Who's Doing What

Events Listed by Sponsoring Group

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Members' phone numbers are listed in the synagogue directory. You also can contact members through the main office.

Congregation

Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration, Wednesday, May 7, 6:00pm. Join us for a Birthday Party for Israel! Bring the family for a evening of fun! BBQ! Israeli Dancing (we'll have a DJ who will teach the dances)! Birthday Cake! Special evening service! $6/person, $3.00/child, $30.00 family max.

Shabbat Dinner with Rabbi Yafet Alemu, Friday, May 30, 6:15pm, services followed by dinner. Join us to meet Rabbi Yafet Alemu, founder and director of Equal Opportunity for Ethiopian Jews in Israel (EOEJ). Rabbi Alemu will speak about the issues faced by the 120,000 Ethiopian Jews who have immigrated to Israel over the course of the past 30 years as part of several worldwide initiatives. Together with EOEJ, Rabbi Alemu works with Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in their struggle to become active participants in and full contributors to Israeli society. In this year when we are celebrating Israel’s 60th birthday, we have an opportunity to have a direct, positive impact on this community in Israel. RSVP by May 26 with the attached form and your check. For addition details, contact David Doniger or Susan Coren.

Saying Todah Rabbah: Shabbat Dinner in Honor of the Ben-Gideons. Friday, May 16, 6:15, services and dinner to follow.  After five years of spiritual leadership, guidance and friendship, Congregation Olam Tikvah would like to wish the Ben-Gideon family all the best in their new endeavor and say thank you for their five years of service to our community. Please join us for Shabbat services and dinner in their honor. Invitations were mailed in late March. RSVP by May 1. If you need information about the dinner or costs, please call the office.

Membership Meeting, Sunday, June 1, 11:00am. Join us for the election of Officers and Directors for 2008-2010 Board; budget review, volunteer recognition. We scheduled the membership meeting early so everyone can go to DC for the Israel Celebration. We will provide lunch after the meeting.

Israel @60 Capital Celebration on the National Mall, Sunday, June 1, 12:00pm-5:00pm. You don’t want to miss this community celebration of Israel’s birthday! Israeli food and major entertainers from both Israel & the United States, crafts, displays, etc. We make the trip to DC easy with buses leaving from and returning to Olam Tikvah. Cost: $7.50/adult, $5/child, $20 family max. Olam Tikvah is one of the sponsors for this great event. If you would like to help out on the Mall contact Rabbi Ben-Gideon, who is coordinating the volunteers.

ABBA

Beer Tasting  & Steak Dinner, May 4, 6:30pm.  Join the men from ABBA as we enjoy a relaxing evening at Olam Tikvah. We'll taste and learn about various beers and enjoy a nice steak dinner! An assortment of non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided too. Cost: $36, payable at the event, will cover all of the evening's activities. RSVP by Thursday, April 17, to David Goldberg (dgoldberg@rathbun-goldberg.com) or Ilan Sussan (xo4salc@yahoo.com) to let us know if you will attend and/or if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you on May 4th!

Old Dominion Brewery Tour, June 29.

Adult Ed

Mishnah Study, Wednesdays, 9:15-10:15am, beginning October 3, with Rabbi Kalender. Study and discuss this first Jewish code that formed the foundation of Jewish ethics, ritual and theology with Rabbi Kalender. No prior knowledge necessary, and the English translation is used. New students welcome at any time. Contact Priscilla Collier for more information.

Do You Know Four? Wednesday, April 9, 7:00-9:00pm. Come and learn with Rabbi Ben-Gideon about some of the deeper meaning behind a few of the numbers in the Haggadah. Bring your favorite Haggadah to examine for the unique ways it conveys some of the mystery behind the numerology of the Seder text.

Lay Educators Institute, Sundays, April 6, 13, May 4, 11, 18 & June 1, 3:00pm-5:00pm. Temple Rodef Shalom, 2100 Westmoreland St, Falls Church. LEI sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning (PJLL), offers a 6 session training program for potential religious school teachers/aides and/or volunteers. Contact the NOVA Coordinator, Diane Zimmerman at tbtrelschool@yahoo.com or 703-757-5872 for more information and to register, or see the PJLL website.

Golf Tournament to Benefit Adult Ed and Capital Hospice, May 14, 8:00am, registration and breakfast. Tee up on for the Rabbi Itzhaq Klirs Memorial Golf Tournament, which benefits both our Adult Education Fund and Capital Hospice. Register today! See the flyer for information and registration. For more details, call Tom Stryer.

Chorale

Rehearsals, Tuesdays, 7:30pm. See the schedule for more information.

Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, April 4, 8:00pm.

Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, June 20, 8:00pm.

Hazak

Men's Club

Preschool

Free Shlock Rock Concert, Tuesday, May 6, 5:00pm-6:15pm, followed by optional dinner. OT's Preschool and Religious School will host this freeYom HaAtzmaut concert at Olam Tikvah. Everyone's invited for cool Jewish music and fun (arts and crafts too)!! Check the group out at www.shlockrock.com. Join your friends after the concert for falafel, hotdogs, salad, cake and drinks. Cost for the dinner: $9.00, ages 11-up; $6.00, ages 1-10; Family cap, $30.00. RSVP for the dinner to Nechama Retting.

Free Lion Tales Puppet Show, Wednesday, May 7, 10:00am. Children’s puppet show for preschoolers. All welcomed.

Religious School

Grade 2 Shabbat Dinner, Friday, April 11

Free Shlock Rock Concert, Tuesday, May 6, 5:00pm-6:15pm, followed by optional dinner. OT's Preschool and Religious School will host this freeYom HaAtzmaut concert at Olam Tikvah. Everyone's invited for cool Jewish music and fun (arts and crafts too)!! Check the group out at www.shlockrock.com.

