Compiled by Joel Magalnick, Editor, The Jewish Sound
With the paper shutting down after this week’s edition, and the upcoming magazine not emerging until August, there will be a gap in which many local events would otherwise be overlooked. So we are presenting to you listings of big events from local organizations happening over the next several months.
Fundraisers, Speakers, Galas and Meetings
2015 Jewish Family Service Community of Caring Luncheon
Thursday, April 30, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Seattle Sheraton Hotel, downtown 6th and Pike
The luncheon is our community’s commitment to turn values into action. A minimum $150 donation per guest is requested to support vulnerable people with the help that leads to hope. All guests must be pre-registered.
The 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Congregation Ner Tamid
Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.
Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, 3700 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island
Join the founding families of Congregation Ner Tamid for a special Shabbat service and festive kiddush luncheon honoring the passion that 50 years ago ignited the Ner Tamid flame and keeps it burning bright.
Kids4Peace Annual Spring Event and Silent Auction
Wednesday, May 20, 6-8 p.m.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave, Mercer Island
Join Kids4Peace’s spring event and silent auction! Hear from camp participants, eat Middle Eastern food, and enjoy entertainment from Youth Theatre Northwest. All funds raised support Jewish, Muslim, and Christian campers from Jerusalem and Seattle to attend this summer’s Kids4Peace camp.
10th Annual Friendship Circle Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Thursday, May 28, 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner and program at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 2100 Alaskan Way, Seattle
Celebrating the ripple effect of friendship. Honoring Dan Dixon, Cantor Bradlee Kurland and Sandy Samuel, and Bruce and Esther Caplan.
Kadima Reconstructionist Community’s Kadima-Party-Palooza! Fundraiser and Auction
Saturday, May 30
Kasbah Moroccan Restaurant, 1471 NW 85th St., Seattle
Kadima is a progressive Reconstructionist community integrating celebration, study, and work for social justice. Reserve your tickets today at office@kadima.org and help support their growing community. Eat, drink, bid, and be merry!
AIPAC of Washington State Welcomes Ambassador Dennis Ross
Wednesday, June 3, 7 p.m. at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1511 E Pike St., Seattle
Features a briefing by one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Middle East. Dessert reception to follow. No charge for admission. Dietary laws observed. No solicitation. Registration required.
The Seattle Kollel’s 24th Anniversary Gala
Sunday, June 7, 5 p.m. cocktails with dinner at 6 p.m. at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, 5217 S Brandon St., Seattle
Please join the Seattle Kollel as it celebrates its 24th anniversary with a beautiful gala dinner! Contact 206-722-8289 or seattlekollel@aol.com for reservations and tribute journal opportunities.
NCJW Annual Meeting Honoring the Founders of Council House
Sunday, June 14, 2 p.m.
The Summit on First Hill, 1200 University St., Seattle
Free. A book of raffle tickets will be sold for $10 at the event. See details on the National Council of Jewish Women’s website later in April.
Jewish Family Service Major Supporter Event
Thursday, Sept. 17
Harley Marine Services, 910 SW Spokane St., Seattle
A special event to thank major supporters of the agency.
Teens
Jewish High Seattle
Register for Jewish High, Washington State’s only accredited supplemental school and B’nai Mitzvah program for fall 2015.
Junior NCSY Shabbaton, Grades 5–8
May 1-3 in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood
Join Junior NCSY for the annual end-of-the-blowout weekend for middle schoolers from all over the Pacific Northwest. Register now.
Livnot Chai Taste of Livnot
Tuesday, May 5, 6–8:30 p.m.
Temple B’nai Torah, 15727 NE 4th St., Bellevue
Come check out Livnot Chai! Livnot runs programs in Seattle, Bellevue and Mercer Island. Parents and teens welcome.
Livnot Chai is an after-school, pluralistic high school program that approaches Jewish learning in a creative, flexible and innovative way to responds to the changing needs of 21st-century learners.
NCSY Spring Regional Convention, Grades 8–12
May 8–10 in Mount Baker, Washington
Enjoy a weekend with teens from all over the Pacific Northwest at a beautiful campsite. Special whitewater rafting activity on Sunday. Register now.
Basarfest
May 31, 5 p.m. at Sephardic Bikur Holim, 6500 52nd Ave. S
NCSY’s annual meat cookoff and BBQ for the whole family! This year’s theme will be Back to the Future and a time machine DeLorean replica will be on hand for pictures. Register now.
Travel
Women’s Trip to Israel for Jewish Moms
July 5-14
Contact Shaindel Bresler at 206-779-4373 or shainbresler@yahoo.com
Nine days in Israel with the Seattle Kollel. Connect to the heritage that is yours and bring it home. It’s like Birthright for moms! Travel the breathtaking land from Tzfat to Jerusalem. Be inspired by women who make a difference in Israel and the Jewish world today. Spend Shabbat together in the Old City of Jerusalem, steps from the Western Wall. Make friends for a lifetime.
You pay the airfare and they do the rest. Limited spaces available. Registration deadline is April 15.
Camps
Camp Solomon Schechter Men’s Camp
April 24–April 26 at Camp Solomon Schechter, Tumwater
Be part of a fantastic three-day retreat for guys only. Come for a weekend of delicious kosher food, cigars, beer and spirits, schmoozing and friendship in a relaxed, casual environment. Go online for more information or to register.
