Israeli Democracy in Crisis

Past Sessions
Sunday, August 6, 2023 • 19 Av 5783 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - In person and Zoom
Sunday, July 16, 2023 • 27 Tammuz 5783 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - In person and Zoom
Sunday, July 9, 2023 • 20 Tammuz 5783 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - In person and Zoom
Sunday, June 25, 2023 • 6 Tammuz 5783 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - In person and Zoom
Sunday, June 18, 2023 • 29 Sivan 5783 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - In person and Zoom

In recent months, every Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis from all walks of life have rallied all over the country to demonstrate against the extreme right-wing government’s initiative to undermine the independence of the Israeli Supreme Court and the judiciary. We will explore the role the courts played in safeguarding democratic principles of freedom of expression and individual rights.

Through weekly short readings and class discussions, accomplished Israeli-born historian Dr. Arie Zmora will lead this examination of the constraints placed on a democracy under siege, and exposed continuously to terror attacks and wars on its borders.

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Sun, October 1 2023
16 Tishrei 5784

The Holiday Season continues...

Click here for a list of upcoming services and programs for Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. (Or look below!)

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An address to Har Zion by

Knesset Member Alon Schuster

The Har Zion Herald

Have you read the September Herald?
(to visit a link in the issue or email links just click on it)

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Upcoming events

Click here to see our full calendar.

Friday Kabbalat Service

Live, in person, or
Zoom ID# 818 0357 8025

or Facebook and YouTube

Friday, 6:30 PM

Saturday Morning Service

Live, in person, or
Zoom ID# 242 651 284
or Facebook and YouTube

Shabbat morning, 10 AM

Shohet Morning Minyan

Live, in person, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (except for US federal holidays), and Zoom ID# 799 405 500 all days.

Monday–Friday, 8-9 AM
Sundays, 9:30-10:15 AM

See Services for more information and links to online copies of the siddur.

Other Events:

All Events

Monday ,
OctOctober 2 , 2023

Monday Evening Learning with Temple Har Zion Director of Education David Schwartz
Monday, Oct 2nd 8:00p to 9:00p
Monday Learning with David Schwartz
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Wednesday ,
OctOctober 4 , 2023

Family Fun/Kef Mishpachti Hot Dogs in the Hut
Wednesday, Oct 4th 6:00p
Enjoy a a kid-friendly meal in the sukkah; for kids of all ages!
Register Now

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Friday ,
OctOctober 6 , 2023

Shemini Atzeret
Friday, Oct 6th 6:30p to 7:30p
Erev Shemini Atzeret: Friday, October 6, 2023, 6:30 PM Shemini Atzeret: Saturday, October 7, 2023, 10 AM
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 7 , 2023

Shemini Atzeret
Shabbat, Oct 7th 10:00a to 12:30p
Erev Shemini Atzeret: Friday, October 6, 2023, 6:30 PM Shemini Atzeret: Saturday, October 7, 2023, 10 AM
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 7 , 2023

Rabbi Yosef Levanon discusses the Book of Job
Shabbat, Oct 7th 1:15p to 2:15p
After kiddush, about 1:15pm, in the Chapel.
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 7 , 2023

Simchat Torah
Shabbat, Oct 7th 6:00p to 6:30p
On October 7th, an evening of community and celebration for all ages! Meal at 6 PM, service at 6:30 PM, music and celebration at 6:45 PM, followed by a morning service on October 8th, 10 AM.
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 7 , 2023

Simchat Torah
Shabbat, Oct 7th 6:30p to 8:30p
On October 7th, an evening of community and celebration for all ages! Meal at 6 PM, service at 6:30 PM, music and celebration at 6:45 PM, followed by a morning service on October 8th, 10 AM.
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Sunday ,
OctOctober 8 , 2023

No KRS today
Sunday, Oct 8th (All day)

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Sunday ,
OctOctober 8 , 2023

Simchat Torah Morning Service
Sunday, Oct 8th 10:00a to 12:15p

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Monday ,
OctOctober 9 , 2023

Monday Evening Learning with Temple Har Zion Director of Education David Schwartz
Monday, Oct 9th 8:00p to 9:00p
Monday Learning with David Schwartz
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Wednesday ,
OctOctober 11 , 2023

