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

Posted by webmaster on December 8, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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!

Shabbat-O-Gram – Birthing Death

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on December 5, 2014   |   Comments Off on Shabbat-O-Gram – Birthing Death
Rachel's Tomb

Rachel’s Tomb

This weekend’s parsha begins with the fear of death. Jacob is about to meet his brother Esau after decades of separation. He can expect trouble; he left home, in part, because of Esau’s murderous rage.

There is a near fight-to the death, too. The night before the brothers meet, Jacob battles with a mysterious stranger – angel of God? God, Godself? A man he does not know? The spirit of his brother? The battle goes on through the night – ceasing only at daybreak. Jacob is freed and renamed.

But the cascading encounter with death continues as we read on. Death is no longer threatened, but real. We hear that Rebecca’s nurse has died. Just a few verses later, Rachel dies while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Finally, near the close of the parsha, Isaac dies.

Torah records these deaths in different tonalities. Deborah’s death is almost an aside; the fact that she is mentioned is important – the mystery behind why she was important enough to merit mention goes unsolved.

Rachel’s death is a scene of anguish: Her own midwife rejoices and tells her: “Do not fear you will have another son!” But as she breathes her last, she names her son according to his birth: Ben-oni, son of my sorrow. Jacob renames the boy immediately: He called him Benjamin, evoking a wholly different idea. Son, “ben” of days “ Son, of long life “yamin (m).”

Finally, we read of Isaac’s death, a death which brings together his once-warring sons. They bury him together. He is “gathered to his kin.”

So often, it is said, Judaism has little to nothing to say about the process of death or what might come after it. Yet, there is much in our tradition that offers thoughtful comfort. We do not subscribe to a vision of hell awaiting the wicked. We do not espouse eternal torment and everlasting punishment. But what do our traditions imagine?

Inheritance of spirit and soul: We would not say, “may her (his) memory be a blessing” otherwise. But we have traditions in which those who have died communicate with those still living. And there are Jewish ideas around a kind of reincarnation.

Our tradition mostly speaks to what is – what we face, what we must do on this earth, in our time. Yet Judaism does have something to say about birthing death with hope.

And that will be the subject of my sermon tonight. Please join us at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road at 7 p.m. Oneg follows.

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

Posted by webmaster on December 1, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

Posted by webmaster on November 25, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopA Most Awesome Shabbaton!

Thanks so much to everyone who made our ISJL weekend and Shabbaton a success. The Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat was so stupendous, a congregant exclaimed that “the spirit of goodness, sharing and love was intoxicating.  I am so glad I found this place.” We are in complete agreement!

Many, many thanks to Arlene Filkoff for her tireless organizational skills in scheduling Lex’s accommodations for a full week and then making the weekend run so smoothly.

Setup Takedown

We have two SignUpGenius lists out right now. One is for the on-going need to set up, prep, and take down at our services and holidays. Our next service is Dec. 5 and there are slots needing to be filled. Please go back and check this signup again!

Package in handWrap It Up!   Have Fun Raising Money For TOO

We’re asking each and every family/member to sign up to help this year in our annual gift-wrapping fundraiser at Bass Pro Shops. Last year about 15 volunteers raised hundreds of dollars for TOO – this year, we can do even better if we have everyone’s help.

Let’s all pitch in for an easy and fun activity that teens and adults alike can do. Last year’s volunteers had a great time!

A SignUpGenius went out last night for Dec. 21 and Dec. 24, starting at 9am each day. We need at least five wrappers each two-hour slot.

David BrozaDavid Broza Live in Concert – Proceeds Support the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte

In honor of the Federation’s 75th Anniversary of Living Generously, a special concert with iconic Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza will be held on Thursday, December 11, 7:30 pm at the Knight Theater at the Levine Center for the Arts. David Broza, Israel’s most famous singing and composing superstar – often called the Bruce Springsteen of Israel – brings his passionate, soulful brand of “flamenco fire and Israeli folk rock” to Charlotte for one night only. Tickets on sale now at Carolinatix.org

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

Posted by webmaster on November 17, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

Posted by webmaster on November 12, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopISJL Weekend: Abounding Amazement Awaits!