Camp Solomon Schechter Schechtercation Women’s Camp
May 1–May 3 at Camp Solomon Schechter, Tumwater
Come with your friends and make new ones on a Shabbat getaway for women. Enjoy delicious kosher cuisine and Jewish learning in a beautiful camp setting. They’ll have cocktails, games, and optional activities such as yoga, hiking, and professional massage throughout the weekend. Go online for more information or to register.
Camp Schechter Family Camp
May 29–May 31 at Camp Solomon Schechter, Tumwater
Pack up the car and come experience a special Shabbat with the whole family at camp. Family weekends are the perfect getaway, whether you’re checking out the facilities before that first big summer, reliving old camp memories, or coming to see what the kids are always talking about. Go online for more information or to register.
Camp Kalsman Shabbaton with The Seattle Kollel
May 29–May 31
206-722-8289 or seattlekollel@aol.com for reservations and pre-payment
Please join the families of the Seattle Kollel for a physically relaxing and spiritually motivating Shabbat experience out in nature. Three full Shabbat meals and learning opportunities for all interested.
Cost: $80/person; $40/child; $50/student; $240/maximum family rate.
Arts
NCJW Literary Event with author Joan Leegant
Sunday, April 12, 2 p.m. at Temple B’nai Torah, 15727 NE 4th St, Bellevue
Joan Leegant, author of two prize-winning books and writer-in-residence at Hugo House in Seattle, will speak on “Jewish American Fiction Is Alive and Well: Four Topics We’re (Still) Writing About.” Free, but a donation to the NCJW Scholarship Fund will be requested.
A Little Light Music – Music of Remembrance’s Annual Gala Dinner
Sunday, April 26, 6 p.m. at Women’s University Club of Seattle, 1105 6th Ave., Seattle
Mingle with MOR artists and enjoy a magical evening of music — classical, klezmer, opera and show tunes. Be swept away as you support MOR. Music of Remembrance fills a unique cultural role in Seattle and throughout the world by remembering the Holocaust through music with concert performances, educational programs, recordings and commissions of new works. This evening includes wine, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and live music by MOR’s musicians. Tickets online or at 206-365-7770.
Music of Remembrance: “After Life”
Monday, May 11, 7:30 p.m. at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall, 2nd & Union, Seattle
Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein meet again — and argue about art and life — in “After Life,” a new opera by composer Tom Cipullo and librettist David Mason, commissioned by Music of Remembrance. With guest artists mezzo soprano Catherine Cook (San Francisco Opera), soprano Ava Pine (Fort Worth Opera) and baritone Robert Orth. Tickets: $30-$40. Tickets online or at 206-365-7770.
Seattle Jewish Chorale Spring Concert
Sunday, May 17, 4-6 p.m. at Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.
Please join Seattle Jewish Chorale and guest musicians for their final concert of the season. The performance, “Shalom Yerushalayim: Music for the Peace of Jerusalem,” features music celebrating Jerusalem from ancient times through today.
Seattle Jewish Chorale Yom Ha’atzmaut Concert
Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 7:30-9 p.m. at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island
www.eventbrite.com/e/yom-haatzmaut-tickets-16162595759
Please join Seattle Jewish Chorale and guest musicians for a community Yom Ha’atzmaut concert as they support the Jewish Federation in celebrating Israel’s Independence Day.
Service and Tikkun Olam
Herzl-Ner Tamid Day of Service
Sunday, April 26, 9:15 a.m. at Herzl-Ner Tamid and several offsite locations
HNT’s biggest opportunity of the year to provide needed services in the greater Seattle community! Projects include assembling goodie bags for homeless children’s birthday parties, park restoration, volunteering at a horse rescue, and many more. Come share their passion for tikkun olam! Register for your favorite project by April 12.
Holidays
Herzl-Ner Tamid and the Stroum JCC’s Lag B’Omer Maccabiah, BBQ & Bonfire
Wednesday, May 6, 6 p.m. at the Herzl-Ner Tamid Wittenberg Waterfront, 3700 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island
Join HNT and the SJCC for a community-wide Lag B’Omer celebration! They’ll start with Maccabiah games for kids and adults alike, then enjoy a BBQ dinner, bonfire and marshmallow roasting! Register by April 29.
Herzl-Ner Tamid Solstice Shabbat
Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. service, 7:30 p.m. dinner
www.h-nt.org/SolsticeShabbat
Everyone who wants to see some friendly faces for a Friday night in shul is invited for Shabbat services and a special dinner. Being the weekend of the summer solstice, learn about the connection between the sun, the moon and Judaism.
Campus
Stroum Center for Jewish Studies Graduate Fellows Research Symposium
Friday, May 1, 9:30 a.m.–1:30p.m. at HUB 214, University of Washington, Seattle
jewishstudies.washington.edu/our-events/may-1-spring-research-symposium/
The UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies is proud to host this half-day event, which highlights research by the five members of the 2014-15 Jewish Studies graduate fellowship. Each fellow has received funding and mentorship from the Stroum Center to help further their masters- and doctoral-level projects related to Jewish Studies.
Stroum Center for Jewish Studies: “Dreams of Sefarad: 40th Annual Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures featuring Dr. Ruth Behar”
Monday, May 18, 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 20, 7:30-9 p.m. at Kane Hall 220, UW Campus, Seattle
jewishstudies.washington.edu/our-events/stroum-lectures-ruth-behar/
Dr. Ruth Behar’s Stroum Lectures will move between the personal essay and poetry, history and ethnography, exile and diaspora, and the role of the sea in remembrances of Sefarad in such places as Istanbul, Havana, Miami, New York, and Seattle. Kosher reception to follow lecture on May 18.