Events

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopLet’s ALL Support our Religious School and Wrap It Up Together!

Don’t forget our two gift-wrapping fundraiser this weekend on Sunday (12/21) and Christmas Eve (12/24) at Bass Pro Shops in Concord Mills. We need all families to provide at least four hours behind the tables for this very easy money-maker. The proceeds will go toward decreasing the fundraising needs of the religious school. Every family gets a tuition scholarship because of our very low fees; so, come on down all young families and help us continue to make such low fees possible!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b48aba928a1f49-wearewrapping  Package in hand

 

 

Another Mother of All Hanukkah Parties

Our Hanukkah party is fast approaching. This year is a joint effort with Piedmont, and our two congregations will be exchanging a gift. We need all hands on deck for food, games, crafts, and comedy! Yes, we are having a comedy hour (or more) after the dinner of traditional foods. Children’s games and crafts will be available throughout the afternoon/evening.

Two SignUpGenius lists will be coming out this week: one for food and one for crafts, games, and comedy routines.   We need a small but dedicated kitchen staff to coordinate the pre-cooked latkes and such.

latkes3:30-5:00 Israeli dancing with Penny
5:00-5:30 Gift exchange with Piedmont and lighting of candles
5:30-7:00 Food!
7:00-?   Jokes, comedy routines, skits, talent, etc.

Pledges Dues are Due

Pledge: a solemn promise or undertaking.
Synonyms: promise, undertaking, vow, word, word of honor, commitment, assurance, oath, guarantee

Tax year is ending. Have you remembered your loved ones’ yahrzeits with  a gift in their memory?  Your pledges to support our budget for this 2014-15 year should also be at least half paid by the end of December. You may use Paypal on the website or send checks to Box 362, Huntersville, 28070-0362. Be sure to define how you want your donations and pledges credited.

 

3D update coming separately!

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Loop                              Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat
December Yahrzeits and Birthdays
Wrapping Up the Holidays!
Welcome New Members
Countdown to Dinner Dancing & Dessert (better known as 3D)
Hanukkah Comedy Night at TOO – Calling all Comics!
Tot Time at TOO!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: A Chance for Cheap Tickets!

Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat

Sweet music, a Torah reading from a dramatic Torah parsha, and convivial time to be together. Join us for services at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church at 7 p.m. (9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte). We’ll also be welcoming new members!

Yom Hashoah candleDecember Yahrzeits and Birthdays: Please consider a donation in honor or in memory of a loved one!

Donations can be made using our website Paypal button or by sending a check to
Temple Or Olam, Treasurer
PO Box 362
Huntersville, NC 28070-0362

Birthdays for December: Caleb Malin (12/3), Diego Garcia (12/6), Ralf Thiede (12/8), Jinmey Jacobson (12/14), Sergio Chait and Anna Garcia (both on 12/28) and Azalee Everhart.
Yahrzeits for December:  Belle Wetterhahn, Thomas Jetton, Gertrude Resnick, Dorothy Filkoff, John Jensen (Tom Jensen’s father), Rose Solomon, Beno Chait, Martha Marshall, Dr. Irving Joffe, Mortimer Berkey, and Celia Clark.

Package in handWrapping Up the Holidays!

Holiday spirits were alive and well at Bass Pro Shops on Black Friday as TOO offered gift-wrapping in exchange for donations to our religious school. Many thanks to everyone who participated ! And it was great fun. Our donation total for just 8.5 hours is $295!

Is your name on the list for the next two wrapping days? We have Saturday, Dec. 21, 9am-7pm, and the big bonanza, Christmas Eve, 12/24, 9am to store closing. This was a huge day last year.

This is the easiest fundraising you will probably do and teens are especially good here.   So make sure you are on the schedule!

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B48ABA928A1F49-wearewrapping/6877040

Welcome New Members! Welcome

Our Board of Directors recently welcomed into the TOO membership Heidi Yalowitz-Lasser and Karl and Roz Sydney. All three have already jumped into services and activities with both feet. Please welcome these new members when you see them.

Countdown to Dinner Dancing & Dessert (better known as 3D)

DessertEach week we will be giving an update of our progress toward holding another successful 3D event in 2015 in a separate “Countdown” email. An expanded menu and wonderful raffle and auction items on your way this week. Don’t miss it!

