Oneg and Soul Spark Shabbat Sponsored by Melinda and Adam Prawer-Stock
2025-01-24 17:45 - 18:30 (America/Chicago)
Thank you to Adam and Melinda Prawer-Stock for sponsoring both our Soul Spark Shabbat and Oneg beforehand.

Kindergarten Shabbat Service & Dinner
2025-01-24 17:45 - 19:15
More information coming soon, contact the office for questions

Soul Spark Shabbat Services
2025-01-24 18:30 - 20:00
Step into a transcendent Shabbat service unlike any other! Immerse yourself in an extraordinary fusion of spirituality and melody, as our esteemed clergy, talented musicians, and captivating singers lead you through an enchanting tapestry of soul-stirring music, profound meditations, and illuminating teachings. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to enrich your soul and deepen your connection to the sacred rhythms of Shabbat!

Kahal Shabbat Morning Service
2025-01-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-02-01 09:30 - 11:30
Come together for a special Shabbat morning with Kahal, featuring prayer, Torah reading, and engaging discussions. The service offers a chance to connect spiritually and share in the experience with the community. Whether attending regularly or exploring Shabbat for the first time, everyone is welcome to participate and enjoy the warmth of the congregation. If you are new to Kahal and would like to attend in person, we meet in the Weiner Room. If you would like to attend virtually, register here.
If you’d like to register for honors, click here.

Kabbalat Mitzvah of Rosie Gates-Whitesel
2025-01-25 10:30 - 12:30
This Shabbat, we celebrate a special occasion as Rosie is called to the Torah for their Kabbalat Mitzvah (What is this?)!

This joyous event marks a significant milestone in their lives, symbolizing their dedication, growth, and commitment to their faith and community. The ceremony will be held in the Sanctuary. We look forward to sharing this momentous day with friends, family, and the community—Mazel tov to the new Kabbalat Mitzvah.

Sunday Morning Minyan
2025-01-26 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-02-02 09:00 - 10:00
The Sunday Morning Minyan meets in the Beit Midrash at Beth Emet.
Join us on Sundays to daven (pray) the weekday Shacharit (morning) service! First-timers are encouraged! Please note, we will continue to Zoom as well for virtual participation.
The Minyan offers an intimate opportunity to pray with the Beth Emet community. The service explores our ritual, liturgical, and musical traditions in a welcoming setting for people new to prayer while providing a deeper connection for people with more experience.
Please contact the office for a link.
Participants are encouraged to wear a tallit and tefillin.

Beit Sefer
2025-01-26 09:30 - 12:00, 2025-02-02 09:30 - 12:00
Beit Sefer: Premier Jewish Religious School for Children
At Beit Sefer, we provide an enriching Jewish education for children of all ages. Our religious school offers a dynamic curriculum that combines traditional Jewish teachings with modern educational practices. From Hebrew language skills to understanding Jewish history, holidays, and values, our experienced educators are dedicated to nurturing your child’s spiritual and intellectual growth.
Join Beit Sefer for an engaging and supportive community where students build lifelong friendships, explore their Jewish identity, and develop a deep connection to their heritage. Whether you’re seeking a vibrant learning environment for your student or a comprehensive religious education for older children (Gesher), Beit Sefer is the perfect place to start.
Contact the office for questions.

Unprecedented Israeli Trauma - A Pioneering Critical response
2025-01-26 10:00 - 11:30
Members Register Here
Guest Register Here
Havat Marpe (Healing Space Rishpon), founded in response to October 7, provides multi-dimensional therapies for mental and emotional healing and renewal, a pioneering response to the unprecedented traumas affecting Israelis that continue.
Dr. Ilana Kwartin is the CEO and long-time activist for women’s rights, with degrees in law, psychology, and conflict resolution, which she received after serving as an IDF intelligence unit commander, including in Gaza.
Cantor Natalie Young will introduce the program.
*This program is virtual, and you must register in advance to receive the Zoom link

