Shir Hadash Aims to Help “Repair the World”; Teach Kids Values

Shir Hadash Synagogue has scheduled a variety of activities to help the needy as part of its celebration of Yom Tikkun Olam, Day to Repair the World, on Sunday, April 21.

Education Director Emily Ascher said the idea of the event is to “remind people to get out and help our planet and help our community. It also translates into people continuing on doing things. To remind them, for instance, to keep collecting blankets and keep helping animal shelters.”

The events are open to all ages, members and non-members, she said. Registration deadline is April 17.

“From little siblings and to five-year olds all the way up through adults,” she said. “Anybody can join,” she said. “What always happens is that everyone has so much fun, they feel so good at the end of the day. They are really happy for being part of it.”

Last year, youngsters sent packages and made cards for Jewish servicemen overseas, bringing a surprise from one of the servicemen in the form of a thank you e-mail.

“We weren't expecting that. But when we made cards, we had a little boy who asked some questions of a service man. And I was surprise to receive an email back,” she said. “He (the little boy) had put my e-mail on the letter. So that was very nice, just to say thank you. That was really cool.”

The same activity is planned this year at the Shir Hadash office.

Also planned is a tour by 7th graders and their families of The Ark, on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, which provides free social and medical services to needy members of the Jewish community.

“It’s actually a culminating activity for a class on Jewish Urban Poverty,” Ascher said. “Because a lot of the kids don't understand that there is such a thing. So they'll take a trip down to the Ark and see all the things that are provided for people in need.”

Ascher took a group of fifth graders there and called the experience “eye opening.”

“ These kids need to go. We live on the North Shore and any chance we have to get our kids out of the area and see how other people live, I think it’s wonderful.”

Other activities include:

Help Save the Environment: A group will visit and work at the Grove, an outdoor history and nature museum in Glenview. There, a volunteer will work with youngsters on a nature project. Proper clothing, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and gloves, is required.

Help Seniors: Youngsters will spend time with senior citizens at the Gidwitz Place for Assisted Living in Deerfield, playing bingo, listening to music, and talking. The exact time of the tour is to be announced, but it is expected to be in the morning at the center.

Help gather used books: Youngsters will collect used books for donation to Bookworm Angels, a Chicago literacy program that provides in class lending libraries where most students read below grade level. Books should be brought to Shir Hadash office.

Help community closet: Youngsters will bring in gently worn clothes that will be organized and donated to a community closet in Waukegan. Clothing should be brought to the Shir Hadash office.

Several of these activities are taking place at the Shir Hadash office in Northbrook, but the synagogue will be moving this summer out of rented office space and into its first home, an existing building at 200 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling. The new building will house the synagogue’s worship services, growing religious school, teen program, adult education offerings, and much more.

If you are interested in joining any of these activities, please contact Education Director Emily Ascher at (847) 498-8218 to register. In addition, the religious school will host an open house on Sunday, April 28. For more information, contact the Education Director.

Shir Hadash attracts members from Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights and Palatine as well as Chicago, Skokie, Park Ridge, Barrington and Gurnee. For more information, visit www.shir-hadash.org.