CBA's School Updates 22-23/5782-83

Please join Rabbi Bellows, Rabbi Prass, and Sam Siner for uplifting Shabbat worship

For our next Yom Ruach (Sunday, March 5th), we invite all to come to Religious School in costumes in celebration of Purim

Scattered throughout the year, we will have a Yom Ruach (Spirit Day) where we encourage everyone to dress up for the theme of that given spirit day (Religious School can be productive & a little silly).

March 6 - 7: Purim

March 22 - 23 Rosh Chodesh Nisan

Sunday, March 26 - Sunday, April 2 NO Religious & Hebrew School - Spring Break

Wednesday, April 5th: Passover Begins

You can always access the school calendars by clicking here.

You can always access the entire CBA calendar by clicking here.

For the week of 3/5-3/11, the Hebrew word(s) of the week is מַסֵכָה [Mah-say-cha] (mask). The next Jewish holiday is Purim (3/6-3/7). It is a joyous holiday and there is a custom to eat celebrate by wearing a costume and מַסֵכָה. The מַסֵכָה can be pretending to be the characters of the Purim story, someone contemporary, being one’s true self, and most of all just bringing in Purim joy!!!

What type of מַסֵכָה are you feeling this Purim?

CBA 's next Tot Shabbat is Friday, March 10, 6:00 - 6:30 pm

Join Rabbi Prass, Rabbi Bellows, and Mr Todd for a Shabbat program filled with songs, story and more!

For families with young children (2nd grade and younger) Cost is a non-perishable food donation for our food pantry

This Tot Shabbat takes place the week of Purim, so all are encouraged to come in a costume!

Open to all Congregants. Prospective Members Welcome

RSVPs are helpful so we have enough nosh :). You can RSVP to rabbiprass@bethambg.org or 847-383-5017

Save the date for the next Tot Shabbat April 21.

Sunday, March 12th, at 2 am Daylight Savings Time, is this coming. So before you go to bed Saturday night, move your clocks AHEAD one hour

The Beth Am food pantry is open for a food drive collection during the 2nd and last Sunday of the month from 12 – 2 pm. In addition, food may be dropped off during regular office hours.

We will continue with the following COVID-19 precautions:

#1) food will be brought outside/curbside. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 precautions, guests will not be allowed in the synagogue building.

#2) we will only have 6-10 volunteers MAXIMUM. Volunteers will be coordinated thru our food pantry chairpeople Barb K and Jane Z. Unless you are one of those 6-10 volunteers, we respectfully ask that you do not come to volunteer.

Also if people don’t have time to shop, but want to help feed the hungry, they are able to make a donation directed to our Food Pantry, and we will do the shopping for them. You can do so by clicking here: https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/payment.php

In donating food please note:

• we don’t accept expired food

• Please no glass jars,

• And please standard-sized packaging only. Jumbo is not better for the food pantry.

This month our food pantry has the following requests of necessary items for donation:

o Canned beans

o dry pasta

o Meal mixes like Tuna Helper

o Mac and Cheese

o mustard

o ketchup

o canned fruit

o canned tomato products

o plastic containers of peanut butter and jelly

o package side dish

o canned soup

o canned meat like chicken and tuna

o canned meals like ravioli chili or stew

o plastic jars of spaghetti sauce

o 18oz container of oatmeal

o non-sugary cereal

o boxed dessert mixes

o toilet paper

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I the Eternal am your God." (Leviticus 23:22)

Open to all generations

Open to CBA members and their friends

Come for Bingo (real prizes!), dinner, games, fun, and community!

BYO dessert to share

BYO game to play with others

Cost is $5/person for pizza, salad, drinks

Sign up by March 9th by going to:

https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/event/cba-game-night_03_12_23.html

Shabbat Family Dinner for 6th grade families (Friday, March 17, 6:15 - 7 pm).

6th grade families are invited to CBA for Shabbat dinner. Cost is $5/person for pizza, salad, and a drink.

Please sign up by March 15 by going to: https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/event/6th-grade-shabbat-family-dinner.html

Simcha Shabbat: A Multigenerational Shabbat Experience

It is great to celebrate any Friday night, Shabbat evening worship with you. As part of our Shabbat evening worship opportunities, we have Simcha Shabbat: A Multi Generation Shabbat Worship for all ages. We look forward to celebrating with you.

Save the date for next 22-23 Simcha Shabbat dates:

April 14

May 12

June 9

Is your 4 - 7 year old enrolled in Religious School? If not, Gan Beth Am is holding monthly sessions for you.

Our next session is on Sunday, March 19, 9:30 - 11:30 am

We will meet at 1700 Weiland Road, Buffalo Grove

Gan Beth Am is a monthly taste of Sunday School with Congregation Beth Am

This is for students who are not yet enrolled in Religious School. This is ideal for ages 4 – 7. Open to CBA members and families who are interested in having a taste of Beth Am.

Please RSVP before March 16 (rabbiprass@bethambg.org or 847-383-5017) so we have enough supplies

Cost: a non-perishable food donation for CBA food pantry

Save the date for the next session, which is Sunday, April 23.

Club Chaverim Chocolate Seder

All CBA 4th - 7th Graders are invited

Sunday, March 19, 11:30 – 1:30

$10/person for pizza, chocolate, friends and fun

You must sign up by March 16 by going to:

https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/event/clubchaverimchocolateseder

IsraelNow Your 8th Grade Experience

2023* CHICAGO Trip Dates: February 13 - 21 OR March 20 - 28

Beth Am currently has 2 of our 8th graders signed up. We hope you will join them.

Interested in learning more about IsraelNow Chicago?

IsraelNowTrip.org

Ø Teens will learn about their heritage.

Ø Discover Israeli culture.

Ø Engage in social justice projects.

Ø Explore modern and ancient Israel.

As you know, registration for our IsraelNow Chicago February and March trips opened in June. The response was astounding. Within 17 minutes, a waiting list for the February trip had already been established. The team is working hard to move teens off the February waitlist. There are still spaces available in March and we are encouraging families who are waiting to hear about February to register for that trip, as well (it is possible to register for March while staying on the waitlist for February).

Spend your spring break touring five of the Big Ten Universities with friends! Visit Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University, and University of Michigan. Tour campuses by coach bus, meet with current students and faculty, and see what Jewish life looks like on each campus.

Learn more and register at jccchicago.org/programs/communities/teens/college-road-trip/

Wednesday, April TBD – 7th grade: Visit with a Shoah Survivor

Sunday, April 30th– 5th Grade: Fieldtrip to CJF

PARENTS ARE INVITED TOO! - BOKER B’YACHAD (Gan-6th) Sunday School parents with children in Grades Gan – 6th will be invited to spend the morning at school with their children, their children’s teachers and the clergy. A complete family education program involving parents and children learning together will take place as part of this event. Adults will have time to study the theme of the morning with one of the clergy while their children are with the classroom teachers.

The above dates were emailed to all school families in early September. if you need an additional copy, please let us know.

CBA 8th - 12th graders are invited to join other 8th - 12th grade Reform Jews from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Chicago a weekend retreat.

NFTY CAR and NFTY NO will be having its annual spring retreat April 14th-16th at OSRUI. This event is available to all 8th-12th graders in NFTY-CAR and NFTY-NO. The weekend will be filled with fun, friends, Jewish community building, and some great activities planned by the teen leaders in both regions. Can’t wait to see you there! Sign up at the following link: https://cvent.me/NXZRZn

Registration closes March 27th so sign up soon.

For more information, go to: https://nfty.org/regions/chicago-area-region/

If you are a new family or still thinking about registering for summer 2023, come tour camp! We will show you the facility, answer your questions, and give you some OSRUI merch!

We have 2 tours available! Resigter today to secure your spot!

April 22nd Open House Registration

May 7th Open House Registration

Celebrating Lag B’Omer is back at CBA! partnering with St. Baldrick’s & Children With Hair Loss

Join us Tuesday, May 9th at 6:30pm

Start growing your hair & plan to cut it or shave your head on May 9th. We will send out time slots to sign up for at a later date.

1) If you are going to be a CBA Holy Shavee, use this link to sign up & begin fundraising: https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/CBA23. Also, please note, there is a minimum fundraising goal of $50 for all CBA shavees.

2) If you don't want to be a CBA shavee, but have at least 8 inches of hair you are interested in donating on May 9th which will then be made into a wig for Children With Hair Loss (http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/). There’s a DONATE NOW link on this page with the form to download for CWHL (http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/donate/donate-your-hair/). That’s all that needs to be done. Send in money if you want a t-shirt or hat or if they want to make a donation. If you are choosing to have 8 inches of hair cut, please let us know so we plan accordingly.

Lag B’Omer is the 33rd of the counting of the Omer, which is celebrated with cutting your hair. Traditionally, Jews stop cutting their hair during those first 33 days. We invite you to stop cutting your hair earlier, so you can participate not only in Lag B’Omer, but also this wonderful tzedakah opportunity.

Aleph – Hey coming to Shabbat Worship

One great way to reinforce the Hebrew the students are learning is to attend congregational t’fillah (worship). Our students become familiar with our worship service, practice reciting the prayers, see the Hebrew from the classroom take on an exciting new life, and participate as a family.

It is for these reasons that the Beth Am Education Committee maintains a requirement of attendance at a minimum of three worship services during each school year for Aleph, Bet, Gimel, and Daled students. We ask that this requirement is completed between October and May 6th. These can be Friday night or Saturday morning worship services. Tot Shabbat and Special Holiday services such as High Holiday, Simchat Torah, Sukkot services do not count towards the three service requirement.

At each worship service these students attend at Beth Am, they bring one of the yellow Service Attendance Cards they were in October. At the conclusion of the service, they give their card directly to Rabbi Bellows or Rabbi Prass as they wish a Shabbat Shalom.

