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

Posted by webmaster on May 7, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopReligious School Shabbat this Friday, May 8!

Join us this Shabbat for a sweet and lovely service led by the children of our Religious School!  Each has a part, each is leading, and each student will surely give you something to smile about.

We hope to see you there, supporting the children of Temple Or Olam’s Religious School!  Our service will begin at 7 p.m. sharp and will be followed by our oneg where we can take every opportunity to congratulate the students and their teachers for a job well done.

Figures in a circle

Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte.

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

Posted by webmaster on April 28, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopNo Tolerance for Domestic Violence: CVAN’s Men for Change

In 2013, CVAN provided safety, shelter & support to 24,548 women and children. For several years, we have organized a special fundraiser for Men for Change, a program for and by CVAN (Cabarrus Victims Assistance Network).

This year, our new Board Member At Large for Tikkun Olam, Will King (see below) is together with Ralf Thiede calling for donations to Men for Change. We can, as a congregation send this message: Domestic violence will not be tolerated. Domestic Violence

The men of our congregation will be listed together with other donors in a full-page ad on Father’s Day. Please join us by sending your donation no later than May 27th. Make your check out to Temple Or Olam and put “CVAN” in the memo line. Checks should be sent to the following address:

Temple Or Olam
P.O. Box 1135
Concord NC
28026-1135

For more information on CVAN and Men for Change, please email Will King at at-large@or-olam.org

butterflies and tulipsSpring Brings Change!

We are reorganizing our lines of responsibility and management. The position of Temple Administrator has been eliminated. A board member has been added. Will King will be our new Board Member At Large with a focus on Tikkun Olam. Will also serves as our interim treasurer until July.

A full slate of board nominations will be coming to you via the Nominating committee in a few weeks as we prepare for our Annual Meeting. Stay tuned!

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

Posted by webmaster on April 21, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopKabbalat Shabbat Torah Service

Despite what you may have thought, all those concerns about skin disease in Leviticus have absolutely nothing to do with hygienic issues. Neither does the priest “cure” anything. His rituals are performed only after a disease has disappeared. So what’s it all about, really?

The ancient Israelites were responding to a primal fear; one we all face.  Join us for a Kabbalat Shabbat Torah service in which we why their efforts can help us face the same fears, thousands of years later.

We will also celebrate as Melanie Carty and Jacob Brayton are called to Torah!

Friday, April 24, 7:00 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte

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

Posted by webmaster on April 14, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopYom Hashoah Program 2015

In recent years, European newspapers have reported a significant rise in acts of violence against Jews. Jews have been beaten, graves have been defaced and overturned in Jewish cemeteries, synagogues and kosher groceries attacked. Some suggest that this phenomenon is linked to tensions in the Middle East, Israel’s settlement policies, treatment of Arab citizens, and control over Palestinian territories.
Is frustration over Israel’s position and politics actually linked to the rise in antisemitism elsewhere in the world? Is Anti-Zionism simply antisemitism in disguise? Yom Hashoah candle

This year, Rabbi Barbara will lead us in exploring these difficult questions. Participants will be learning and studying together in small groups and sharing their conclusions in and with community.

Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church
9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte This event is free and open to the public.

torah mantlesTorah Study, Anyone?

Did you know that some of our members get on the phone every Shabbat to talk Torah?

This week, we’ll be discussing Parshat Shimini, when two of Aaron’s sons attempt to offer a special sacrifice in the sanctuary only to be struck down. Why would God fail to accept their offering? How do we explain Moses’ insistence that Aaron dismiss his own grief?
If you are interested in joining our Torah study for one day, the occasional Saturday, or on a regular basis, please contact Ginger Jensen at gjensen.orolam@gmail.com

She will add you to our email list, send you instructions and reminders!

Kabbalat Shabbat Torah ServiceLeviticus

Despite what you may have thought, all those concerns about skin disease in Leviticus have absolutely nothing to do with hygienic issues. Neither does the priest “cure” anything. His rituals are performed only after a disease has disappeared. So what’s it all about, really?

The ancient Israelites were responding to a primal fear; one we all face.

Join us for a Kabbalat Shabbat Torah service in which we learn what they dreaded and why their efforts can help us face the same fears, thousands of years later.

We will also celebrate as Melanie Carty and Jacob Brayton are called to Torah!

Friday, April 24, 7:00 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte

Anybody having a yard sale??Yard sale

We have been promising a yard sale all year. Now that the perfect time is here, our preferred provider is skipping this season. Is anyone having a neighborhood-wide yard sale that would bring in a good crowd? You provide the space and any sellable stuff you want to jettison. We invite members to bring their items to your yard the previous day and others to tend the cash box on sale day.

Have an idea or a location? Email templeadmin@or-olam.org

 

 

Or Olam in the Loop — P.S…. Shakespeare Abridged!

Posted by webmaster on April 7, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop — P.S…. Shakespeare Abridged!

