Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community

09/27/2026

On an absolutely exquisite early fall day, we held our annual cultural event with the students of Kol Hadash by celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. Decorating the sukkah with ushpizim, singing songs, and making edible sukkot with graham crackers - it was a wonderful morning. So much fun to celebrate altogether. Chag sameach!

09/20/2026

Tomorrow our community will come together to reflect, renew and remember as we mark Yom Kippur. We will collect non-perishable food items for the local food pantry as part of our way of giving back. But today, ahead of that, our Sunday school students learned the importance of forgiveness, the meaning of slicha, and various customs associated with Yom Kippur. The students made tzedakah boxes to set aside some of their allowance or other coins to give to the charity of their choice at year's end. The month of Tishri is filled with so many holidays that give each week's learning a new but related focus. Sincere wishes for a meaningful Yom Kippur.

09/13/2026

What a weekend! Our beautiful Rosh Hashanah service yesterday morning -- the music, the readings, the sermon on "The Stories We Tell Ourselves," and then a lovely oneg. And then this morning another year of learning is off to a great start! We welcomed our new students with their plush llamas (lama means "why" in Hebrew and this is the place to ask questions!); made apple pie pops; had music with our outstanding new vocalist; did our own version of tashlich dropping river pebbles into a container of water symbolically to not have the weight of unwanted behavior dragging us down in the new year; and finally the food! Round gluten free challah with raisins, apples and honey, pomegranate seeds, and carrot circles to symbolize a prosperous new year. Wishing everyone a shanah tovah, filled with sweet moments of joy, good health and peace.

08/30/2026

When there is a chance to make a difference in the world, count on us. Where there are people who are in need of the food to make their Rosh Hashanah meal, count on us. This morning we delivered 45 food packages in connection with the social service organization Maot Chitim. Always a meaningful experience!

08/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GCf4ZFxwt/

We asked the leadership of SHJ affiliate communities the following question:

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘸?

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for their answers!

"..it is my annual reset done Jewishly. It is a time to remember, to forgive, to join in community, and to be enriched by music and poetry befitting the days."

Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld
Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community
Deerfield, IL

07/21/2026

What a warm welcome I received when I was invited to speak at Holy Cross Church about the Jewish calendar. It was a wonderful experience, and noteworthy for the interfaith dialogue that was fostered. Thank you Holy Cross.

07/17/2026

A visit to a working farm that uses Jewish traditions and values, a mini concert by a Klezmer quartet, a mosaic workshop making Hamsa hands, an author talk, and so many cultural celebrations of Jewish holidays! Acts of tikkun olam to repair the world and community service! And of course learning about Jewish history, local and abroad, our literature and our Jewish identity. That and so much more is what your child can experience in our Sunday school this year. Registration is now open. We look forward to welcoming you into our community.

06/28/2026

If it's the Sunday before the Fourth of July, you'll find us at a soup kitchen in Evanston making our annual BBQ of hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, macaroni salad, chips and chocolate chip cookies. We are a very generous community as everything needed to serve approximately 65 people was donated in addition to the time spent by our volunteers cooking, serving and cleaning up. I am so proud to be a part of it.

06/06/2026

Do you want your children to celebrate Jewish culture? To develop a meaningful Jewish identity? To learn to think critically and be in an environment where questions are welcome? Our Sunday school can answer all those questions in the affirmative! Registration is now open for grades K-8. Join our welcoming and inclusive Jewish community.

05/03/2026

Another year of learning is in the books! It was a fitting ending to our Sunday school year as our primary students celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month held each May. It is a time to uplift and enjoy Jewish culture. They made posters promoting the month, ate a variety of Jewish foods, listened to songs sung by and/or written by Jewish musicians and artists, and read the proclamation issued by President Obama during his term proclaiming the month as JAHM.
Before you know it, we'll be back in session in September! Enjoy your summer.