Author Archives: webmaster

Love Song Service Tonight! Get out your Tie-Dye….

Posted by webmaster on July 18, 2014   |   Comments Off on Love Song Service Tonight! Get out your Tie-Dye….

All we need is love

Birds do it, bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let’s do it, let’s fall in love!

 

There will be guest singers and some additional instruments you simply couldn’t expect. And the rabbi is playing her electric guitar — all night long…

Tonight’s Love Song service will feature Seals and Cross, Leonard Cohen, and (of course), the Beatles.  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. Remind yourselves what it’s like to fall – head over heels – in love.

And join us on  for our Third Annual Love Song Service at 7 pm at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church,  9704 Mallard Creek Rd,  Charlotte.

Let’s do it.  Let’s fall in love.  🙂

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

Posted by webmaster on July 14, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

Posted by webmaster on July 8, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

Posted by webmaster on July 2, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

Posted by webmaster on June 17, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopRelocating, Welcoming, Celebrating: TOO’s First Official Kabbalat Shabbat Service at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church!

It will be a sweet night in a sanctuary we’ve all learned to love.  This Friday, we’ll be celebrating our relocation to University City together with The Reverend Robin Tanner and members of the Piedmont UU community.  We’ll explore what radical hospitality we hope to offer — on both sides.

We’ll also address Parsha Korach, which tells us what happens when community breaks down.  How do we rebuild in the light after experiencing the worst kind of darkness?

Please join us for this milestone service and bring something nourishing to share.  Let’s show our hosts and guests what kind of community we are — welcoming, open, and thrilled by a good nosh.

Date: June 20

Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte. Time: 7 p.m.

Calling all Fellow Dancing and Dance Supporters!

The JUNE 28 Israeli Dance Experience will be held at the Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9700 Mallard Creek Road in Charlotte from 2:00-4:00 PM.

FREE REFRESHMENTS or bring some to share. Cost $10/adult, $5/child. RSVP to either Marilynaf@aol.com or Arlene at afilkoff@gmail.com. Pre-register by going to the Temple Or Olam’s home page, (http://or-olam.org) and click on the Pay Pal link. Please specify that your payment is for “Israeli Dancing.” However, you are welcome to pay at the door. We need your feet and financial support!

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

Posted by webmaster on June 3, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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.

Last Day to Contribute to CVAN’s Men for Change!

Posted by webmaster on May 30, 2014   |   Comments Off on Last Day to Contribute to CVAN’s Men for Change!

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 on our Temple Or Olam website on the front page 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

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

Posted by webmaster on May 27, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopShavuot Picnic and Activities Galore at Dorton Park This Sunday!

10:00 am – 11:00 am Aleph Bet Water Balloon and Water Gun Challenge

Teachers vs. children testing their Hebrew skills and tossing those balloons — what could be more fun (parents, please make sure the kids have extra clothes…).  Another reminder for moms and dads: You may be asked to help the children, so brush up on your Alef Bet before Sunday if you can!

11:00 — Carlebach Singalong: From Esai Einai to Ki Va Moed (Musical!)

11:30 — Ten Commandments Program (Experiential!)

We’ll hear the shofar, read the Ten Commandments, and have a modern-day Sinai experience. What might be new commandments for this time, this place, our congregation? Our kids will create a new set of tablets to bring to our Annual Meeting that next week.

12:00 –Picnic: All Things Dairy (Culinary!)

Bring on the blintzes and the cheesecake, the ice cream and the cream puffs: It’s Shavuot when we create luscious milchig meals…

1:00 — Adult Education Program: (Educational!)

Choosing Judaism – Over a Secular/Cultural Jewish Life, As Transformation and Acknowledgment of a Jewish Neshama: A Book of Ruth Shavuot Study Session

The Book of Ruth is rich in detail: We learn about how ordinary people can alter halakha to ensure the best possible future for a family, a community, and a nation. Why do we read this book on the anniversary of receiving the law? At the time when we receive the law, we should acknowledge that the law as given is not enough, and that bending and changing the law is actually a necessary practice.

In this book, Ruth chooses her people and acknowledges her Jewish neshama in five moving, intriguing, and inspiring chapters. The study session will explore this amazing text and use it as our jumping off point to address, discover, and reveal the many ways one can live in Jewish community.

  1. Does this work have anything to say about the ger toshav (a non-Jew resident and companion in Jewish community)?
  2. How does The Book of Ruth reflect present-day experiences for those choosing Judaism?
  3. In what ways does The Book of Ruth function as a mirror for our own community’s aspirations and hopes?

Join us for a great day at the big picnic shelter at Dorton Park on 5790 Poplar Tent Road in Concord.  We begin at 10 a.m.!

Services, Dinner, and the Annual Meeting on June 6 (Yes, the Raffle is Back!)

So what’s a meeting without a raffle? (TOO T-shirts are rumored to be among the most excellent prizes…).  And there’s dinner, too.  AND a short and joyous Kabbalat Shabbat service to round it all off.

The Annual Meeting (members only, please) begins at 6 p.m..  Members will receive reports from the president and last year’s committees, vote on nominations for open Board positions, vote on amendment to the constitution, approve the budget for 2014-15, and witness the signing of our rabbi’s contract.  All this and a pleasant dining experience!

Services begin at 7-ish, after the meeting.

Dinner, Meeting, Kabbalat Shabbat – Friday, June 6 at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Rd., Concord.

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

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

Posted by webmaster on May 21, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

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

Posted by webmaster on May 13, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Loop

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.

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

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