OT Connects with Israel

Be Part of the Israel @ 60 Excitement!

OT Celebrates with Israel. We'll have lots going on through May into June this year, as we celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary. See the flyer for more information. Use the RSVP form to sign up for the OT Yom Ha'Atzmaut Celebration, Shabbat Dinner with Rabbi Alemu, or bus to the National Mall.

What's a party without a gift? To help celebrate Israel's birthday, throughout the month of May, we're collecting new games and books for schools in Israel. See the list of games and books we need. Financial donations to defray the cost of shipping to Israel are also welcome. Bring your books and games to the synagogue any time during May; send your checks to the office made out to Olam Tikvah and marked "Israel Shipment."

Free Shlock Rock Concert, Tuesday, May 6, 5:00pm-6:00pm. See our pictures from this great Yom HaAtzmaut concert hosted by OT's Preschool and Religious School.

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

OT's Yom Ha'Atzmaut Celebration, Wednesday, May 7, 6:00pm. Join us at OT to celebrate Israel's Independence Day in honor of Israel’s 60th birthday! 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 under 12, $30.00/family maximum. RSVP required.

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 required. For addition details, contact David Doniger or Susan Coren.

Israel @ 60: A Capital Celebration, Sunday, June 1, 12:00pm-5:00pm. Save the date for a community-wide celebration on the National Mall in Washington. Mandy Patinkin, will emcee the celebration! Come hear Regina Spektor, popular singer-songwriter, LIVE! Israeli food, children's performances, hands-on exhibits, and more! For more information, see Federation's Israel @ 60: A Capital Celebration page.

OT will run buses between the synagogue and the Mall to make it easy for you to get to the celebration. Bus cost: $7.50/adult, $5/child, $20/family maximum. For more information, contact Rachelle Palley. RSVP required for bus reservations.

Olam Tikvateinu Special Edition. In May 2008 we will publish a special edition in honor of Israel’s sixtieth birthday. We invite you to choose one of the prompts described on our Publications page, or simply to write about the importance of Israel in your life. Please submit your article by Tuesday, April 1, 2008, to be published Iyar 5768. Please contact Rabbi Kalender or Rabbi Ben-Gideon about the idea you would like to develop and share.

Travel

Riding camels on OT's Israel 2007 trip.

See Israel in 2008 with OT and Rabbi Kalender! See the planned itinerary online, or download the itinerary in PDF format. Contact Rabbi Kalender today for more information. Take a look at the pictures from our Israel 2007 trip or read what surprised one OT traveler the most.

Melton Israel Seminars. Students of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School have a unique opportunity to explore and study Israel with other students through one of the Melton Israel Seminars. Read about OT congregants' travel to Israel with Melton.

Teacher Trips. The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Israel in DC initiative and The Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning (PJLL) offer a program to help preschool teachers establish connections to Israel in their classrooms. The program is called Israel in our Heart, Mind, Soul and Gan (school). Read about an OT teacher's trip to Eretz Israel with the PJLL.

Koach Birthright Israel. A worldwide program that sends thousands of college students to Israel, at virtually no cost. The program exists thanks to the philanthropy of many generous individuals and the government of the State of Israel.

Birthright Israel for Young Professionals and Graduate Students. Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and its local Taglit-Birthright Israel program have organized a special free 10-day trip to Israel for Summer, 2008, for young professionals and graduate students, ages 22 to 26, who live in the Washington, D.C. area. Registration opens 9:00 a.m., on Tuesday, February 12. Visit www.birthrightisrael.com for registration information or contact Jackie Terry at (301) 230-7257 (Jackie.terry@shalomdc.org) Themed trips focus on community service, politics and other areas.

Legacy Heritage Internships for Young Scientists is a six-week summer program that takes scientifically gifted high school students to Israel for the summer, at no cost. For more information about the program, please contact Marci Karoll, (212) 578-8190 x126.

Ramah Israel Seminar. The Israel Seminar offers teens who are former Ramah campers realistic insights into Israel, its people, achievements, dreams, and challenges.

USY Summer Programs. USY offers six Israel and Israel-Europe summer programs for teens.

Weizmann Institute Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute is a fully-funded four-week summer program for for students who have just completed 12th grade. Students spend three weeks working on a project at the reknown Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, and then attend a field school in the Judean Desert for their last week.

Join

Masorti, a pluralistic, religious movement in Israel, affiliated with Conservative Judaism.

Mercaz USA, the Zionist organization of the Conservative Movement. Mercaz USA is the voice of Conservative Jewry within the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Zionist Movement and the Jewish National Fund. Through Mercaz USA we support religious pluralism in Israel and strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora.

Read

Stay connected with Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post, the online daily newspapers.

Donate

Contribute to Israel through an established charity or by supporting an OT project. Donate books and cash to support school libraries in Israel.

Donate through a classroom tzedakah box (for example, grade 5 is collecting to support the IDF). Contact the office for other ways to help.

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