Gesher (Make-up session)
2025-01-26 10:30 - 12:00
If you missed Gesher you can make your session up today! Contact Gabriella for any questions.
Gesher (the Hebrew word for bridge) is designed to bridge the growth of our 7th grade students from children in the Jewish community to being adults.
Our students spend this year advancing their understanding of Judaism as a religion, community, and culture as they begin the next stage of their Jewish identities.
Gesher’s goal is to help students identify their values and ways to live accordingly — an important skill at an age full of change. The Gesher curriculum explores the themes of peoplehood, identity, sexuality and relationships, leadership, spirituality, and religious pluralism through a Jewish lens. Gesher is an environment that nurtures conversation. That’s why we spend this time exploring social issues including religious pluralism, mental health, technology safety, and healthy friendships.
A significant portion of the year is dedicated to learning and discussing issues relating to relationships, their bodies, and sex and sexuality in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Trained educators help facilitate age-appropriate learning and growth that goes beyond what is included in a public school’s education to more fully explore the spiritual and emotional elements involved in these issues. Utilizing lessons from the Our Whole Lives curriculum together with original content developed by Beth Emet educators, students are prepared to make thoughtful and informed choices as young Jews.
We believe that seventh grade is a critical year in the development of identity both Jewish and otherwise. The Gesher program helps students and parents navigate what can be a challenging experience in a way that promotes the love of Judaism, a sense of community, and healthy relationships.
*To accommodate for the time 7th graders spend studying for their Kabbalat Mitzvah outside of class, Gesher meets slightly less often than Beit Sefer.
Each of our teen classes encourage students to explore Judaism, while thinking critically about their own roles and responsibilities in the world.
We approach social justice as an important lifelong mitzvah and aim to build skills to make a difference in the world.

(Adult) Conversational Hebrew
2025-01-26 11:00 - 12:00
Learn spoken Hebrew in an Ulpan-like setting. We will read news articles and discuss current events, all in Hebrew. The only prerequisite is basic Hebrew reading skills.
Members Register Here
Guests Register Here
DORIT FLATT is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and grew up in Tel-Aviv, Israel. After completing her IDF service in the paratrooper unit, she studied elementary education at Seminar Levinsky in Tel-Aviv. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and taught Hebrew language, literature, and religious studies in Michigan for twenty-five years.

BE NOAR
2025-01-26 12:00 - 13:45
Not enrolled but interested in joining? Contact Marci Dickman

After a year of research and planning, we are excited to launch a new program for students in grades 8-11. This program, which we are calling BE NOAR (Beth Emet Youth), responds to the needs and desires of our community and reflects what we have learned to be best current practices in education for teens. Our program is learner-centered, relevant to teens and designed to spark curiosity, content-rich, and inclusive of students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles. We are enthusiastic about this program and are excited for teens in grades 8-11 to participate. Key features of BE NOAR: 1. Courses will be organized into modules or Core Sessions of six sessions in length. Sample module topics are listed at the end of this handbook. Some students may want to commit to only one season of modules due to other activities and commitments. The program will meet on Sunday afternoon, twice per month, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm, beginning with lunch. 2. Students will have a part in developing the list of Core Sessions from which they may choose. 3. In addition to the modules, students will be able to pick an elective that will meet two or three times on a weekday evening. Again, a sample list will be found at the end of this handbook. See the list of classes below that will meet in September and October. 4. We will consolidate grade levels for some of the Core Sessions and electives, while preserving separate grade levels for others. 5. For this transition year, the registration and fees remain by grade level in our registration system. As with all Beth Emet programs, no one will be excluded from BE NOAR because of inability to pay.

Siddur (Prayerbook) Hebrew with Bluma Stoller
2025-01-26 12:15 - 13:15
Please register and read more about the classes here
Are you seeking to participate more meaningfully at services? This class will continue to develop Hebrew reading fluency while exploring the vocabulary, structure, and themes of Shabbat worship services and the individual prayers. This class meets a requirement for Adult Kabbalat Mitzvah.
Bluma Stoller is a Beth Emet congregant and a graduate of Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She was the North American Director of Academic Affairs for Tel Aviv University and was the recipient of Hillel International’s Exemplar of Excellence Award for her commitment to social justice and tikkun olam. She has held leadership positions in major Jewish organizations, including Project Otzma and the JCRC of Greater Boston.