Religious School Shabbat Service, Saturday, May 17

Sisterhood

Book Club, Thursday, May 15, 7:00pm. The Sisterhood Book Club will meet to discuss Rashi’s Daughters, Book II: Miriam, by Maggie Anton. The Club discussed the first book in the series last May, with the thought-provoking guidance of Rabbi Rebecca Wand Ben-Gideon. Luckily for us, she has agreed to facilitate once again. Everyone is encouraged and welcome to attend, even if you did not read the first book. Please RSVP by Monday, January 14 by calling the Sisterhood Voice Mailbox, (703)-425-1880 x243, or e-mailing agsterling@cox.net.

Board Meeting, Sunday, April 6, 9:30am.  All Sisterhood members are welcome to attend.

Spring Brunch, Sunday, May 4, 9:30am. "The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat" Author Meredith Jacobs will offer realistic advice on how to incorporate Shabbat into contemporary family life. We will have a limited number of copies of her book available for purchase and signing. Brunch includes Election of Officers and General Membership Meeting. Cost: $6. See the flyer for more information and to RSVP.

Sisterhood Goes to the Movies! Sunday, May 4, 7:30pm and Tuesday, May 13, 10:30am. Enjoy the 8th Annual Jewish Film Festival with Sisterhood friends!  Complimentary tickets will be distributed—one ticket per Sisterhood member—on a first-come-first-served basis. We have 10 tickets for each of the following shows. Choose one ticket for either Sunday, May 4, 7:30pm, Three Mothers, or Tuesday, May 13, 10:30am, Orthodox Stance. Both movies will be shown at the Cinema Arts Theater at Fair City Mall. For more information, or to reserve your ticket, please contact Sarah Schultz. For complete Film Festival information, check out www.jccnv.org.

Seaboard Region Spring Conference, Sunday, May 18, 9:00am. BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD.

Volunteer Appreciation Event, Sunday, June 8, Time TBA.

Social Action

Casserole Collection.  Wednesdays, 4:00pm-8:30pm on January 16, February 20, March 19, April 16, May 14, and June 18, 2008. We need help providing casseroles to SOME, an interfaith, community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless of our nation's capital. Deliver casseroles (preferably frozen) to the synagogue on the listed dates.  The recipe is available on our web site.

Sukkot in April. Sunday, May 4. Yes, it comes late this year! (That's due to when Pesach falls.) Olam Tikvah will participate once again in our annual “tikkun olam” home-repair project, along with more than 25 other metropolitan Washington-area synagogues. The program improves the living conditions of elderly, disabled, and low-income homeowners by helping them maintain their homes. Its sponsors include Yachad, the Jewish Housing and Community Development Corporation. Both skilled and unskilled volunteers are needed, and teenagers over the age of 13 are welcome with adult supervision. House captain Allen Lebowitz will oversee the project, and Eric Rothberg will serve again as OT’s volunteer coordinator. Please contact Eric at ericandrachel@verizon.net to volunteer, give your preferred shifts, and note any special home repair skills.

OT Blood Drive, Sunday, May 11, 8:00am-1:00pm. Help patients awaiting blood in 15 local Washington-area hospitals and reduce INOVA's deficit in every blood type. The donation process takes about 1 1/2 hours, and each congregant donation is credited to our synagogue account. All donors will be entered into a raffle for $25 a gift certificate, compliments of Merrifield Garden Center. Set up your appointment early to help ensure our success. E-mail blooddrive@olamtikvah.org with your name and preferred appointment time. Please call AnnEllen Feltcorn with concerns about your personal eligibility.

Tot Shabbat

Tot Shavuot, Monday, June 9, 10:30am. We will have a fun, informative Shavuot service for children (age 18 months and up) and enjoy some delicious ice cream as well (pareve alternatives will also be available)! Watch for more details.

Young Professionals

Youth Groups

Machar Meets Adas, Sunday, April 13, 12:00pm-4:30pm. We’re going to have a great field trip to Washington, DC to visit the Machar chapter at Adas Israel! It’s going to be awesome playing games with other Macharniks! We’ll have a quick lunch at Olam Tikvah before heading over to the Vienna/Fairfax Metro Station. We'll return to OT about 4:30 via Metro.  Bring: a dairy/parve bag lunch and $5 for metro fare. Please leave iPods, mp3 players, and the like at home. Parents are needed to drive to/from the Metro and to chaperone on the trip. RSVP by Tuesday, April 8, and mention if you can chaperone in your response. E-mail Sarah at sr_fort@yahoo.com to RSVP or for more info.

J-Serve: National Day of Jewish Teen Service: Make a Difference DC. Sunday, April 13, 12:30pm-6:00pm. Help clean up the Anacostia Watershed during a day of national service for Jewish teens in grades 7-12. There is no charge for the event. Buses leave from  the JCCNV at 12:30pm, and return to the JCCNV at 6:00pm, rain or shine. Dress appropriately-clothes will get dirty! Snacks will be provided, but teens are asked to bring a water bottle. (There will be plenty of water for refills.) The event takes place at the Anacostia Watershed, which is a National Park, and will be supervised by J-Serve and the Earth Conservation Corps. It is a great opportunity for our teens to socialize with Jewish teens from all over Maryland, DC and Virginia. There is even a short boat ride (5 to 10 minutes) from the parking area to the site. Register online at www.jservedc.eventbrite.com, and choose Olam Tikvah for your group.

Machar & Kadima Tanakh Zoo Scavenger Hunt, Sunday, May 18, 12:15pm.

USY Spring Convention, Friday-Monday, May 23-26.

Youth Activities Listserv. Stay informed about all the exciting youth events at Olam Tikvah.  Send your e-mail address to religiousschool@olamtikvah.org to receive periodic e-mails about youth group activities.