Many of our weekend events are wonderful opportunities to bring friends and guests. We’ll note which ones are open for friends and guests below. All events take place at Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church in Charlotte, 9704 Mallard Creek Road.

November 20: Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat Service

Potluck Dinner 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.

November 21: 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. Open for guests.
6:30-6:45 – Jewpardy with Lex and Pizza for the Multitudes (an evite will be coming your way soon). Open for guests.

For Your Viewing Pleasure: A Window into Jewish Culture and Art

Sotheby’s is auctioning off major Jewish items this December. As Arlene Filkoff wrote us, we will likely never see these items in one place again. Thanks, Arlene, for letting us know!
The pieces in this catalogue come from all over the world, including Lublin, Toledo, Italy, Germany, America, Yemen, and more. They date from before the Inquisition in Spain to modern times.

http://www.sothebys.com/pdf/2014/N09239/index.html

On Keeping the Tent Open on All Sides

Posted by webmaster on November 6, 2014   |   Comments Off on On Keeping the Tent Open on All Sides

Handing out note cards for reflection at conferenceRabbi Barbara’s article on the Open Hillel Conference she attended in October was published today in The Charlotte Observer on the editorial page.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/05/5294220/a-changing-jewish-identity.html#.VFvpS_Z0ydI

We hope to see many of you at our first program on Israel with Dr. Kathryn Johnson at Panera Bread tomorrow night!

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

Posted by webmaster on November 5, 2014   |   Comments Off on 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

November 2014 Shmoozeletter

Posted by Ralf Thiede on November 1, 2014   |   Comments Off on November 2014 Shmoozeletter

Welcome to an exciting month for Temple Or Olam!  The November 2014 Shmoozeletter is on line (click here to open it).  Among the highlights this month:

  • ‘Israel Today’: Presentation and discussion with Dr. Kathryn Johnson, UNC Charlotte, after dinner at Panera (8034 Concord Mills Blvd), Nov. 7 at six o’clock
  • ISJL Weekend and Shabbaton with Lex Rofes, November 21-23 / tentative schedule
  • Call for crash space: Hosting Lex Rofes Nov. 17, 18, and 19
  • MiLev HaPardes: What is ‘Judaism’?
  • Board Meeting minutes, Oct. 26
  • new officers to be appointed Nov. 16: President, Director of Outreach, Director of Religious Services
  • Report on a very successful Sukkot camp-out
  • Hanukkah preparations
  • New, joyous kvells from Marilyn Atlas
  • Precious Moments: Pictures from Sukkot
  • Planning for Dinner, Dancing, and Dessert February 07 (tickets go on sale Nov. 15)
  • calendar, birthdays, yahrzeits, and contact information

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

Posted by webmaster on October 21, 2014   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopWe Need Siddurim This Week!

We are in need of all the siddurim we can unearth from shelves, kitchen counters, trunks, basements, wherever.  And we need them this week by Wednesday.  Even if it is your personal copy, we will get it back to you after this weekend.

Please email Rabbi Barbara at rabbi.thiede@or-olam.org or templeadmin@or-olam.org.  We will arrange to get it from you at our convenience.

Harvest Away!

The following gleaning opportunities have popped up as the fall harvest is in full swing.

Call Arlene if you can attend one or all: afilkoff@gmail.com.

Wed, October 22, 8:30 am,  you can glean green beans in Cabarrus County if you are available, not working, or not in class, etc!!! 

Friday, Oct 24, 8:30 am, you can glean muscadine grapes in Rowan County near Salisbury No children on this one. 

Saturday, October 2, 9 am, Cabarrus County, you can glean turnips and greens. 

Sunday, October 26, 2 pm in the afternoon, you can glean at Riverbend Farms for turnips and greens.  This would be an interfaith gleaning opportunity with a local church. 

November 7 Service

Our next service will be a casual and comfortable breather from the flurry of High Holidays.  We will gather at a congregant’s home or communal space to eat, enjoy a short service, and hear a speaker and join a discussion on the political situation in Israel right now. 

Friday, Nov. 7, 6:00 pm