gathered
for the funeral. We gathered for the
shiva. We gathered to donate to the
Sam Sommer Fund. We gathered to
support a colleague and friend. But
what is most important, is that we
remain together, and walk this path as a
community. No one can grieve alone.
My eight year old friend, Sam Sommer,
wanted to do something amazing … I
think for our community and for so
many others, he already has.
Give us the courage and strength to
reach out across the abyss of grief and
grasp the
hands we need
to hold.
May his
memory be
forever a
blessing.
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
FROM THE DESK OF CANTOR
ANDREA RAE MARKOWICZ
Pitchu Li Sha’arei… Live Streaming!
Beginning in January, we are thrilled to announce that Am Shalom will
begin live streaming sanctuary services and life cycle events. With this
new technological endeavor, Am Shalom creates a new virtual door for
many in our area and worldwide to access services and ceremonies in
our sanctuary.
• Perhaps you are unable to physically
come to Am Shalom?
• Perhaps your flight was grounded
due to inclement weather?
• Perhaps you live far away and can’t
come to a loved one’s simcha?
• Perhaps you are out of town, but
really want to hear the Rabbi’s sermon?
• Perhaps your loved ones live in far
away place, but still want to hear their
relative in the Ruach Youth Choir or
the Adult Choir sing on Shabbat?
• Perhaps you want to sing along with
the Cantor to get yourself into the
Shabbat mood while you’re lighting the
Shabbat candles?
By no means will live streaming replace
the feeling of community we experience
when we are physically together, but it
can aid in bringing us just a bit closer.
As a point of information, when a
service is streamed, we will have a sign
outside our sanctuary indicating so.
Streaming will be accessible, including
archival services, through Am Shalom’s
website at: www.amshalom.com.
Special thanks go to the
Communications Task Force and our
Board of Trustees for enabling us to
move forward with this project, and our
Executive Director, Ed Alpert for his
efforts in organizing our service
provider and equipment.
STREAMING HAS ARRIVED
(“JUST THE FAQs!” FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
Streaming? Streamed? What exactly does that mean?
This means that individuals unavailable or unable to attend these sanctuary
events will be able to view them live and/or archived on the internet via the
Am Shalom website. It is our hope that this will be a tremendous benefit,
especially when far-off relatives and friends, who are unable to make the trip
in person, can still be “present” for these services.
What if I want to attend a service, but don’t want my face to be streamed all
over the internet?
The back three rows of the sanctuary will be the area to sit for those wishing
to minimize streaming appearances.
What if I don’t want my family’s specific life-cycle event to be streamed?
You can always opt out of having a life-cycle event streamed. Just advise
Executive Director Ed Alpert of your wish to do so 24 hours prior to the
event.
Wow! This is awesome! Can I stream my son’s bar mitzvah party in the
Social Hall, too? And will you be streaming High Holy Days services in the
fall?
We are only set up to do streaming from the sanctuary at this time. Should
this change, we will post an update online and in the KOL.
Where do I go online to watch a streamed service?
As of this writing, we are still working out some of the details. BUT, one will
be able come January to access our streaming service by going to the Am
Shalom website at amshalom.com and clicking on the available link.
We hope you enjoy this service. Please feel free to email Executive Director Ed
Alpert ([email protected]) with any additional questions or comments.
Watch the Am Shalom Weekly KOLbytes for details ...
KOL
3
FROM THE DESK OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EDWARD M. ALPERT
“A person should be more concerned with spiritual than with material
matters, but another person’s material welfare is his own spiritual concern.”
Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883)
Rabbi Salanter was the founder of the
Mussar movement, a movement that
placed particular emphasis on ethical
self-improvement. In having the
opportunity recently to review some
sacred texts, I discovered how often our
scholars refer to the importance of us
helping those in need.
In the Babylonian Talmud we learn that
“Charity is equal in importance to all
the other commandments combined.”
In Proverbs 10:2 we learn that “Charity
saves from death.” Our early scholars
originally understood this to mean that
charity saves the donor from an early
death but later scholarship says it
should be interpreted literally, that it
saves the recipient.