Hanukkah Comedy Night at TOO – Calling all Comics!

We are looking for some funny folks. Really funny folks for jokes, comedy routines, skits, etc. for our Hanukkah party. Got a knack for tickling your listeners’ ribs?   We want you for the evening’s main event on December 20. Check your calendar and let us know your shtick.   templeadmin@or-olam.org

Tot Time at TOO!

Our second religious school special session for preschool children is this weekend, Sunday, Dec. 7, 11:30-12:30. Spend time with Rabbi Barbara singing, dancing, and storytelling. Both members and guests are welcome. Invite your friends. Held at Advent Lutheran Church, 8840 University City Blvd., 28213.

DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

The musical is coming to Blumenthal in a few months! Arlene was able to speak with a group sales representative and get us some great discounted prices, as low as $23.25 per person! We would love to go to the 3/1 1:30pm showing after religious school as a group.

Please let Keri know by Thursday, 12/4 if you think you might be interested, and if so, how many will be going. We will need to put down a deposit, and must have at least 15 signed up for the discount. kerihuneycutt@yahoo.com

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopThe New and Improved ISJL Shabbaton Weekend Schedule!

All events take place at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church in Charlotte: 9704 Mallard Creek Road, 28262

November 21: Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Potluck Dinner, Tzedakah Project, and a Sporty Shabbat – Feel Free to Invite Friends
Imagine that you are going to learn how a service works by thinking athletically. Flex your prayer muscles with warm-up, first quarter play, halftime, and more! Wear your favorite team on your sleeve (or on your kepe) – t-shirts and caps are appropriate Shabbat wear at this service.
Please remember to bring gently used coats and winter jackets for our tzedakah project in support of Crisis Assistance Ministry – we would like to help folks in need keep warm this winter!
Dinner begins at 6 p.m.
Service at 7:15 p.m.

November 22: Shabbat, Shabbat!
10-11 a.m. Torah Study with our ISJL Institute for Southern Jewish Life intern, Lex Rofes. Open for guests.
12:30 – 2:30 – Young Adults at TOO meet with Lex
2:30 – 4:30 – Religious School Teachers Meeting with Rabbi Barbara and Lex
4:30-5:30 – Israel Literacy 101 – Adult Education session with Lex. Open for guests.
5:30-6:30 – Jewish Musical Hour and Singalong with Rabbi Barbara, Ralf and Lex. Bring an instrument or drum if you’d like. Open for guests.
6:30-6:45 – Havdalah Open for guests.
6:45-9:00 – Pizza and Salad for the Multitudes followed by Jewpardy with Lex. Open for guests.

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopGleaning Opportunities This Weekend!

The rain over the weekend has given us one extra week in the turnip field in Cabarrus County, which we were not expecting!  Let me know if you can join us at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8th and I will send you directions and other information.

Arlene Filkoff, afilkoff@gmail.com

 “Israel Today” on November 7

It’s a happening thing this Friday, November 7, at 6:00 pm in the Panera Bread community room, 8034 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord, 28027

Piedmont is setting up for a big fundraiser on this weekend, so we will host Dr. Kathryn Johnson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at UNCC. She is a convert to Islam and brings a nuanced and knowledgeable approach to the political world of Israel and its neighbors.  This will be the opening event in our series on Israel today, the most popular topic requested for adult education.  Other events will be held during the coming year.

6:00 pm   Dinner on your own at Panera.  Very good salads and soups.

7:00 pm   Short Shabbat service

7:15 pm   Short talk by Dr. Johnson then plenty of time for questions and answers

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopReligious School Starts this Sunday.

And…a new class for tots!

Our Religious School will meet this Sunday morning for an opening celebration at Dorton Park, down Poplar Tent Road from McGill Baptist.  All students should meet there at the regular school time.  We will end the day with a potluck lunch for all to enjoy.

Our youngest congregants are invited to meet together for Tot Time from 11:30 -12:30 at the park.  Singing, dancing, storytelling with Rabbi Barbara for preschoolers aged 2-5.  Please email Keri Huneycutt if you are attending Tot Time: school@or-olam.org.

