Services

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

Posted by webmaster on February 19, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopKabbalat Shabbat this week!

Come and celebrate Shabbat by exploring…. Shabbat!  We’ll be reading a passage in Torah that directly relates the gift of creating and safeguarding sacred time.

Don’t forget your healthy goodies for oneg!

McGill large classroom or fellowship hall
Friday, 2/21, 7:00 pm

ISJL Weekend Tops off February

Our ISJL intern, Elaine Barenblat, will make her final trip to Or Olam in two weeks.  You are all invited to join in the Saturday night Havdalah, potluck, and game night for a fun end to your Shabbat.

Saturday, March 1 at McGill

3-4:30 pm         Planning for next year and religious school teacher training.  You will be contacted
5-6 pm               Board of Directors meeting with Elaine
6:15-9:00 pm   Havdalah, potluck dinner, and game night.  Elaine is bringing some new stuff! Sunday, March 2 at Advent Lutheran
Religious school with Elaine

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

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

LoopTorah Service next Friday, February 21

Our February Kabbalat Shabbat service will be back at McGill, in the large classroom.  Let’s fill it up to overflowing and enjoy a healthy oneg to finish the evening.  We’ll be taking a close look at what Torah says (or doesn’t) about Shabbat.

Kabbalat Shabbat
McGill Baptist Church large classroom
Friday, February 21, 7:00 pm

We Blew It Out More than We Dreamed!

We knew it was going to be good, but who expected what happened? With plenty of time to prepare without a time crunch, our second Dinner Dancing & Dessert this past Saturday was an incredible success.  The room was full, the gift offerings were desirable, the music was perfect, and everyone went home happy.  If you have photos or video, please send to Charlotte or Ralf.  A full account will be in next month’s Shmooze.

templeadmin@or-olam.org

ralf.thiede@earthlink.net

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

Posted by webmaster on December 31, 2013   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopMake Your Donations Now!

We’re in the last hours of 2013 – if you want to make a donation to Temple Or Olam (and that includes dues, which are tax deductible), please go to www.or-olam.org and click on our PayPal button.  Or make out a check and make sure to write the date correctly (December 31, 2013) and mail it in to:

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

Please let us know what the donation is for (dues, Torah fund, Ruth G. Kingberg Children’s Education Fund).  Many thanks!

Israeli Dancing with Penny

January 11, 2014  4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at McGill Baptist Church in Concord

Ask those who participated: Our first Israeli dance class at Hanukkah was fabulous.  If you couldn’t join us then, now’s your opportunity.  We need at least twelve preregistered adults to make our class happen, so please register today!  We are encouraging advance payment to avoid handling money on Shabbat if at all possible.  To preregister, please go to www.or-olam.org and click on the PayPal link; specify “Israeli Dancing.”  Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for children.

Any questions?  Please call Arlene Filkoff at 704-875-2352 or e-mail afilkoff@gmail.com.

Kabbalat Shabbat Services this Friday

January 3, 2014, 7 p.m. at McGill Baptist Church in Concord

Be prepared for a musical service (that’s our specialty) with a chance for everyone to participate in real Torah study.  We look forward to seeing you there!

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

Posted by webmaster on December 11, 2013   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopDec. 13 Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 7:00

Together with our guest, Brian Yesowitch, we’ll be considering the role of memory in our tradition – both through ritual and storytelling.  Our Kabbalat Shabbat will be a gentle family-friendly and musical experience (we might even begin with a little Israeli dance!).
This service would be a wonderful time to invite guests and friends with children.  Relax with us in an atmosphere of warmth and joy as we close out 2013.  We will congregate in the large classroom (not in the sanctuary).

Wrap it up! Fundraising gift-wrapping at Bass Pro Shop

We had a taste of the holiday rush at Bass Pro Shops a couple of weeks ago and picked up some easy fundraising income for our budget.  We will have the granddaddy of all wrapping opportunities again on Christmas Eve.  We need everyone to take a 1 or 2-hour shift.
Fundraising gift wrapping at Bass Pro Shop (Concord Mills Mall)
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Contact Cheryl Greenwald at cg@greenwalds.net

Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on October 22, 2013   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

LoopUpcoming: An Weekend of Wonder at TOO

We have an amazing weekend planned for early November.  We’ll kick off the weekend with a Kabbalat Shabbat service led by our Religious School children together with Rabbi Barbara. Weekend events will also include programs offered for Temple Or Olam’s adult crowd, teachers, and students from our Institute for Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) intern, Elaine Barenblat.  Look for an evite soon for Saturday night dinner and Havdalah.

Here’s a brief overview of our schedule:
Friday night, 11/8, 7:00 – Kabbalat Shabbat with Rabbi Barbara and the Religious School students
Saturday, 11/9
2-4 pm – Religious school teacher training with Elaine, at McGill.
4-6 pm – Movie for kids with Keri; adult discussion with Elaine.
6-8 pm – Potluck supper and Havdalah
Sunday, 11/10
Elaine teaches our young’uns about tzedakah and Jewish heroes and heroines

Victory Lane for John Jensen

John Jensen’s bar mitzvah will be held Saturday, 11/30, 10:00 am, NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.  Yup, you read that right.  SAVE THE DATE!