LoopAnnouncing: TOO Director, Actor, and Congregant  Jacob Brayton Appearing this Weekend in….

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

All 37 plays in 97 minutes!  First they did America,then they took on All The Great Books, now the bad boys of abridgement tackle the works of the Bard himself in this hysterical interpretation!Shakespeare-Abridged-copy-300x300

Where?  At the Lee Street Theater & Performing Arts Center at the Tom & Martha Smith Event Center 329 N. Lee Streey

When? This Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm.

Tickets available here: http://www.leestreet.org/tickets/

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

Posted by webmaster on April 7, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopSpecial Religious School This Sunday!

We will have a special session of Israeli dancing with Rebecca Grossman from 9:45-10:45 at Advent in the gym. All families are welcome to join us.Miriam Dancing

This Sunday is also our Tot Time with Rabbi Barbara. Children five and under are invited to sing, dance, and tell stories from 11-12 in the preschool classroom. You are welcome to come for the dancing and stay for Tot Time.

Sunday, April 12
Advent Lutheran Church

Seder medievalAn Absolutely Sensational Community Seder was had by All!

If you weren’t able to be here, you missed a true community Seder of members, friends, and relatives. Besides the always wonderful food from Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions, we danced sang, deliberated, and brought smiles to each other’s faces. And as usually happens, we had a head-clearing experience with the horseradish.

Many thanks to the generous cooks, to Ginger for providing the Seder plate items, and Melanie and Rabbi Barbara for composing an interactive and stimulating seder experience.  Could it be any better?  Next year at TOO’s community seder!

Annual meeting approaching Latinos

Our nominating committee for Board of Directors elections in June has been formed. They will be working in the next few weeks to fill positions for a dynamic, responsive Board.

Please give them your heartfelt consideration if they approach you with a need. It takes a loving village… to create a healthy congregation!

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

Posted by webmaster on March 17, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopKabbalat Shabbat this Friday…. and Learning to Find Love (in Leviticus!)

We begin Leviticus this week, the book so many discard as a tome filled with rules and regulations. But this is a text worth a closer and gentler look. This Friday, Rabbi Barbara will help us find the love in Leviticus. Guests of several kinds will be visiting this Shabbat, from once well-known members to the new and curious; please join us in welcoming them.  Oneg following!  Leviticus 2

Date: March 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

Community Seder Around The Corner (on April 5)

Or Olam is bringing a new seder your way: Our theme is “Be the mensch you want to be, be the Jew you want to be!” We’ll be exploring and discussing this very question with humor, with care, and with aplomb (or a plum. To go with the orange. Come and see.)
Please join us for your congregation’s community Seder.
Adults $20, children 6-12 $10, nuclear family limit $60.

Date: April 5
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

Guest Request: Do You Have a Place At Your First Night Seder Table?

One of our Or Olam families has been given the opportunity host a former visitor at High Holy Days who remembers us with great fondness and will be in town for Pesach. She would like to have a place at someone’s table for First Seder, then will join us on Sunday for our community Seder.

Does anyone have a space for her at your table on Friday, April 3?  Please email the temple administrator at templeadministrator@or-olam.org

 

Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church Latino Immigration Forum  Latinos

You are invited to attend a forum on the most critical issues impacting the Latino community on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at 7 p.m. at Piedmont UU Church.
Welcome: Reverend Robin Tanner, Lead Minister, Piedmont UU Church
Presenters: Benjamin A. Snyder, Associate Immigration Attorney, and Hector Vaca, Director of ACTION NC in Charlotte

Issues:

Current status of President Obama’s Executive Action on Childhood Arrivals and Parental Accountability
In-state tuition for Latino children
Municipal ID for undocumented immigrants

Tuesday, March 24, 2014
7 to 8:30 p.m.
9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

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

Posted by webmaster on March 3, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopPurim Weekend Extravaganza!

From a pot-luck-and-megillah reading to Israeli dancing to a costume contest to the ought-to-be-famous Temple Or Olam Players offering us all the off-broadway Erev Shabbos Fever — we have a weekend of thoughtful stuff, fun stuff, crazy stuff, and creative stuff for everyone!

What to bring? Family, friends, neighbors in costume, a potluck supper dish, and your willingness to have fun. There is no cost for the dancing or Purim festivities.

Purim costume apple

Purim Weekend Schedule Below:

Friday, March 6

6-9 pm Religious School families share Shabbat dinner and bake hamentachen for the Purim party at the Filkoff house. Details coming directly to RS families. Hamentaschen
6-9 pm  Potluck Shabbat dinner and Megillah reading (the WHOLE Megillah!) at the Jensen house for everyone else. Rabbi Barbara will lead us in our exploration of the Tanakh’s quintessential story of unexpected outcomes and turbulent turnabout.

