The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. Calvin Trillin

The Havurat Olam Shmoozeletter

February 01, 2006 - 3 Shevat 5766

Volume III, Issue 4

[Torah Fund] [Services] [Adult Education] [Social Programs] [Community Outreach]

Torah Fund and Torah Restoration

In the words of fundraisers all over the country, there’s still time to donate to our Torah Fund. You can still participate in this mitzvah! We are still accepting checks! (Keep in mind that fundraising involves a liberal use of exclamation points in order to impart excitement, enthusiasm, and urgency!)

More seriously, we would like to mention that all donors to the fund have been listed on our Torah webpage. We would like to take the opportunity to heartily thank everyone who has given – in particular, our younger members and supporters. If anyone should be on that page and has been missed, please, let us know.

For those who would still like to make a donation, the salient address (that means the treasurer’s) is below:

Samuel Leder, CPA

Potter & Company

434 Copperfield Blvd. NE

Suite A

Concord NC 28025-2404

One special note: Temple Israel of Salisbury has been wonderfully generous and lent us their second Torah while ours is being restored. This is no small favor given both the financial and spiritual value of any Torah on this planet; we extend our heartfelt thanks to that congregation.

Jewish Earth Day is around the corner. Our next services occur just after Tu B’Shevat, and in the honor of a holiday that celebrates the joy we take in the earth and reminds us of our responsibility to care for it, our next service will conclude with a very special oneg.

Inspired by the Kabbalists who invented the Tu B’Shevat seder in the 16th century, we ask everyone to bring fruits and nuts along to the next service. We suggest that those with surnames beginning with the letters A – H bring either apples, almonds, olives, and cherries, those with surnames beginning I – P surprise us with delicious samples of grapes, figs, and carob, and those whose family names begin with Q – Z hunt down dates, pears, and walnuts.

Adventurous souls may search for pomegranate, quince, and crabapple if the spirit moves them toward specialty stores and strange environs.

After services, and during our oneg seder, we will enjoy one of Havurat Olam’s stellar theater productions: “The Knights Who Say ‘Nu?’” performed by the Kehilla Kids. Based on a scene from a Monty Python film of old, the skit features Kagan Griffin as King Arthur. Join us as we experience the astonishing moment when King Arthur’s quest for something nice and green brings him into first contact with Herschel, the Shrubber (played by the Havurat Olam Mysterious Actor).

Our kids’ service begins at 6:30 (kids should expect an earthy HO gift for take-home Tu B’Shevat learning), Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming Shabbat) will continue at 6:50, and adult services will get into full swing by 7 p.m. We will meet at McGill Baptist Church in Concord (directions below).

Event:	Friday Night Services
Date:	February 17, 2006
Time:	6:30 p.m. children 7:00 p.m. adults
Location:	McGill Baptist Church 5300 Poplar Tent Rd. Concord NC 28027 -9757 map > RSVP <

More Shabbat on Shabbat

A Two-part Program

February 10, 2006

What’s the why as well as the how of Shabbat services?  Barbara Thiede will lead the second part of our two-part Erev Shabbat study session.  Our second session will explore the Amidah, the Mourner’s Kaddish, and the Aleinu.

After study, practice.  We’ll look at our Likrat Shabbat prayerbook and identify the parts of the service we’ve just explored.  We’ll close a few extra-beautiful Shabbat melodies.

Please note: Due to what seems like a popular demand, we plan to do a rerun of these adult education sessions on two Sunday afternoons this spring for those who couldn’t make the nighttime programs. Babysitting will be provided for those sessions. If you are interested, please let us know!

Event:	Adult Education
Date:	February 10, 2006
Time:	7:00 p.m.
Location:	570 Wilhelm Place NE Concord NC 28025 > RSVP < for directions

There are lots of celebrations coming up, including Purim in March and Havurat Olam’s first-ever community and children’s seder in April. Plans are also underway for a Mezuzzah-Making Shavuot Picnic in the Park, when we expect to spend a spring Shabbat afternoon making our own mezuzzahs and picnicking ourselves silly – all artistic endeavor to be accompanied by a little Jewish song and dance.

We’ll get you the exact dates and fuller descriptions for all these events very soon, and each will be posted on our website calendar.

If you like to party, have great ideas to share, and just can’t wait to celebrate, please contact Havurat Olam’s Director of Social and Adult Programming, Jackie Kessler, at the address below. Jackie, who was responsible for our wonderful Hanukah decorations and goody bags, is forming a party committee. We promise: she’ll be glad to hear from you (lkessl@hotmail.com).

January was a busy month, and not just because of our internal congregational doings. Havurat Olam was introduced by Commissioner Robert Carruth at the Cabarrus County Commissioner’s January Meeting, where those who attended heard the first invocation ever (I think) that included prayers chanted in Hebrew (it’s okay, I translated!). My invocation included thanks to God for opening the eyes of the blind, lifting up the fallen, and reminding us to take care of strangers in our midst; the latter, as many of you know, has been the subject of some troublesome political proposals recently.

Lynn Farrell was so kind to accompany me for a presentation on Judaism for Prospect Presbyterian Church in Mooresville. That presentation marked the fifth such presentation in this past year. Our presence has been heartily welcomed and well-received; our ongoing interfaith dialogues are going well.

Reverend Mary Lautensleger, of Center United Methodist Church, and I also delivered an interfaith blessing for youth at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Prayer Breakfast at Bethel Family Life Center in early January. The organization we both serve (Mary is president and I am a board member), the Concord-Kannapolis Ministerial Association, plans to participate in next year’s commemoration. I hope that some of our congregation may consider marching in next year’s Martin Luther King parade. Please let me know if you are interested.

Rabbi Andrew Ettin and I attended this year’s annual conference of Ohalah, the Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal, and came back (naturally!) renewed. After three days spent studying, attending variegated and heritage-rich services, and conversing about all things congregational and Jewish, we can both happily report that Renewal Judaism is unfolding in gorgeous, joyous, and unanticipated directions.

Our last Erev Shabbat service was especial proof of the joy we are experiencing as we grow our congregation. To those who were able to attend, chant, pray, dance, and play all those many amazing musical instruments, thank you. Thanks go to everyone working so hard to make a beautiful reality out of great dreams.

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