ENEWS May 2013

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Mark Your Calendars!

 May
Coming in June:
  • 6/5 — FVJN-to-Lazarus Mitzvah Dinner
  • 6/7 — Shabbat Evening w/Potluck (At Peck Farm)
  • 6/8 — FVJN Volunteers at NIFB
  • 6/11 — Book Club (One More River by Mary Glickman)
  • 6/18 – 6/23 — Swedish Days – FVJN’s Booth!
  • 6/30 — Board Meeting
(Download entire 2013 calendar at: http://www.fvjn.org/calendar-of-events/)
President’s Corner
Dear Friends,
Transitions and Celebrations!
While FVJN has been fortunate enough to have a number of phenomenal volunteers and board members over the years, none have been as intertwined with the organization’s success as Nancy Sohn.  Nancy Sohn, our President Emeritus, has decided to retire from the FVJN Board, though she fully intends to continue her significant involvement with the group through all other avenues.  Nancy has been instrumental in bringing people in this area together and in organizing the very souls who are responsible for FVJN becoming what it is today.  Without her involvement, FVJN would likely never have come into existence and certainly would not have flourished as it has into this organization for which we are all so fortunate!
We certainly wish Nancy the best, as she no doubt lends her considerable talents to other worthwhile causes.  She will forever have my boundless thanks for the wonderful organization she helped found and nurture through its first decade!  Please join me in thanking Nancy for her incredible commitment and contributions over the years!
As we have experienced with Nancy’s long-standing dedication, we are a group that absolutely depends upon and is so very grateful for its amazing volunteers!  Please join us on Friday to honor our volunteers during the Shabbat Evening service, featuring FVJS students!  I am sure everyone is as excited as I am to watch our students in action!  The service (as with all of our summer Shabbat Evenings) will take place at Peck Farm near the intersection of Peck and Kaneville Roads in Geneva.  We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating so much of what is integral to FVJN — good friends, great volunteers, wonderful students and a sense of community for all!
This month’s eNews holds wonderful news and events: we have plenty of fun with an adult social dinner, the last day of FVJS, a women’s gathering, and more!  We are also hosting a somber, but very informative event in mid-May, when we will have the daughter of Holocaust survivors coming to speak to the entire community on May 19th.  Please read the eNews for more details. This is one of the ways FVJN can so enrich a community and give back, by bringing in speakers.  Share this information with friends and colleagues alike.  Thank you all for making FVJN a wonderful asset for our entire community!   
Warmest wishes on this beautiful day,
Tammie   
tammiew@fvjn.org
FVJS Scholarship Fund Kickoff a Success!
Our first ever “Guest Bartender Night” fundraiser, to raise funds for our newly established FVJS Scholarship Fund, was held April 22, at McNally’s. Despite the restaurant’s kitchen being flooded, the night was a great success!
We couldn’t have done it without the efforts of FVJN volunteers Mike Yackley, Sam Evans, Tammie Weinberger, Greg Cibura, Nancy Cox, Kimberley Fivelson, 
We deeply appreciate talented musician Jim Green, who donated his wonderful musical performance.
And we couldn’t have done it without the donations of wonderful raffle items from: Nancy Sohn & Mike Simon, Randie LeVan, Melissa Wilke, Susan Henigan, and from McNally’s Irish Pub!

What’s Happening

  • May 3: FVJN Shabbat Evening:  A Very Special Family Service Starring FVJS Students!

Friday, May 3, 6:30 p.m. at Peck Farm Park’s Orientation Barn
The evening will begin with a family service, with special participants from
our religious school students at FVJS!
All FVJS students are expected to attend, as part of the school curriculum.
Families, friends, and individuals of all ages are encouraged to attend, too!
The evening will also include special recognition in appreciation for our many volunteers’ time and energy, given throughout the year. If this includes you, please come!
The service will be followed by Kiddish, hamotzi, and an oneg.
Please bring treats to share at oneg (feel free to bring fruit and other healthy treats!).