What I have learned from our texts is
not only the importance of charity, but
in fact a higher level known as Gemilut
Chesed (loving kindness). Gemilut
Chesed is in fact greater than charity in
three ways. Charity is done with one’s
money while loving kindness may be
done with one’s money and/or with
one’s person. Charity is only given to
those in need while loving kindness may
be given both to the poor and the rich
(for example consoling one who is
depressed or in mourning). Finally,
charity is presumed to be given only to
the living while loving kindness may be
shown to both the living and the dead
(for example by arranging a proper
burial for a person who died indigent).
4
I have been thinking a lot about the
phases of charity and Gemilut Chesed as
they relate to the incredible work being
done at Am Shalom. November, 2013
was one of the most remarkable months
I have seen in terms of charity and
Gemilut Chesed.
The outpouring of support for Sam
Sommer via the Sam Sommer Fund has
been incredible, with donations coming
in from all over the world, including
from many people who do not even
know the Sommer Family. Our Glencoe
Community Garden closed up for the
season having raised close to 2,000
pounds of produce for shelters and food
pantries. Our We Care Committee
continues to lovingly deliver Shabbat
Baskets to those recovering from an
illness or who have suffered a recent
loss. Our monthly Helping the
Homeless program continues with more
and more volunteers turning out each
month to help prepare and deliver
sandwiches. A large quantity of turkeys
was delivered to a new charity we are
supporting, the Midwest Workers
Association, which truly benefits the
poorest of the poor in Chicago. The
annual community Thanksgiving
service at Am Shalom raised canned
goods and money for the New Trier
Food Pantry. I especially want to thank
the dozens upon dozens of volunteers
who prepared and provided food,
clothing and daily necessities for
individuals both at Bethlehem Healing
Church and at Winthrop Harbor.
There are far too many names to
mention (and I am sure I would miss a
few) but the knowledge that so many
Am Shalom members, and especially
children, helped out at these events is
something for which we should all be
proud. When I think of the phrases
charity and Gemilut Chesed I must tell
you that Am Shalom immediately
comes to mind. My thanks and deep
appreciation to everyone in the
congregation who help live up to the
ideals established by our ancestors.
TOT
Come inside for
SHABBAT
Friday, January 3rd
@ 5:15 p.m.
Build happy Jewish memories with
a dose of Tot Shabbat! Introduce your
little ones, ages 0-6, to our special
weekly holiday. Parents, grandparents,
and older siblings are welcome to join
in the celebration!
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT
MARK BURNSTINE
As we welcome 2014 and look forward to all that a new year has to offer,
I would like to take a moment, reflect, and give thanks.
First and foremost, I would like to offer a special thank you to Rabbi
Lowenstein, who has been nothing short of incredible. 2013 was an
extremely challenging year for Am Shalom from a clergy perspective as
we said goodbye to our interim Cantor
Paul Offenkrantz, welcomed our first
full-time ordained Cantor, Andrea
Markowicz, welcomed Rabbi Mandel’s
newest addition, Naomi, and
experienced the highs and lows of
Superman Sam’s gallant fight with
leukemia. Despite everything that
occurred, Steven worked tirelessly to
ensure that all went smoothly at Am
Shalom.
Furthermore, Rabbi Lowenstein showed
us what it means to be a true and
compassionate friend as we watched
him work so hard to make Superman
Sam’s wishes turn into reality. Whether
it was planning trips to Disney World
and Israel, or working with the Village
of Glencoe to bring Sam a magical
fireworks show, Steven was determined
to do everything he could to help Sam
and the Sommer family make every
moment a blessing, and for that, we
collectively say thank you.
As President, I have the opportunity to
work with Rabbi Lowenstein, helping
him fulfill his vision for Am Shalom’s
future. We are so fortunate to have
Rabbi Lowenstein as our spiritual leader
and, because of his hard work and love
of Am Shalom, I can assure you our
future looks bright.
I would like to say thank you to Ed
Alpert, who works so hard to ensure
that every aspect of Am Shalom runs
smoothly. I cannot tell you enough how
fortunate we are to have Ed, who is so
well known and respected in the temple
community, as our Executive Director.
Ed could not weave his magic without
his hardworking, dedicated staff, who
together form the best team in the
country.
A big thank you goes out to Judi
Berliner, an extremely passionate and
devoted educator, and her entire
Education Department for doing a
tremendous job educating both our
youth and adult populations. Judi is
always seeking ways to improve Am
Shalom’s religious and Hebrew schools,
resulting in a relevant and rewarding
student experience. Judi also oversees
Am Shalom’s youth groups, which are
thriving and growing under her
direction.
What would Am Shalom be without
Rabbi Sommer, Rabbi Mandel and
Cantor Markowicz, who together with
Rabbi Lowenstein have elevated our
spiritual experience to a new level
despite being together for only a mere
six months. We are blessed to have
each of you and look forward to many,
many more years together.
the Homeless, working in the Glencoe
Community Garden, volunteering to
deliver High Holy Day care packages, or
serving the needy on Thanksgiving, Am
Shalom’s congregants are always willing
to lead the way and lend a hand. On
behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish
you a happy, healthy 2014, and look
forward to seeing you at Am Shalom.
Fanchon Simons’
HELPI NG
HOMELE SS
THE
Join Us
Sunday, January 19
@ 9:00 a.m.
in the Am Shalom Kitchen
Make sandwiches, pack 400
lunches, drivers needed.
“Release your inner mustard!”
Lastly, I would like to thank the Am
Shalom community. Am Shalom is a
very special place, and one of the biggest
reasons is our congregants. You are
such a warm, caring and generous
group of people whether it be Helping
Watch the Am Shalom Weekly KOLbytes for details ...
KOL
5
FROM THE DESK OF DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
JUDI BERLINER
One of the biggest challenges facing religious schools has always been
retention of students after Bar and Bat Mitzvah. While there are many
reasons for the drop-off in registrations after the seventh grade, here at
Am Shalom we have been making an effort to retain teens. Each year the
eighth through tenth grades are getting larger, if only by one or two
students in each class. In the last few
years we have experienced the largest
Confirmation classes in a number of
years.
Some of things we are doing to keep
your children registered and attending
religious school have been very
successful. Five years ago we received a
one year grant from the Community
Foundation of Jewish Education. We
used the fund to start a Madrachim
(teacher’s assistants) Program. Post bar
and Bat Mitzvah students were invited
to apply to become teacher’s aides in
classrooms and in return receive a small
stipend for each session they worked.
The program began as a small and
informal effort. As more students heard
about it, more applied. As the number
of Madrachim increased, the program
became more sophisticated with formal
training sessions for the applicants as
well as scheduled meetings with
teachers and Sarah Rosenbaum who
runs the entire program. We now have
about 70 students in the Madrachim
Program for religious school and
Hebrew school. It is inspiring to see
these teenagers devote their Wednesday
afternoons and Sunday mornings to
helping at Am Shalom.
Our Youth Group is also growing due
to our dedicated leaders, Sarah
Rosenbaum and Matthew Altman. They
put in many hours creating programs
6
that will appeal to teens and also have
Jewish content and often, a social action
component. We have an active youth
board made up of high school students
and they have represented Am Shalom
at local and national venues. Again, it is
great to see teens spending their spare
time at Am Shalom socializing and
being involved in programs to make the
world better.
Religious school content and
curriculum is also changing at Am
Shalom, making teens want to attend
class. We have invited guest speakers to
classes, introduced award winning
movies with important Jewish content,
and excursions for some classes. The
seventh grade welcomed a renowned
storyteller, Joe Jekot, who told “Life
Lesson” stories from Jewish tradition
and other cultures with drumming and
rhythm. They have also watched award
winning documentaries about Jews in
Africa, prejudice of teens in America
and the Emmy Award-winning
documentary “Promises.” Our eighth
grade came in early one week and made
lunches for the homeless. They boarded
a bus and went to the city to bring the
food to the shelter. All the teens had a
rare opportunity to meet Linda
Coppleson, a female scribe and watch
her write a M’gilat Esther. Grades eight
through ten met with David Kurzmann,
a representative from the ADL, who
presented an interactive program. The
students were asked to write evaluations
of the presentation and David informed
us many of their impressions were
positive. The students appreciated the
program, found it relevant and learned
a lot.
Each month we have a session on
Sunday mornings for postconformation students, eleventh and
twelfth graders taught by Buddy
Schreiber. We now have about eight
students attending this class. Students
who attended the first class in October
continue to return each month. They
really enjoy the class and want to
attend.
Our goal at Am Shalom is retention
after Bar and Bat Mitzvah. There is still
so much to learn and experience after
the age of 13. I hope all parents
encourage their students to remain in
our religious school or work in our
school and be part of our growing
youth program. Am Shalom is a safe
place for all your children and we
welcome them even after Bar and Bat
Mitzvah.
I wish you all well in 2014.
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
February 7, 2014
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Shabb at Servic e featuring The Am Sha lom Ad ult Choir
Come rock Shabbat with us!
6:30pm @AM SH ALOM
840 Vernon Ave, Glen coe, IL 60022
www.amshalom.com / www.sababamusic.com
KOL
7
WITH APPRECIATION
We thank the following for their generous contributions to Am Shalom
In Memory of Reine Ohana
Emily and Michael Perlberg
Laura, Mark, Sadie and Ben Block
In Memory of Phyllis Kiefus
Ravinia Park Place Homeowners
Association
Richard and Joanne Hoffman
Kim, Eric, Jake and Ben Ephraim
Helene and Bob Gerstein
Linda Cameron and Chris Cameron
Herb and Zelda Rogul
In Memory of David Hokin
Rachel, Mark, Adam and Jordan Stein
Sarah Sagan and Family
The Turchik Family
In Memory of Alan Stone
Laura, Mark, Sadie and Ben Block
In Memory of Burton Glazov
The Coplan Family
Julie and Jeff Kaplan
In Memory of Morton Gainer
Judy and Don Norris
Joan Pines
Bobbie and Scott Shore
Michael Blum and Ruth Goodman
Blum
In Memory of Bob Passin
Susan and Bob Davidson
In Honor of Payton Don’s Bar Mitzvah
Hayden Katz
In Honor of Sandra Leavitt’s Birthday
David and Wendy Mutchnik
In Honor of David and Jamie
Friedman’s marriage
Michael and Lee Weisman
In Honor of Ethan Rosen’s Bar Mitzvah
Rachel, Mark, Adam and Jordan Stein
In Honor of Naomi Brooke Mandel
Sharon Morton
In Honor of Austin Anixter’s Bar
Mitzvah
Wasserman Family – Loree, Robbie,
Lindsey, Josh and Boo
In Honor of Richard Basofin and Joan
Zahnle’s Anniversary
Ellyn and Rich Mayer
Normally all donations to
Am Shalom are listed in the
KOL unless requested
otherwise. However, the
outpouring of generosity to
the Sommer family via the
Sam Sommer Fund has
been so overwhelming that
we would have to practically
publish a phonebook to list
all of the names. Please
know that your
contribution is deeply
appreciated, and that you
have truly helped make life
a little easier for the
Sommer family during this
difficult time.
My Three Lives
This month’s Library book discussion:
by
Philip Markowicz
Thursday, January 16 at 9:45 a.m.
Some stories should not be left untold ...
8
JANUARY
YOUTH GROUP
EVENTS
Check out all the great
youth activities happening
at Am Shalom!
Friday, January 10 at
6:30 p.m. thru Saturday,
January 11 at 9:00 a.m.
Rishonim (Grades 2-4)
Shul-In
Sunday, January 12,
2:30-4:00 p.m.
JAmSY
(Grades 7-8)
Xtreme Trampoline
with Beth Am, Temple
Chai, and BJBE
at Xtreme Trampoline in
Buffalo Grove
Monday, January 13
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Tzedek League
(grades 7-12) at
The ARK
Saturday, January 18
Gesher (Grades 5-6)
Comedy Sportz
Comedy Sportz Show and
Dinner in the City. Bus
departs from Am Shalom at
4:30pm.
Questions about any of these awesome
youth group events? Contact Sarah &
Matthew at youthgroups@amshalom!
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
NO CONCEALED
WEAPONS ON PREMISES
At the December 5, 2013 meeting of the Am Shalom
Board of Directors the following resolution was
approved:
Am Shalom
Monday
Night Movie
“Resolved, that in response to the Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act (Public
Act 098-0063), which became law on July 9, 2013, Am Shalom prohibits the
carrying of concealed firearms and other concealed weapons at all times
anywhere on its property. Am Shalom will post 4 inch by 6 inch signs on its
entrances indicating that NO FIREARMS OR WEAPONS ARE ALLOWED ON
THIS PROPERTY. These signs are being posted based on current Illinois State
Police rules for standardized signs to be used at Prohibited Areas.”
Am Shalom will be working with the Illinois Council against Handgun Violence
to ask the Illinois General Assembly to pass legislation that will ban individuals
from carrying loaded, concealed handguns into places of worship.
5th Annual Martin Luther King
Day of Service
Monday, January 20
Highland Park Recreation Center
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
A Multi-Generational Event
Partner with other members of the community by participating and completing
fun, meaningful projects in honor of MLK Day. Projects will include assembling
toiletries for local shelters, writing letters/creating valentines for soldiers,
decorating flower pots for hospital patients, making pet toys for animal shelters,
and much more!
Listen to a MLK Tribute being performed by Lynn Epps, hear NSSD112 students
sing songs of freedom, and explore your First Amendment rights by visiting the
McCormick Foundation’s Freedom Express, a 45-foot traveling museum.
This is your chance to turn community concerns into citizen action. For more
information contact Cheryl Levi at 847-903-9523 or [email protected]
The sequel to Yossi & Jagger finds
Dr. Yossi Gutmann reminiscing about
his love ten years after his death.
However, as he encounters a group of
young soldiers, one of them reignites
his romantic feelings.
Come for the popcorn ...
stay for the conversation.
Monday, January 6
@ 7:00 p.m.
Save the Dates!
Jewish Music Heritage Shabbat ~ 6:30pm, Friday, February 7, 2014
Guest Musical Group: Sababa! featuring the Am Shalom Adult Choir
(Watch your e-mail or check the February KOL for further details.)
Reform Cantors of Chicago Cantorial Concert ~ 7:00pm, Saturday, March 1, 2014
@ North Shore Congregation Israel, this concert honoring Sylvia Footlik will feature our very own Cantor Andrea Rae
Markowicz and members of The Am Shalom Adult Choir. (Ticket Details in next month’s Kol.)
Annual Cantor’s Concert: Megillot in Song ~ 7:00pm, Saturday, March 15, 2014
As part of the celebration upon completing Am Shalom’s new commission, Megillat Esther, in honor of Rabbis Sommer
and Mandel and Cantor Markowicz, Cantors Andrea Rae Markowicz and Nancy Bach along with Ken Smith and other
special musical guests will take us on a musical journey through the Five Megillot of the Bible. Don’t miss this eclectic
musical celebration of loyalty, uncertainty, love, despair, laughter -- and so much more.
Watch the Am Shalom Weekly KOLbytes for details ...
KOL
9
AM SHALOM
LIBRARY NEWS
Happy 2014 from the Library! We hope
you all had a wonderful Chanukah
(while fitting in the Thanksgiving
celebration) and a fun winter break. It’s
time to pick up a book or two, come to
a book discussion, and immerse yourself
in the joys of reading.
Let’s talk about book
discussions. First, I hope
you are all going to be at
the discussion of My Three
Lives, by Philip
Markowicz, on Thursday,
January 16, 2014. The
author is our cantor’s grandfather and a
Holocaust survivor, and the book is
about his three lives – as a rabbinic
student before World War Two, as a
young man striving desperately to
survive the horrors of the Holocaust,
and as an immigrant to the United
States. It’s fascinating – totally readable,
interesting, amazing – and of course
there are a few mentions of Cantor
Andrea, which is fun. Am Shalom has
copies of the book in the library and at
Gia’s desk when you walk into the
office. Come join the discussion!
On February 12, we are going to discuss
Between Friends, by Amos Oz. Between
Friends is a collection of eight
interconnected short stories which take
place at Kibbutz Yekhat, a fictional
kibbutz, in the 1950’s. The stories are
character studies of the
idealistic men and women
who lived one of the
greatest collective dreams
of the twentieth century.
Each story can stand
alone, but together they
offer an eloquent portrait of an idea and
of a special time in Israel’s history.