Feeding the Hungry: Our Next Gleaning Opportunity

We have the opportunity to glean apples on Saturday, October 26th near Hendersonville, NC.  The orchard is approximately 2 hours from central Charlotte.  If you’re looking for a crisp fall activity that will help feed a LOT of folks, contact Arlene Filkoff at afilkoff@gmail.com

Upcoming Meetings at TOO

Fundraising committee meeting, Sat., 10/26, 1:00 pm, Filkoff’s
TOO Board meeting, Sunday, 10/27, 7:00, conference call

Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on October 16, 2013   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

LoopBar Mitzvah This Shabbat

Help us support our youngsters at this special time by making every effort to attend.  Please reply to your evite that came on October 4 if you have not already done so.

Saturday, 10/19, 10:00 am
Radbourne Clubhouse, 3325 Radbourne Blvd,Charlotte NC 28269
Bagel brunch following

Last Call for Beginning Hebrew Classes

This will be the first and last time Rabbi Barbara teaches Hebrew for at least the next three years.  Course components: learning the Aleph Bet, how to read Hebrew, acquiring some basic vocabulary, and understanding the general content of basic Shabbat prayers.  The course meets by conference call on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.  Please write to Rabbi Barbara at Rabbi.Thiede@or-olam.org by this Sunday, October 20 if you want more details about the class.

All the Area News in the Charlotte Jewish News — For Free!

Feel like you are missing something?  Metro-Charlotte synagogues (including TOO) produce a boatload of great programs, many of which are open to the public.  The best place to find out about meetings, lectures, performances, classes is in the monthly Charlotte Jewish News, which is free of cost.  If you are not receiving the News, shoot an email to amontoni@shalomcharlotte.org.  Or Olam has been publishing a monthly article in CJN for several years.  Don’t be left out!

Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

Posted by webmaster on October 10, 2013   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop: Our Weekly Bulletin on Everything TOO

 LoopGleaning Opportunity

We have the opportunity to glean tomatoes on Saturday, October 12th, at 8:30 a.m. in Rowan County.  Please let Jean Siers know if you’re interested and she will send you paperwork and directions.

gleanclt@endhunger.org

Please RSVP for our Bar Mitzvah in Red

Don’t forget to respond to the evite for Preston’s bar mitzvah on Saturday the 19th.  The family needs to know how many chairs to set out.  As Preston announced, it will be a beautiful service.  You can be certain that there will be lots of red….

Yom Kippur White and Your Books of Seven

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on September 10, 2013   |   Comments Off on Yom Kippur White and Your Books of Seven

Dear congregants and guests,

Let’s start with the Books of Seven we handed out at Rosh Hashanah.  Inside you will find some interesting texts for your reading pleasure.  You will also find a mitzvah chart.  Before Yom Kippur, you might want to read through the mitzvot listed there and ask yourselves which you want to study, explore, or add to your practice in the New Year.  Consider having a discussion with family members or friends.  Decide whether you want to make a New Year’s vow to, for example, engage in bikkur cholim, visiting the ill or bal tash-hit, living with environmental consciousness.

And, as we enter the Day of At-One-Ment, feel free to…

  • wear white during Yom Kippur. We dress in the clarity white brings to our spirits as we do the good work of clearing away the dross our souls have collected this past year.
  • bring and wear your tallitot.  Though prayer shawls are only mandated for morning services, Kol Nidre is an exception to that rule.  We wear our prayer shawls for this service to emphasize Yom Kippur’s special holiness.

I look forward to a deeply meaningful Day of Awe with you  all.

Rabbi Barbara

The Colors of Creation – Appropriate Garb for Rosh Hashanah

Posted by webmaster on September 3, 2013   |   Comments Off on The Colors of Creation – Appropriate Garb for Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah Make it colorful, all y’all!  We’re celebrating the birth of all creation.  Let’s imitate the rainbow, be the spectrum, come in every color.

Work your way past the blacks and beiges in your closet and choose… pink.  Or green.  Or Carolina blue!  If you have a colorful kippah, wear it.

Come to Rosh Hashanah services ready to rejoice in all that the New Year promises us: May it be a colorful one.

Here’s our schedule, just in case you need a reminder…

High Holy Day Service Schedule

  • September 4: Erev Rosh Hashanah service (7:00 p.m.)
  • September 5: Rosh Hashanah Morning service (10:00 a.m. – noon); followed by brunch and Tashlich in James Dorton Part Shelter #2
  • September 13: Kol Nidre service (7:00 p.m.)
  • September 14: Yom Kippur Morning service (10:00 a.m. – noon); followed by study groups for fasters and non-fasters alike (1:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Youth Fellowship Rooms)
  • September 14: Mincha, Ne’ilah, and Havdalah services (Mincha: 6:00 p.m.; Ne’ilah 6:30 p.m.; Havdalah 7:30 p.m. followed by Break Fast)

All events: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord NC 28027

Suggested donations for non-members:

  • families: $180
  • individuals: $90
  • students: discretionary

High Holy Day donations can be applied towards membership dues if guests join within three months.  Please call 704-720-7577 for more information.

Child care provided for morning services.

S’lichot – A Service For Forgiveness

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on August 29, 2013   |   Comments Off on S’lichot – A Service For Forgiveness

An angel has walked through the room
you, near the unopened book,
acquit
me once more.
Paul Celan

S’lichot is a service about acknowledging the things we have lacked during this past year. Patience, perhaps, or  compassion.  Selichot gives us the opportunity to ask others for forgiveness and understanding.  It provides a pathway for reconnecting, for refreshing our commitments and vows. 

Join us for a musical, meditative, adult service this Sunday at 2 p.m.  Let us be malachim for one another — messengers of shalom.

Location: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord; Time: 2 p.m.