INSIDE THIS ISSUE Holiday Boutique ....................................... 2 President’s Message .................................. 3 Dear Susan .................................................. 4 CBS Happenings ........................................ 5 Religious School ......................................... 6 Youth/Young Family Programming/ B’nai Mitzvah ........................................... 7 Chanukah ...............................................8-10 CBS U/ Adult Education/Programming ......... 11 Sisterhood ................................................ 12 CBS Happenings ..................................... 13 Men’s Club ......................................... 14-15 Social Action ...................................... 16-17 Calendar ............................................. 18-19 Shabbat Mornings ................................... 20 Birthdays and Anniversaries ................ 21 Milestones ................................................ 22 Yahrzeits ................................................... 23 Donations ........................................... 24-25 Ads ....................................................... 26-27 Candle Lighting and Service Times .... 28
Head Rabbi ......................................... Aaron Melman Senior Cantor ..................................... Steven Stoehr Rabbi ............................................... Warner Ferratier Rabbi Emeritus....................................... Carl Wolkin Executive Director .......................... Susan Karlinsky Director of Jewish Life and Learning .............................................. Leann Blue Director of Education .......................... Stacy Ybarra Director of Youth and Young Family Engagement……..Eric Golberg President ................................................. Bob Spector Sisterhood President ..................... Jackie Zelkowtiz Men’s Club Co-Presidents.... Dr. Andrew Wagner & Steven Lessman USY President ............................................. Paige Star Shalom Designer/Editor...............Deanne Friedman
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.
NOVEMBER 2021• VOLUME 96 ISSUE 66
CHESHVAN/KISLEV 5782| NOVEMBER 2021| VOLUME 96 ISSUE 66
WORDS FROM THE “GLOSS” BY ERIC GOLBERG Chanukah. When I hear this word, like most of you, I instantly think about the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days, the symbol of the menorah, tasty latkes, dreidels and the Jewish people being freed from the control of the Greeks. This is generally the narrative that we, as Jewish people, focus on as the holiday rolls around. The miracle itself is a powerful message about never giving up hope. I like to look deeper into the real miracle of the holiday (in my humble opinion); the perseverance of the Jewish people. The two years leading up to the miracle of the oil showed the true character and determination of our people to overcome the odds and once again win as the underdogs. The familiar story of the Jewish people hiding their religious practice from their oppressor is a motif we see time and time again throughout our history. What makes THIS story special is how we fought back. Eric Golberg
The Jewish people fought against a strong Greek army led by Alexander the Great’s top successors and generals. I like to think of this matchup as if the ‘85 Bears defense was going up against a pee wee football offense; to win this war, they needed a great miracle. The Jewish people united together to protect our religion and identity. They fought for two long years in order for the real miracle of Chanukah to happen. We gained
our freedom. The story of Chanukah teaches us many lessons, but the one I value the most is how when a group of people unite together with the same goal, anything is possible. Over the last twenty months we have been faced with challenges that twentyone months ago were unimaginable. How do we preserve our identity and practice our religion together when we are all forced to be apart? This question, along with many others, were at the forefront of our minds and efforts. I vividly remember getting on a video call with my USY Board on March 14, 2020 and discussing this exact question. Do we cancel Lounge Nights until we go back in-person? How would we even do an online program? It seemed like every obstacle was in our way, but the character and dedication of our teen leaders never wavered. We created an extensive catalogue of programs to be run five nights of the week highlighting the topics that our leaders felt were most important: their connection to the Torah, their connection to Israel, their connection to the Jewish culture, and their connection to each other. These online programs became a place for Jewish teens all over the country to express and grow their Jewish identities in ways we had never thought of. These teen leaders gave me hope that even when up against the ‘85 Bears defense, we had a chance to win. As the next school year came around, our teens elevated our programming once again. “Together” mentality began to spread swiftly into our Young Family Programming.