New Budapest Orpheum Society
Wednesday, Oct 11th 7:30p to 9:00p
A concert of new material will be recorded later in the fall for the group's 4th CD. Join us for an incredible concert with the seven members of Grammy-nominated New Budapest Orpheum Society as they carry on the traditions of Jewish cabaret music. Mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley enjoys performing a broad range of genres, from operatic roles of Mozart and Rossini to the dusky back rooms of cabaret in her appearances with the New Budapest Orpheum Society. She has appeared as a soloist for such conductors as Raymond Leppard, Robert Shaw, and Pierre Boulez, and has premiered more than 200 pieces, thanks to her passion for newly composed works. A regular guest with Chicago’s ensembles, she is also on the faculty of several Chicago universities as a voice teacher, chamber music specialist, and lecturer in Art Song. Philip V. Bohlman, artistic director, is the Mary Werkman Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities and Music at the University of Chicago and Honorarprofessor of the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Germany. He has received the Edward Dent Medal from the Royal Music Association, the Berlin Prize, the Derek Allen Prize from the British Academy, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and with the New Budapest Orpheum Society the Noah Greenberg Award from the American Musicological Society. Among his recent books are Revival and Reconciliation (2013) and Wie könnten wir des Herrn Lied singen in fremdem Lande? (2015). Stewart Figa, baritone, has served as cantor at West Suburban Temple Har Zion in River Forest since 1998, and has been a cantor in the Chicago area since 1990. He also comes to the New Budapest Orpheum Society from a tradition of Yiddish theater, beginning in New York City in the 1980s. He has had the privilege of working with some of the legendary greats of the Yiddish stage, including Leon Liebgold, Seymour Rexite, Reizel Boyzk, and Max Perlman. He has performed programs of Yiddish song throughout Chicagoland. Danny Howard, percussion, is the newest member of the New Budapest Orpheum Society. With strong roots in the UK, he has built an international career that stretches across repertoires and genres, no less than across the English Channel and the Atlantic. Having studied in Cuba and Brazil, Danny has specialized in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian Folkloric music for over a decade and now runs his own Latin band. His first passion, nonetheless, was classical music. The New Budapesters could not be more thrilled that he’s recently put down his diverse musical roots in Chicago. Iordanka Kissiova, violinist, is active as an orchestral and chamber musician throughout the Chicago area and the state of Illinois. A native of Bulgaria, she studied in Sophia at the Bulgarian National Academy of Music before immigrating to the United States in 1993. She performed widely in Europe, among others with the “Sophia” women’s orchestra. A string teacher with Quinlan and Fabish, she has played regularly in regional orchestras throughout the Midwest, among them Ars Viva. She has recorded for the Bulgarian Radio Orchestra and the New Budapest Orpheum Society. Ilya Levinson, music director, arranger, and pianist, holds degrees in composition from the Moscow Conservatory and the University of Chicago (Ph.D. 1997). His works for chamber music and orchestra have recently enjoyed performances in France, Germany, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. His Klezmer Rhapsody is recorded by the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band on the Shanachie label. Composer-in-residence with American Music Festivals, he is Assistant Professor of Music at Columbia College Chicago. More info: https://www.cedillerecords.org/artists/ilya-levinson/ Mark Sonksen, bassist, joined the New Budapest Orpheum Society in 2008, and he has been a stalwart member of its tours in Europe and its performances of stage and film music from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. His works are rooted harmonically in the modern jazz idiom, yet incorporate a wide variety of influences as a result of being involved in Spanish language and culture for 20 years. These influences range from music of the Caribbean to Argentine/Uruguayan Tango, New Tango, and folkloric music in addition to early twentieth-century classical music, and modern jazz in the American and European traditions. Don Stille, Chicago pianist and accordionist, has performed throughout the country with a long list of internationally acclaimed jazz artists and has opened for Herbie Hancock and Stephane Grappelli. Among his achievements are recognition as “Mainstream Jazz Pianist of the Year” by the Twin Cities Jazz Society, and house pianist and often-featured jazz artist on NPR’s “First House on the Right.” Don recently performed on accordion in five concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, both at Orchestra Hall and on tour. He also was recently featured on accordion in the movies Picture Paris and Swan Song.
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Friday ,
OctOctober 13 , 2023

Lay-Led Family-Style Service
Friday, Oct 13th 6:00p to 7:30p
Join us for a laid back and lay-led service on Friday October 13th. While not just for families, this service is going to be dished up family-style. Details: 6pm - A good sized nosh/snack (Lobby) 6:30pm- Lay-led service on the Terrace, weather permitting (seating in the round, short, soulful, songful) 7pm - Kiddush and Dinner (Social Hall) There is no charge to attend, but we are inviting those who are able to donate in order to cover the cost of the meal for themselves and/or others who can't afford it.
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