All we need is loveLove Song Service at UNCC this Friday

Did you miss our summer Love Song Service?  You’ve got one more chance to catch it, thought this particular service will feature beaucoup Beatles.  There will also be some Seals and Cross and Simon and Garfunkel.  We’ll find out how our secular selections reflect the sentiments of the Barchu  Mi Chamocha, and Adon Olam. So dig out all those headbands, fringes, love beads, and tie-died shirts and join us on  for our UNCC Love Song Service.

Please bring something to share with the students — they’re starving!  🙂

Love Song Service, Friday, 7:00 pm

UNCC Student Union 340D&F

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopGoing Gleaning, Anyone?

Our last group helped in the pulling of over 6600 pounds of corn to feed local hungry!     We’ve just heard that there is a new gleaning opportunity this Tuesday.  Please feel email Arlene Filkoff if you are interested in helping out at afilkoff@gmail.com

Love Song Service on July 18 – This Friday!

We’ve had some wonderful press for this service, but we all know our congregants are the best way to let people know about Temple Or Olam.  So please help us get the word out about a service that can be a great introduction to the joy and fun we like to have at Temple Or Olam.

Our Love Song service is great for bringing friends — of any denomination.  Read more about this year’s Love Song Service in Rabbi Barbara’s MiLev Ha Pardes in the July Shmoozeletter.

Help us get the word out about Temple Or Olam’s creative way of looking at the Kabbalat Shabbat by bringing bring guests.  And don’t forget to find that tie dye T-shirt…

Location and time: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church on July 18 at 7 p.m.

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopClean the Fields, Feed the Hungry!

We just got another call.  It’s summer in North Carolina and there is lots more lovely corn to glean!  Gleaning will be starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 12th near Mt. Pleasant, NC.  Please feel email Arlene Filkoff if you are interested at afilkoff@gmail.com

A TOO Teenager Taking the Tikkun Olam Lead

Steve Smith and Philip Jacobson built some picnic tables and benches for Piedmont University Unitarian Church for Philip Jacobson’s Eagle scout project.  Philip has scheduled a volunteer work day for the project at the church from 9 AM until 3 PM to sand and paint the furniture at the church for the boy scouts (on July  12th) .  Any Temple Or Olam member is welcome to participate.  The scouts will also be cleaning up the picnic table area, which is on the south side of the main church, in front of the big windows.  If Temple members don’t want to volunteer on Saturday, Philip will schedule another volunteer day on a Sunday, but it will not be in the morning so as not to interfere with the church’s Sunday services.  He will arrange after feedback.  Please contact Philip at PhilipLJacobson@gmail.com

Check Out All the Improvements at Our Website!

  • A new tab under “About” that gives information about Jewish Renewal, the movement we are affiliated with.
  • A “Rabbi” tab which includes information about our Rabbi’s blog, her work in Interfaith settings, and a grid for posting her drashot on Torah.  Some of the first sermons have already been posted!
  • New ways to get around our “Contact” page that help identify where we meet and how to find our snail mail address.

Have you “Liked” our Facebook Page?

Thanks to Alan Coffman, one of our wonderfully active younger members, our Facebook page is getting updated every time we turn around.  But we’d so love to have more people “like” the Temple Or Olam Facebook page.

Alan is interested in getting news and pictures from congregants that he can post on the page.  Our Facebook page is becoming a way to let people know who we are and what we do.  Please, contribute your ideas, your pictures, and your news and help Alan help us get the word out about TOO!  Write to Alan at coffman.alan@gmail.com

Love Song Service on July 18 – Less Than Two Weeks Away!

Seals and Crofts this year, and Leonard Cohen too.  The Beatles (of course) and even Burt Bacharach.  A wonderful service to bring friends to (of any denomination).  Read more about this year’s Love Song Service in Rabbi Barbara’s MiLev Ha Pardes in the July Shmoozeletter.

Help us get the word out about Temple Or Olam’s creative way of looking at the Kabbalat Shabbat by bringing bring guests.  Don’t forget to find that tie dye T-shirt…

Location and time: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church on July 18 at 7 p.m.

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopHelp Us Feed the Hungry!  Gleaning Opportunity This Friday Morning.

Maimonides notes that the highest form of Tzedakah is that which is given without knowing who the recipient is.