Back in November, we had a great
discussion about Disobedience, by
Naomi Alderman. Not everyone liked
the book, not everyone liked the
characters, but that can be when you get
10
by Barbara Breakstone
the best discussions! Disobedience takes
place in London, in Hendon, a very
Orthodox community. The Rav, the
head rabbi, has just died, and events
unfold. His daughter, Ronit, who had
fled to New York years before to escape
Orthodoxy and live a secular life, comes
back to hopefully find Shabbat
candlesticks that were her mother’s. The
question she finds preoccupying her
former community is who will be the
next Rav? The most obvious choice is
Dov, Ronit’s cousin, who studied with
the deceased Rav for years. But he is not
as strong in character as the Rav, and
Etsy, Dov’s wife, would not be the
typical rebbitzin expected by the
Orthodox community,
evidenced by the fact that
she had a relationship
with Ronit when Ronit
lived in London. There’s a
lot of complexity, lots of
learning about the
Orthodox community, and lots of
religious commentary as it related
specifically to the novel.
We had a long discussion – were the
characters real? Is this what it’s like in
an Orthodox community? What were
Ronit’s motivations to come back? To
stay? To return to New York? What was
the role of silence and speech in the
book? Let’s talk about Dov’s migraines,
which Alderman describes in colors –
lots to talk about!
We have read several books about
Orthodoxy, both fiction and nonfiction, and it seems that we, as Reform
Jews, are fascinated by it. I’m reading
Naomi Ragen’s The Sisters Weiss now,
which is about the
constraints of living as an
Orthodox Jewish woman
in New York. It’s not a
great book, but it’s a good
read. Either book could be
set in the other location;
to me this life is so confining, to the
women living it, it is all about God.
Interesting!!
We have received a
couple of new books –
“good read” fiction, not
literary masterpieces.
First, Daniel Silva’s new
mystery, The English Girl,
is the story of a beautiful
woman who is snatched away from her
Corsican vacation. This seems to be
political, as the British Prime Minister is
involved and he needs help – enter
Gabriel Allon, Silva’s resident mystery
solver. A page turner to be sure. On the
shelves at FIC Sil.
We also have received Charles
Belfoure’s The Paris Architect, which
takes place in World War Two Paris.
Gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts
a commission to build a hiding place in
a building for a wealthy Jewish man –
one that the Nazis cannot
find. When the first one
seems to be successful, he
is asked to build another.
Then one of the spaces
fails horribly. The Paris
Architect asks us to
consider what we owe
each other and how far we will go to
make things right. Read it, let me know
what you think – on the shelves at FIC
Bel.
We have not ordered children’s books
in a while, and happily, Tablet magazine
(an online Jewish magazine – try it out
– it’s free) has just published their list of
the best children’s books of 2013. We
are going to look at the list and order
from it – read the next column for our
new children’s books.
Hope to see you at book discussion
groups or just hanging out at the
library! Do you want a specific book?
Let us know – we can try to order it!
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
WE REMEMBER ...
The Congregation extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of:
Phyllis Kiefus, mother of Becky
(Andy) Cameron
Burton Katz, father of Steven (Cori)
Katz; uncle of Jordon (Barbara)
Katz
Sidney Konigsburg, great-uncle of
Steven (Christina) Keller
Morton Gainer, father of Wendy
(David) Mutchnik
David Hokin, husband of Julieta
Hokin, father of Joey, Debbie, Sam,
and William
Richard Hayes, husband of Kathleen
Hayes
Lawrence (Cotchie) Goldstein, father
of Joni (Brian) Johnson
Josef Ross, cousin of Judi Berliner
Harriet Jesano, great-aunt
of Steven (Christina)
Keller
Robert Jendra, life partner
of Katherine Harris
E. Donald Heymann,
“Butch”, father of Gary
(Joani) Heymann;
grandfather of Danny,
Joey, and Emily
Lucy Horn, mother of Gerald (Laura)
Horn. Lucy and her late husband of
over 70 years, Felix Horn, were the
last couple to be married in the
Warsaw Ghetto.
Samuel Asher Sommer, son of Rabbi
Phyllis and Rabbi Michael Sommer,
brother of David, Yael, and Solly.
WE CELEBRATE ...
The Congregation extends a hearty “Mazel Tov!” to the following:
Birth
Aria Shoshana Mayer, daughter of
Adam & Desirée Mayer. Proud firsttime grandparents are Ellyn & Richard
Mayer.