 
Do You Want To Help A Horse?
A Social Action Project for FVJS
Sunday, May 18, 11 a.m. at FVJN
The 5th – 8th grade FVJS students have worked together to create amazing artwork during the 2012-2013 school year!  They are auctioning off their work to raise funds to help Field of Dreams, a nonprofit volunteer organization in Batavia, that helps horses needing homes to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
Please join the students for this entertaining auction on Sunday, May 18 at 11 a.m. at FVJS.  Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.  
Any questions, please email marci@worddesigner.net.

FVJN Hosts Holocaust Speaker
Sunday, May 19, 6 – 8 p,m,
At the UUSG sanctuary: 102 S. 2nd St., Geneva (just around the block from FVJN)
Come hear Ericka Yeger share the story of her mother, Sarah Nussbacher, a survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp. Nussbacher was more than 70 years old before she finally talked about her experiences during the Holocaust.

Join us at the UUSG (Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva) sanctuary, on Sunday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. The UUSG is located at 102 S. 2nd St. in Geneva.

Sarah Nussbacher was born in 1923 in Transylvania/Hungary, and passed away in 2007 in Israel. In 1943, she and her entire family were taken to Auschwitz. Nussbacher was over 70 years old when she was finally ready to talk about her memories.

Come and learn why Nussbacher was deported to Auschwitz, how she survived, and why it all happened. Hear about her life before, during and after the Holocaust, as her daughter, Ericka Yeger, presents her mother’s story.

This presentation provides a better understanding of the Holocaust through Nussbacher’s experiences, extending to how WW II started, how Hitler came to power, and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

This program is open to all, and free of charge, though donations are always welcome. Please RSVP to: RachelY@fvjn.org

Adult Social Dinner!
Saturday, May 25
Location and time TBD
Come join us for a fun evening filled with visiting with new and old
friends, and wonderful food!
RSVP early to: Rachely@fvjn.org

FVJN- to-Lazarus House Mitzvah Dinners 
First Wednesday of Each Month
Volunteers prepare either a main dish, a salad or two sides (including vegetables), or a dessert. These meals currently feed 60 to 75 men, women and children at Lazarus House.
Please contact coordinator Lisa Garcia to sign up to volunteer: elenanestela08@comcast.net.
*Volunteers are needed for June 5, July 3, Aug. 7

– Plan Ahead –
FVJN Volunteers at NIFB! (Northern Illinois Food Bank)
Saturday, June 8, 9 to 11 a.m.
Please RSVP to: Rachely@fvjn.org
FVJN families and individuals: Come lend a hand at NIFB!
If you wish to participate, please let Rachel know, ASAP. For this session, volunteers can be as young as 8 years of age. If you’ve done this with us before, you know how fun it is, and it’s a terrific way to help our greater community!

Swedish Days in Geneva June 18 thru 23, 2013
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for this years Swedish Days! FVJN will again have a food booth at the north east corner of Third and. and Campbell streets (just south of FVJN). We will again be selling 1/4 lb. kosher all beef hot dogs, chipotle black bean veggie burgers, and a variety of frozen treats including the ever popular Pickle Pop! This year all volunteers will receive a cold bottle of water and a frozen treat during every shift they work.
Look for scheduling information in the coming weeks.
This is a great way to help raise funds for FVJN and meet other members!
To volunteer, email Kimberly: kfivelson@fvjn.org

Donations Received
From Nancy Sohn & Mike Simon and family: In memory of of Rose Sohn.

Happenings Elsewhere

Pizza Party For Middle and High Schoolers!
Hosted by Temple B’nai Israel in Aurora. Open to all!
Celebrate the end of the Religious School Year!
May 21, 5 p.m.
Luigi’s Pizza and Fun Center, 732 Prairie St., Aurora
Lazar tag and games, too!
RSVP to Cathy Cohen: 630-355-6127 or catsas@peoplepc.com

Jewish Summer Camp Time!
Is your child going away to camp for the first time?
Visit www.onehappycamper.org and find out if your child
is eligible for a grant up to $1,000 to use towards
her/his first Jewish overnight camp experience!