The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2006 - Page 19
A Newcomers View of Ohr HaTorah
Many people wonder what kind
of experience they can expect at
Congregation Ohr HaTorah.
Common questions that people
ask are things like: Will I be able
to follow the service? My Hebrew
reading isn’t the greatest; will I be
able to keep up? I’m not that
observant; will there be anyone I
can relate to?
First and foremost, newcomers
are welcomed at Ohr HaTorah in a
very friendly manner. The rabbis,
rebbetzins, and congregants have
made it a priority to greet and
receive all who attend Ohr
HaTorah services in a gracious
and pleasant way.
Case in point: Alan and Julia
Godel have recently joined the
synagogue with their two chil
dren. The following are some of
the thoughts they shared on why
they joined and what it was like
for them when they first came:
Alan: “At first I was hesitant to
even try, after all, I was never
Orthodox. My children loved the
Jewish Preschool on Sardis, espe
cially the warmth towards Jewish
life that they received. Julia and I
were looking for a synagogue that
would offer something similar for
adults. We have always wanted to
learn more about our Judaism, but
don’t want to be pushed. We want
ed a meaningful relationship with
a rabbi to offer us wisdom and
guidance in our lives as Jews.
“When we first attended Ohr
HaTorah, we found them to be the
fiiendliest congregation we have
ever encountered. The services
were comfortable; the prayer book
was easy to follow, with lots of
instructions. I was called to the
Torah, and I felt like I was part of
the family. One of the rabbis gave
a short introduction to each sec
tion of the Torah that was read.
The congregants were people with
similar backgrounds to mine, pro
fessionals, of various levels of
Jewish observance.
“The rabbis are real people;
they’re so easy to approach. They
G-Ongrcgation
OhrliaTorati/^
seem to know how to help us
make sense of current events,
always with a sensible and realis
tic attitude.”
Julia; “I enjoyed talking with
one of the rebbetzins about the
order of the prayers. The rabbi’s
sermon really resonated with me.
There is a great Junior
Congregation program for our
children, where they learn to pray
and' have some fun and games as
well. The best part was after the
services; they served a delicious
Kiddush lunch, which was com
plimented by some very meaning
ful discussions.
“At the Kiddush we were
charmed as some of the partici
pants shared their personal ideas
on Judaism or the Shabbat. Some
comments were humorous, others
spiritual, and all of them inspira
tional. We felt that we were learn
ing a lot about our Jewish identity,
and at the same time we were
meeting so many fnendly people
who shared our values.”
Alan and Julia; “We encour
age anyone who hasn’t yet tried
Congregation Ohr HaTorah to
give it a try; it’s the best place in
town to connect with Judaism in a
most meaningful way.”
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Monday Night Foosball at Ohr HaTorah
Congregation Ohr HaTorah is
now offering a new social pro
gram for adults in the Jewish com
munity. While there is always
much emphasis at Ohr HaTorah
on Torah study, prayer, spirituali
ty, and mitzvot, you might think
there is no time for fun, just taking
it easy, and letting out a little of
that bottled up energy and tension
from a hard day’s work.
That’s exactly the point of this
new program. Now that Monday
Night Football is over.
Congregation Ohr HaTorah
announces Monday Night
Foosball, for adults. Every
Monday, at the Ohr HaTorah
Game Room, there will be an
assortment of activities for adults,
both women and men. Be part of a
foosball tournament. Have a game
of ping pong. Challenge a fnend
to chess or backgammon. Enjoy
contemporary Jewish music. Have
an ice-cold beer, chips, and salsa.
Shmooze with some friends, or
have a chat or game with one of
the rabbis. Yes, you heard it right;
Ohr HaTorah rabbis love ping-
pong, too. The fun and games
begin at 7:30 PM every Monday
night, after the evening service.
This will be an ongoing program
throughout the year, except during
holidays. The Ohr HaTorah game
room is located at the Lubavitch
Educational Center, at 6619 Sardis
Road. Go to the main parking lot,
up the steps through the courtyard
and enter into the door on the
right. The program is free of
charge. For more information call
Rabbi Shlomo Cohen at 704-366-
3984, or email to rabbic@earth-
link.net.
In addition, Ohr HaTorah is
pleased to announce some new
Torah classes at our Congregation
which are in addition to the ongo
ing study sessions. Explore the
wisdom of Halachah in the well-
written text of the Rambam’s
Mishne Torah. Rabbi Moses
Maimonides brilliantly compiled
and organized Jewish Law in a
comprehensive manner. We will
study the Hebrew text and trans
late it into English, then examine
the commentaries that expand on
Maimonides and see how this
relates to us today. The class will
be led by Rabbi Yossi Groner at
Ohr HaTorah on Wednesday
nights at 7:30 PM following the
evening service (7:00).
Dive into the sea of the Talmud
with Rabbi Shlomo Cohen who
will be leading a class in the
Tractate of Brachot on Sunday
mornings at 9:30 AM following
the morning service (8:30). Get in
to the lively dialogue of the
Talmudic rabbis with the com
mentary of Rashi and some of the
Tosefot. 4*
C...ongrcgation
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