We just got the call.  There is a field of corn in Mt Pleasant that is done being harvested by the farmer and is ready for gleaning by those who can help.   How Jewish and American could we be by donating our time to feed the hungry in our own midst, and then going to our own barbeques or fireworks!

Gleaning will begin at 8 am.

Please feel email Arlene at afilkoff@gmail.com  She will need the number of people you are bringing.  In return, she will provide you with the address and the permission slips(print and fill out at home) you need to have everyone fill out.  Please remember, use the restroom as your last stop before you get to the field, wear closed toed and backed shoes as we will be in a corn field, wear cool clothing you can get dirty, and bring water!

A TOO Teenager Takes the Lead and Offers Us More Opportunities to Give Back:

Steve Smith and Philip Jacobson built some picnic tables and benches for Piedmont University Unitarian Church for Philip Jacobson’s Eagle scout project.  Philip has scheduled a volunteer work day for the project at the church from 9 AM until 3 PM to sand and paint the furniture at the church for the boy scouts (on July 5th and 12th) .  Any Temple Or Olam member is welcome to participate.  The scouts will also be cleaning up the picnic table area which is on the south side of the main church, in front of the big windows.  If Temple members don’t want to volunteer on Saturday, Philip will schedule another volunteer day on a Sunday, but it will not be in the morning so as not to interfere with the church’s Sunday services.  He will arrange after feedback.  Please contact Philip at PhilipLJacobson@gmail.com

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopAnnual Meeting: Informative, Fun, and Important: Please Respond to Our Evite And Let Us Know You Are Coming!

Fellow congregants, please renew your commitment to Congregation Or Olam by joining us for an awesome and enlightening annual meeting this Friday evening before Kabbalat Shabbat services. Your Board of Directors, Religious School Director and Rabbi have so much to share with you about our progress in our stated objectives for this past year: involvement of 100% of members in our activities, and growth of our congregation.

This is a pivotal year. Our move to Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church settles us in a beautiful facility and positions us in a community in which there is real potential for growth and prosperity. Our major objectives for this year will focus on attainment of that growth and on our educational programs, both within the Religious School and in offerings by our Adult Education Committee.

This is your opportunity to ask questions, make recommendations, debate important issues and vote on amendments, nominations and our annual budget. Your support and efforts remain essential for fulfillment of our objectives for the coming year. So, attend the annual meeting! Support our Rabbi, Religious School and Board of Directors! Learn what you can do to assure Temple Or Olam’s continued success and stability.

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Loop

We Are Ready to Sell Your Fleas! TOO’s Last Fundraiser: The Flea Market

  • We need your donations!  (furniture, knick-knacks, dishware, artwork, etc.)
  • We need your baked goods!  (cookies, cupcakes, brownies)
  • We need your truck or van!  (To transport stuff to the site very early in the AM)
  • We need your hands and your presence!  (To transport, set up, tag, sell, clean up)

Don’t miss it!
Saturday, June 14, 8am-1pm
Advent Lutheran Church front parking lot
Right on 49 across from UNCC
Email Cheryl Greenwald about any items you have or assistance you are ready to give:  cg@greenwalds.net

Entering the Wilderness (Or Starting the Book of Numbers) Kabbalat Shabbat May 23

Join us for a sweet and intimate Torah service on Friday, May 23.  No better way to usher in this year’s Memorial Day and the summer season.

Friday, May 23, 7:00 pm at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Drive, Concord

Be Men for Change: Stand Up Against Domestic Violence

The men of Temple Or Olam have, for many years, helped support the vital efforts of the Cabarrus Victim’s Assistance Network (CVAN) to help battered women and their children. Each year, they have raised enough money to be included in CVAN’s Men for Change Father’s Day ad. (See http://cvan.org/MenForChange.aspx for more information.)

We’re hoping our men will join together again to demonstrate the importance of taking a public stand against domestic violence. But we need donations to come in by June 1!

Anyone can donate to this cause through sending a check to the address below or simply using our Paypal button and noting the contribution to be intended for Men for Change.

Last year, 705 men and men’s groups came together to be Men For Change. They raised $60,500. Let’s be a part of this important campaign this year, too.

Temple Or Olam, Treasurer
PO Box 362
Huntersville, NC 28070-0362