Garinim Ice Skating
2025-01-26 12:30 - 14:00
Join Garinim for an afternoon of ice skating at Robert Crown on 1/26/2025 from 12:30 – 2:00 pm. Drop off and pick up are both at Robert Crown. Please plan to eat lunch before you arrive. A snack will be provided at the end. This event costs $10 per student. If you have other questions, please email Gabriella.
Sign up here!

Shiur B'internet
2025-01-27 18:00 - 18:45

Shiur B'internet
2025-01-27 19:00 - 20:00
We offer an alternative virtual class for those students who cannot attend Beit Sefer on Thursdays, either due to driving distance or a major year-long conflict on Thursday afternoons. In addition to attending classes on Sundays, these students will also participate in an online class on Monday evenings.
Registration is limited and permission from the Director of Lifelong Learning is required prior to registration. Shiur B’internet ensures that all Beth Emet Beit Sefer students engage in Hebrew learning twice a week.

Current Politics with Member David Zarefsky
2025-01-27 19:30 - 21:00
Members Register Here
Guests Register Here
A continuing lecture-discussion class on contemporary public issues of interest to Jews as citizens. On January 27, topics will include the Trump inauguration and a reassessment of Jimmy Carter’s legacy.
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.

Jamberry Music with Nicole Jaworski (Co-Sponsored by JBaby)
2025-01-28 09:30 - 10:15
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!

Register here

The Peaceful Grandparent Project with Jane Shapiro
2025-01-28 19:30 - 20:45
Price of registration is $100
Members Register Here
Guests Register Here
Are you a grandparent wondering about your evolving role in your family?
Do you strive to build a strong relationship with your grandchildren? Want to share Jewish values and instill Jewish pride in them? Looking to communicate more openly with your adult children?
Beth Emet proudly sponsors the Peaceful Grandparent Project, an Orot Peaceful Family initiative. This program offers tools to deepen family connections and bring sacredness and tranquility to family moments, all rooted in ancient Jewish wisdom and mindfulness teachings.
Why Join the Peaceful Grandparent Project?

Empathy, Compassion, and Love: Our program nurtures these values within your family.
Welcoming for All Grandparents: Open to all backgrounds and literacy levels with Jewish texts.
English Texts: All resources are provided in English, making participation easy and accessible.

Meet Dr. Jane Shapiro
Dr. Jane Shapiro, a proud grandmother (Bubbie) and senior educator with deep ties to Beth Emet, leads the program. With over 30 years of teaching experience in Torah, Jewish thought, history, and literature, Dr. Shapiro brings a wealth of knowledge to guide and mentor participants. In 2017, she was honored with the Covenant Foundation’s Educators Award and delivered an Eli talk on “The Torah of Bubbiehood.” She holds a doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary and lives in Skokie with her family.
Program Details:

Fee: $100

This has been Generously funded by the JELLO Fund (Jewish Education: Lifelong Learning Opportunities), of the Beth Emet Foundation.
Join a supportive community of grandparents and learn how to bring mindfulness, empathy, and Jewish wisdom into your family life.

Dayenu Circle
2025-01-28 19:30 - 21:00
This Month’s Dayenu Circle Meeting 7:30
Want to address climate change based on Jewish values through education, sustainability, and advocacy work? Attend the next Zoom meetings at the Dayenu Circle (Beth Emet’s green team). Please contact the office if you plan to join virtually for the first time.

The Rabbi Peter and Elaine Knobel Soup Kitchen at Beth Emet
2025-01-29 18:00 - 19:00
Every Wednesday evening since 2002, Beth Emet has opened its doors to community members in need of a nutritious dinner.
Guests sit at linen-covered tables with fresh flowers and listen to live music while enjoying their meal, and they leave with a sack lunch to enjoy on the following day. The meeting starts in the Crown Room.