B’nai Mitzvah
Madison Aron, daughter of Jordan &
Alyson Aron, on becoming a Bat
Mitzvah on January 11th
Paige Forester, daughter of John &
Jane Forester, on becoming a Bat
Mitzvah on January 18th
Jackson Zucker, son of David & Karen
Zucker, on becoming a Bar Mitzvah on
January 18th
Lily Fox, daughter of Adam & Brooke
Fox, on becoming a Bat Mitzvah on
January 25th
Am Shalom is sponsoring The Beth Emet Soup Kitchen on
Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Volunteers will provide
assigned grocery items, and help prepare and serve dinner. To
participate, please contact:
Wendie Dalberg at [email protected],
or 847/433-3803.
Watch the Am Shalom Weekly KOLbytes for details ...
If you are suffering from a recent loss,
being impacted by illness, or just feeling
stressed by life, consider attending the
Am Shalom “Almost Daily” Minyan.
This quiet and intimate service, held in
the serene worship space of the Rosenfeld
Chapel, is the perfect setting to remember
a Yahrzeit, to pray for healing, and to
calm and refresh your soul. The “Almost
Daily” Minyan is held on Mondays and
Thursdays at 5:45 p.m. The “Almost
Daily” Minyan service lasts for
approximately fifteen minutes.
There will be NO “Almost Daily” Minyan
on January 2nd, 2014.
Are you interested in being
notified whenever there is a
death in the Congregation?
Please send your preferred
e-mail address to
[email protected]
and we will include you on
our "Good and Welfare"
notification list.
Am Shalom
Women’s
Spirituality
Group
meets Saturday
January 11th
at 11:30 a.m.
Register online at
amshalom.com
KOL
11
Change Service Requested
840 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022-1560
Telephone: (847)835-4800; Fax: (847)835-5204
e-mail: [email protected]
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein, Rabbi
Rabbi Phyllis A. Sommer, Rabbi
Rabbi Pamela Mandel, Rabbi
Cantor Andrea Rae Markowicz, Cantor
Rabbi Harold L. Kudan, Founding Rabbi
Judi Berliner, Director of Education
Sarah Rosenbaum, Director of Youth Programming
Sharon Morton, R.J.E., Educator Emeritus
Edward M. Alpert, F.T.A., Executive Director
Carolyn R. Fulton, Director of Communications
Mark Burnstine, President
Barbara Breakstone, President-Elect
Vivian Nitzberg, Vice President
Gregory Miller, Vice President
Susan Gumbiner, Treasurer
Paul Kleinmann, Secretary
January, 2014
Israeli Scholar-inResidence:
KOL
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Skokie, IL 60077
Permit No. 269
Volume 42, Number 5
Rabbi
Gabby
Dagan
Friday, January 24
@ 6:30
Rabbi Dagan was born in Israel to a traditional Morrocan-Iranian Orthodox family. Gabby was educated within the Orthodox
stream of the Israeli education system and in a B’nei Akiva Yeshivah boarding school. Following his army service as a Rabbi,
Gabby left the Orthodox way of life for academic studies. He co-founded a non-governmental organization promoting
multiculturalism but realized that his future was in Progressive Judaism. He is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Ohel Avraham
at the Leo Baeck Centre in Haifa, and Rabbi for Leo Baeck’s High School.
Rabbi Dagan will give an inspiring and personal D’var Torah, entitled “From One God to Another.” Our service will include
some of the gorgeous melodies that track Rabbi Dagan’s personal musical journey, from an Israeli Sephardi synagogue through
Ashkenazi Yeshivah, Orthodox and Israeli Army Rabbinate, to the Reform Rabbinate in Haifa.
12
Live streaming of Sanctuary services & life-cycle events begins this month @ amshalom.com!
JANUARY 2014
Tevet/Shevat 5774
Our calendar is always available online at www.amshalom.com. Now! Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/amshalomglencoe
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1
NO Hebrew School
Am Shalom office
CLOSED
5
NO Religious School
6
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
7:00pm Adult B’nai Mitzvah
class
7
9:30am Adult B’nai
Mitzvah Class
8
4:10pm Hebrew School
THURSDAY
2
12:15pm Yoga with
Claudia
9
12:15pm Yoga w/
Claudia
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
7:30pm Adult Choir
Rehearsal
6:00pm Executive
Committee Dinner/
Meeting
7:00pm Board of Trustees
Meeting
12
9:00am Ruach Choir
9:30am Religious School
(K-6)
13
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
6:00pm Tzedek League at
11:30am Religious School The ARK
(7-10)
6:30pm Finance Committee
2:30pm JAmSY Xtreme
Trampoline
19
9:00am Fanchon Simons’
Helping the Homeless
9:30am Religious School
(K-6)
26
15
4:10pm Hebrew
School
7:00pm Adult B’nai Mitzvah
class
7:30pm Adult Choir
Rehearsal
20
Martin Luther King Day
Am Shalom office CLOSED
Building opens at 3:00pm
for appointments
27
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
11:30am Religious School 7:00pm Adult B’nai Mitzvah
(7-10)
class
16
9:45am Library Book
Discussion
12:15pm Yoga w/
Claudia
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
Meeting
11:30am Religious School
6:30pm Finance Committee
(7-10)
Meeting
9:30am Religious School
(K-6)
14
9:30am Adult B’nai
Mitzvah Class
21
9:30am Adult B’nai
Mitzvah Class
28
9:30am Adult B’nai
Mitzvah Class
22
1:00pm Laurie Marshall
class
4:10pm Hebrew
School Conferences
29
4:10pm Hebrew
School
23
10:00am Laurie
Marshall class
12:15pm Yoga with
Claudia
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
30
12:15pm Yoga w/
Claudia
5:45pm Almost Daily
Minyan
3
FRIDAY
9:00am Mahjong at
Am Shalom
4
SATURDAY
9:00am Library Minyan
5:15pm Tot Shabbat
6:30pm Shabbat Service Chapel
10
9:00am Mahjong
at Am Shalom
1:00pm Laurie Marshall
class
6:30pm Shabbat Service Musical Shabbat Service
with Adam Kahan &
Kavanah, followed by
Shabbat Club dinner
17
11
9:00am Library Minyan
11:30am Women’s
Spirituality group
4:30pm Madison Aron Bat
Mitzvah
Rishonim Shul-In
9:00am Mahjong at Am
Shalom
6:30pm Social Justice
Shabbat Service w/ Soul
Children of Chicago and
Rabbi David Ellenson
24
9:00am Mahjong at Am
Shalom
6:30pm Shabbat Service
w/Israeli Scholar-inResidence Rabbi Gabby
Dagan
18
9:00am Library Minyan
10:30am Paige Forester
Bat Mitzvah
4:30pm Jackson Zucker
Bar Mitzvah
4:30pm Gesher Comedy
Sportz
25
9:00am Library Minyan
10:30am Lily Fox Bat
Mitzvah
31
9:00am Mahjong at Am
Shalom
6:30pm Shabbat Service
Never forget a special event at Am Shalom again!
Our monthly calendar is now an insert — just pull it out
and fasten it to your bulletin board or fridge to keep up
with everything that’s going on at Am Shalom!
Save the date!
Women’s Seder
Am Shalom’s 11th Annual
Celebrating traditions, building community
Thursday, March 27, 2014
at 6:00pm
All women welcome (ages 12 and up)– bring your friends, your daughters, your granddaughters!
Watch upcoming issues of the KOL, the weekly KOLbytes, and amshalom.com for details.
te!
a
d
e
h
t
Save
Am Shalom Annual “Fun(d)raiser”
Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 7:30pm
An amazing musical evening, spanning three generations of Jewish musical talent!
Theo Bikel
Perhaps only a cat with its nine lives can claim to have more than Theodore Bikel has had.
Folk singer; theater, film and television actor; radio host; president of Actors’ Equity; political
activist; Jewish spokesman, and author are some of the many “careers” to which Mr. Bikel
can lay claim.
Craig Taubman
Craig’s songs bridge traditional Jewish themes and ancient teachings with passages and
experiences of contemporary Jewish life. He speaks a language that is both comfortable
and acceptable to children and adults. His Jewish recordings are an integral part of the
community, weaving song and spirit into the fabric of Jewish life.
Michelle Citrin
Whether playing in front of a sold out crowd of thousands on the beach of Tel Aviv, or an
intimate set at a coffeehouse in Melbourne, Australia, Michelle Citrin’s soulful voice, skillful
guitar playing, humorous in-between song banter and unpretentious demeanor has captured the
eyes and ears of her audience all over the world.
Watch for further details on this fabulous upcoming event!