ABBA

ABBA, which means "father" in Hebrew, is a group for fathers of young children who want to: socialize with other fathers, participate in wide-ranging Jewish activities, and just get out of the house every now and then!

There is no time commitment or membership fee. ABBA events are open to any dad with at least one child between zero and seven years old. Past events have included a Nationals game, a charity poker tournament, bowling, an evening of shooting pool, and a family Shabbat dinner. For more information about ABBA, contact Ilan Sussan, xo4salc@yahoo.com.

Coming Events

Preparing for the ABBA family dinner

Watch for more details on our 2009-2010 season!

For more information, call or email the listed contact, or Ilan Sussan.

River Trip on the Shenandoah, Sunday, October 25, 12:30pm. Join the Men from ABBA beginning at 12:30pm sharp, as we enjoy a relaxing afternoon floating down the Shenandoah River. We'll meet at Olam Tikvah to form carpools. Thirty-six dollars, payable in cash at the event, will cover all the fun, including snacks, beverages and equipment. Please RSVP by Sunday, October 11th to Philip Blumenthal (philipblumenthal@gmail.com or 703-569-3285) to let us know if you will attend and/or if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you then.

Scotch, Study & Havdalah (contact: David Goldberg), Saturday, November 21, 7:30pm. Please join us at Olam Tikvah as Rabbi Shalva leads us through Torah study and we enjoy sampling a bissel of several Scotches! An assortment of non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided too. Cost: $18, payable at the event, will cover the evening's activities. Please RSVP by Sunday, November 15th to Ilan Sussan (xo4salc@yahoo.com) to let us know if you will attend and/or if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on November 21st!

Family Shabbat Dinner & Services (contact: Philip Blumenthal), Friday, December 4, 6:00pm, OT Social Hall I.

ABBA Goes Bowling! Please join us on Sunday, January 17, beginning at 7:00pm, for an exciting evening at Bowl America in Burke (5615 Guinea Road; Burke, Virginia 22015 -- Tel. 703-425-9303)! Please RSVP by Sunday, January 10, to Ilan Sussan (xo4salc@yahoo.com) to let us know if you plan to attend or if you have any questions. The cost for this event is $20 (payable in cash at the event), which includes three games, shoe rental, and an opportunity to raise funds for charity. We look forward to seeing you at Bowl America on January 17.

ABBA’s Fifth Annual Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament, Sunday, March 7, at 7:00 pm (note date change). Please join us for a relaxing evening at Olam Tikvah as we play cards to benefit Olam Tikvah’s Carol Samuels Memorial Youth Fund, which provides need-based scholarships for Jewish camping and travel. Refreshments will be provided and prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners. Surprise awards have also become a tradition. Cost: $36, payable at the event, will cover all refreshments, supplies, prizes and proceeds to be donated. Please RSVP by Sunday, February 28th, to Jim Kaplan (jim@jimkaplan.com) or Ilan Sussan (xo4salc@yahoo.com) to let us know if you plan to attend or if you have any questions.

TBD (contact: Aron Sterling), Sunday, April 18, 7:00pm, Offsite.

Steak & TBD Dinner (contact: Scott Gould), Sunday, May 23, 6:00pm, OT Social Hall I.

Pool & Dart Night (contact: Barry Hemmerdinger), Sunday, June 27, 7:00pm, Offsite.

Beverage Tasting (contact: Ilan Sussan), Sunday, July 25, TBD, Offsite.

Annual Sukkah Raising

After Rosh Hashana, the ABBA dads got together to pre-assemble and label 2x4s and brackets, and then delivered the materials to each of the future Sukkah dwellers. On Sunday after Yom Kippur, ABBA organized the new Sukkah owners and ABBA helpers into teams to travel house-to-house putting up the Sukkahs. Everyone had a lot of fun. As one of the participants wrote, "Thanks to everyone who made this wonderful experience possible. It was an ingenious idea, magnificently orchestrated and carried out!"



Above, one team goes through the steps to erect a sukkah from start to finish. Photo courtesy of Barry Hemmerdinger. Below, another team works on a similar sukkah. Photo courtesy of Dan Werbel.

3800 Glenbrook Road · Fairfax, Virginia 22031 · phone 703-425-1880 · fax 703-425-0835 · info@olamtikvah.org