Gesher (Thursdays)
2025-01-30 16:15 - 18:15
Gesher (the Hebrew word for bridge) is designed to bridge the growth of our 7th grade students from children in the Jewish community to being adults.
Our students spend this year advancing their understanding of Judaism as a religion, community, and culture as they begin the next stage of their Jewish identities.
Gesher’s goal is to help students identify their values and ways to live accordingly — an important skill at an age full of change. The Gesher curriculum explores the themes of peoplehood, identity, sexuality and relationships, leadership, spirituality, and religious pluralism through a Jewish lens. Gesher is an environment that nurtures conversation. That’s why we spend this time exploring social issues including religious pluralism, mental health, technology safety, and healthy friendships.
A significant portion of the year is dedicated to learning and discussing issues relating to relationships, their bodies, and sex and sexuality in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Trained educators help facilitate age-appropriate learning and growth that goes beyond what is included in a public school’s education to more fully explore the spiritual and emotional elements involved in these issues. Utilizing lessons from the Our Whole Lives curriculum together with original content developed by Beth Emet educators, students are prepared to make thoughtful and informed choices as young Jews.
We believe that seventh grade is a critical year in the development of identity both Jewish and otherwise. The Gesher program helps students and parents navigate what can be a challenging experience in a way that promotes the love of Judaism, a sense of community, and healthy relationships.
*To accommodate for the time 7th graders spend studying for their Kabbalat Mitzvah outside of class, Gesher meets slightly less often than Beit Sefer.
Each of our teen classes encourage students to explore Judaism, while thinking critically about their own roles and responsibilities in the world.
We approach social justice as an important lifelong mitzvah and aim to build skills to make a difference in the world.

Beit Sefer (Thursdays)
2025-01-30 16:15 - 18:15
Judaic studies and prayer-based Hebrew instruction are taught for one hour each on Thursdays and Sundays. We use the Reform Movement’s Chai curriculum which is based on the fundamental pillars of Judaism: Torah (text), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving-kindness).
Together with our Cantor and teachers, students focus on specific aspects of the prayer service and engage in Gemilut Chasadim and Mitzvot that improve our world. Each grade level also focuses on age-appropriate aspects of the Jewish holidays as well as the people and land of Israel. Special events and programs for parents/caregivers with students are included throughout the school year.

Israeli Dancing
2025-01-30 19:15 - 23:30
Join Chicago Israeli dancing, led by Phil Moss and Penny Brichta, and learn how to dance like an Israeli every Thursday night! For more information you can refer to chicagoisraelidancing.com The event is held in the Weiner Room and through Zoom.

No Class: A Close Look at Prophets with Rabbi Andrea London
2025-01-31 09:30 - 10:30
There are many ways to interpret our Tanach and its nuances of meaning that are often overlooked. Having completed our Close Look at Torah this past May, we turn to N’viim / Prophets, beginning with Joshua. New learners are always welcome. If you are new, please register below. Additionally if you plan to participate online, you must register to receive a Zoom link.
Members Register Here
Guests Register Here

Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2025-01-31 18:30 - 20:00
Welcome Shabbat whether in the Sanctuary or online! Tonight. To listen to the service dial 847-869-4230 and press 7.

Kahal Potluck Lunch
2025-02-01 12:00 - 13:00
If you are able to attend on Saturday morning, please consider bringing a vegetarian, nut-free dish or lunch item for all to enjoy. The potluck will take place in the Sanctuary and on LiveControl. Please also take a moment to jot down a list of ingredients that can be displayed with your dish for the benefit of those with food allergies.
Instead of a potluck item, feel free to donate to help offset the cost of purchasing food.

Gan Yom Rishon
2025-02-02 09:30 - 11:00
Gan Yom Rishon: A Joyful Preschool Experience for Young Learners
Welcome to Gan Yom Rishon, where children embark on their first Jewish educational journey with curiosity and excitement. Our program offers a nurturing environment that fosters exploration of Judaism through play-based learning, hands-on activities, and community building. Designed for children ages 4 & 5, Gan Yom Rishon introduces young learners to Jewish traditions, values, and culture while encouraging social, emotional, and cognitive growth. It also gives parents an opportunity to connect to a group of families over the course of several months. Register here for a fun-filled, enriching experience that prepares your child for a successful transition into kindergarten and beyond. Discover the magic of learning at Gan Yom Rishon!