Saturday, March 7

Prim costume 210-11 am   Regular Torah study via conference call with Lex, Rabbi Barbara, and Ginger
11:15-1:00   Lunch and planning session for religious school teachers with Lex
1:30-3:30   Shpiel practice for all actors at Advent Lutheran
3:30-5:00   Israeli dancing at Advent Lutheran
5:00-9:00 Purim Party! Wear your craziest costume, bring a potluck supper item, and be ready to shout, laugh, boo, and hiss. WE WANT YOU IN A COSTUME! Purim is a time for fun and craziness. Let us see your inner child!

 

Exploring All Things Jewish… in Davidson!

Davidson College is in the midst of hosting two months of lectures and performances celebrating Jewish traditions.

Dad’s Jewish, Mom’s Catholic… What am I?: Interfaith families in the 21st Century
March 9, 7 p.m., 900 Room, Alvarez College Union
Tradition: Celebrating Jewish Community and Culture
A community festival
March 15, 12-3:45 p.m., Alvarez College Union
From Sholem-Aleichem to Fiddler: The Tevye Tradition
A lecture by Karl Plank, Ph.D., J.W. Cannon Professor of Religion at Davidson College
March 19, 11:05 a.m.-12:05 p.m., 900 Room, Alvarez College Union
Fiddler on the Roof FiddlerGender and Jewishness in Fiddler on the Roof from the 1960s to the Present
A public lecture featuring Jill Dolan, Ph.D., and Stacy Wolf, Ph.D., both of Princeton University.
March 22, 12-1:30 p.m., The Lilly Gallery, Chambers Building
Fiddler on the Roof performance
Sunday, March 22, 2:00 pm, Duke Performance Hall in the Union

Link for full info on tickets:

http://www.davidson.edu/the-arts/theatre/fiddler-symposium

 

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

Posted by webmaster on February 24, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopPurim Weekend Extravaganza!

From a pot-luck-and-megillah reading to Israeli dancing to a costume contest to the ought-to-be-famous Temple Or Olam Players offering us all the off-broadway Erev Shabbos Fever — we have a weekend of thoughtful stuff, fun stuff, crazy stuff, and creative stuff for everyone!

Only costumed congregants will be admitted to Saturday’s Purim Party, so break out that bolero hat or the bright boa scarf.  Find those Groucho Marx glasses and or the Einstein wig.

Dress with aplomb (or a plum). And join us for a really, really good time…

Purim costume apple

Purim Weekend Schedule Below:

 

Friday, March 6

6-9 pm Religious School families share Shabbat dinner and bake hamentachen for the Purim party at the Filkoff house. Details coming directly to RS families. Hamentaschen
6-9 pm  Potluck Shabbat dinner and Megillah reading (the WHOLE Megillah!) at the Jensen house for everyone else. Rabbi Barbara will lead us in our exploration of the Tanakh’s quintessential story of unexpected outcomes and turbulent turnabout.

Saturday, March 7

Prim costume 210-11 am   Regular Torah study via conference call with Lex, Rabbi Barbara, and Ginger
11:15-1:00   Lunch and planning session for religious school teachers with Lex
1:30-3:30   Shpiel practice for all actors at Advent Lutheran
3:30-5:00   Israeli dancing at Advent Lutheran
5:00-9:00 Purim Party! Wear your craziest costume, bring a potluck supper item, and be ready to shout, laugh, boo, and hiss. WE WANT YOU IN A COSTUME! Purim is a time for fun and craziness. Let us see your inner child!

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

Posted by webmaster on February 17, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopLet Them Make Me a Sanctuary: Shabbat Services This Friday

Parsha T’rumah is replete with sensations and colors — all in the service of creating sacred space.  This Friday we’ll  consider the question: What does it mean, in our day and age, to build a sanctuary?  What gifts do we bring and how do we sustain safe havens?  We’ll also celebrate as Charlotte Miller receives her first aliyah as the newest (local) member of the tribe.  Charlotte will be sponsoring the oneg, so no one need bring anything; just come and enjoy! Altar

Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd

Purim: From Serious Study of the Book of Esther to Costume Contest and the Performance of Erev Shabbos Fever, A Purim Shpiel!

MegillahWe’ll be holding a megillah reading and discussion either Friday night, March 6, or Saturday morning, March 7. Most likely a potluck/bring your own dinner bag will accompany the reading. Time and place TBA.

PurimOur family Purim extravaganza will be Saturday, March 7, at Advent Lutheran Church. Israeli dancing will start the afternoon at 3:30 and the craft table will be open, followed by short and interesting Megillah synopsis, potluck dinner, a costume contest, and a Purim shpiel of hilarious proportions.  We promise.  🙂

Many Thanks to Our January Donors to TOO!

Arlene and Michael Filkoff
Marilyn Atlas

Donations appreciatedAnd Our Thanks for Cash Donations to Dinner Dancing & Dessert 2015:

Party Reflections
Atlas Counseling
Anderson Chiropractic
Chris Pardue Massage Therapy

A complete list of all 3D donors will be out next week.