The following CBA students have already attended at least 3 worship services (as of 2/23/23):

Anna Brill

Olivia Brill

Max DiGuiseppe

Ben Fears

Sarah Fears

Benjamin Goldrich

Mahalia Goldrich

Nathaniel Goldrich

Lexi Josephson

Madison Kidd

Jonah Mandell

Austin Rapaport

Julia Rapaport

Talia Slater

Gabriel Steele

Levi Steele

Get started with the aleph-bet!

Familiarity with Hebrew can be key to feeling at home in the Jewish community. Learn the shapes and sounds of the Hebrew alphabet in this ten-session online course from the Union for Reform Judaism.

This class will help you recognize and understand common Hebrew words and phrases often heard in Reform congregations and in Jewish prayer. This course assumes no prior Hebrew experience and is perfect for Introduction to Judaism alumni and other adults!

Developed specifically for online learning, each session introduces new material and includes practice with an experienced instructor in a collaborative classroom environment. Registration includes online access to all class materials, including audio recordings of each practice exercise. Participants will be asked to purchase a workbook.

Tuition: $225

Choose your class time, find more information, and register by clicking here:

https://reformjudaism.org/learning/judaism-classes/Learn-to-read-hebrew?utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023_2_14

Do you have 2 minutes and a pile of grocery receipts? Watch this quick video on how to raise money for CBA's Religious School by scanning your grocery receipts. CBA has partnered with Box Tops For Education for several years now, raising money for books, art supplies, and more to enrich the experience of our young learners. When submitting Box Tops online, search the app for “CONGREGATION BETH AM” in Buffalo Grove.

During the past 11 years, CBA has earned over $6000 thanks to your participation in the Box Tops program.

If you discover a traditional Box Tops clip on a product, you can still clip it and send it to school. Every valid Box Tops clip is still worth 10¢ for your school. Make sure each one you turn in has a clearly visible product acronym and expiration date Thank you for your support!

For a summary of:

1) the CBA Religious School & Hebrew School Curriculum

2) important school contact phone numbers

3) School terminology

click here:

We want parents and learners to know what is accomplished each session in both Religious School and Hebrew school. To that end, each week, your learner's morim (teachers) post what the class worked on. In addition, for Hebrew school, the homework is posted.

You can find that on the class website by clicking here.

The Send-a-Kid-to-Israel Partnership (SKIP) savings incentive program was created to anticipate and save for our children's Jewish education. SKIP allows families, their congregations, and JUF to become partners in planning for a young person's future Israel experience.

Contributions can be made for students whose families belong to participating congregations. Students in 3rd through 6th grade are eligible to enroll in SKIP; families are eligible to contribute to their children's SKIP account for a maximum of 7 years (3rd through 9th grade). Each year that a student is eligible to participate, a total of $255 is added to his or her savings account. This money includes an annual contribution of $85 from JUF and a combined contribution of $170 from the family and participating congregation. The congregation must donate a minimum of $25 per year.

To learn more about it, click here

Artists and athletes, actors and activists, adventure seekers and analytical thinkers — there’s a Jewish camp for everyone.

Are you considering overnight camp or an immersive summer experience for your child? How does $1,000 off sound?

PJ Goes to Camp* is proud to partner with Foundation for Jewish Camp, overnight camps, and Jewish federations across North America to award families up to $1,000 toward their child’s first summer at Jewish overnight camp through the One Happy Camper® program.

Visit onehappycamper.org for eligibility details**. To apply, you’ll need this unique PJ Goes to Camp access code: PJGTC2023JI8LI1. This code cannot be shared with other families.

Not sure which camp is right for your child? Explore over 150 traditional and specialty Jewish overnight camps across North America to find the perfect fit for your family.

Incentives are awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis, so submit your application as soon as possible. Together, let’s give your child the summer of a lifetime.

Adventure awaits!

Here are the CBA learners who are already signed up for Reform Judaism's overnight camp in WI. We are excited to see who else signs up.

1. Jacob Blumenthal (Gesher)
2. Adrienne Ewing (Avodah Bet)
3. Erin Josephson (Chalutzim)
4. David Prass (Tzofim gimmel)
5. Ruth Prass (Avodah aleph)
6. Danielle Slatkin-Irgang (Gesher Bet)
7. Rachel Weiser (Kallah Gimmel)

NFTY in Israel: Hike, climb, discover, and explore with new friends from across the continent. Return home with endless personal accomplishments, meaningful memories and stories. Choose from five different trips, including a meaningful Poland journey, the classic Israel tour, a trip through the lens of gender identity, LGBTQ+, and allyship, and a trip through the lens of science and technology. Click here to learn more.

At Camp TOV, teens make a difference. From supporting local neighbors in need to combating hunger, Camp TOV is a unique opportunity to make a difference all over Chicago this summer!

To learn more, click here: https://www.juf.org/teens/TOV_CampTOV.aspx?source=Teens-Newsletter-20230119

Congregation Beth Am Religious School/Hebrew School

Email: rabbiprass@congregation-betham.org
Website: https://bethambg.org/
Location: 1370 Abbott Court, Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 383-5017
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethAmBuffaloGrove