Your weekly JUF update

During these uncertain times, it's more important than ever to come together as a community. With this weekly email, we hope to provide you with resources, moral support and other ways to adjust to this temporary “new normal.”  

We’ve created a JUF Coronavirus Community Resource Page where you’ll find links to more resources, info on JUF initiatives and ways to help or donate. And be sure to check JUF's Facebook page for daily updates.

Jewish chefs baking a difference

Jewish chefs around the world have joined the new Bakers Against Racism initiative— selling their delicious challah, rugelach and other desserts and donating the proceeds to charities that support racial equality.

Book yourself a backyard concert

Want to replicate Ravinia in your backyard? We’ve got two options for you. Evanston’s SPACE is offering concerts to-go: they’ll provide the musicians, food, drinks and décor—you provide the patio. Or, here’s a budget-friendly DIY option: set out a screen and a blanket this Sunday for a free online concert by the Israel philharmonic.

Fashion week: redesigned

Couture has gone virtual: check out the online fashion events planned in Italy, Paris and New York through the Fall. Plus, catch up on the changes you’ll see at the brick and mortar stores.

How to road trip during a pandemic

Wanna hit the road? It might take a little more planning and patience this year. Here are some great tips for a safe trip.

Farmers markets are back!

Check out the Chicago and North Shore farmers markets that have reopened. 

And be aware that protocols will be different this year: with capacity limits, mask requirements, social distancing and, of course, no squeezing the lemons or picking up the peppers.

A moment of reflection with Rabbi Shaanan Gelman

As a child, I’d spend summers at the beach. At the end of the season, I recall the strange feeling of becoming reacquainted with my home, my backyard, and the tree I loved to climb. It was daunting, unfamiliar, and at the same time, special. The return home was meaningful because the familiar was made, briefly, unfamiliar.

The Talmud teaches that before a baby is born, he or she is taught the entire Torah, and is subsequently made to forget everything, only to have to spend a lifetime recouping that lost treasure. The most meaningful relationships, the Talmud says, are the ones you’ve lost and later rediscovered.

We’ve been away from family, friends, and synagogues for months. As the world reopens, we are uncovering those sacred places and rediscovering those closest to us. Let's use this time to uncover the long-lost spaces and people from our lives and fall in love all over again.

Rabbi Shaanan Gelman, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion