SATURDAY, MAY 26 (Erev Shavuot)
9:00 pm – Ma’ariv
9:30-11:30 pm – Tikun Leyl Shavuot -
Topic will be The Change in Civil Rights in Israel.

SUNDAY, MAY 27 (Shavuot, day 1)
9:30 am – Morning Service
6:30 pm – Mincha/Ma’ariv

MONDAY, MAY 28 (Shavuot, day 2)
9:30 am – Morning Service/Yizkor
9:15 pm – Ma’ariv

Agudas Achim Congregation will be introducing an exciting new High Holiday prayerbook this year, entitled Mahzor Lev Shalem.  The congregation has purchased 800 copies and we would like each and every one dedicated to someone special. For a donation of $36, a bookplate will be placed in one copy of the prayerbook honoring or memorializing your loved one or commemorating your special simcha. What a wonderful way to celebrate a new year of graduations, weddings, b’nai mitvah and babies! Please send a check or call the office with your credit card and indicate that your donation is for the HHD prayerbook.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:00 Noon – 2:30 p.m.
Presenting Members of “Ein Lanu Z’man” – The Agudas Achim Resident Band with Hazzan Elisheva Dienstfrey.
Festive Jewish Music for Our Season Finale.
A light lunch provided by Sisterhood for the Agudas Achim Seniors and the JCCNV Active Retirees. RSVP to: Mickey Lazarus, or Sharyn Tureck no later than Monday, May 7th. Please let us know if you can help in the kitchen, or provide transportation.

Tuesday, May 15
Rabbi Moline’s last Talmud class of the (Jewish) year will take place on Tuesday, May 15, from 7:15-8:45 (with a break for minyan).  Texts are:
May 15: Yoma 47a from “amru alav rabbi yishma’el ben kimchit” (“they said about R. Ishmael ben Kimchit”) (the second story) to “harbei asu kein v’lo ho’ilu” (“lots of people did that and it didn’t work for them!”).
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! TEXTS ARE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH!

Wednesday, May 16
Sisterhood again is organizing a Chocolate Party Social that will be held on Wednesday, May 16, from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm at the home of Elizabeth Margosches.  Bring something made with chocolate — only pareve or dairy please. We will sample these treats and socialize.  There is a $3.00 charge for this event and beverages will be provided.
RSVP in advance to either: Gloriacanter@comcast.net or Elizabeth at don@melman.com 703-931-8135. Plan to join us for the fun-filled gathering.

Shabbat, May 4-6, 2012:

Hazzan Lance Rhodes from Brith Shalom Congregation in Houston, Texas, will join us for a glorious weekend of music, music and more music!  In addition to working with our Preschool and Religious School, Hazzan Rhodes will be participating in Shabbat services and singing with Ein Lanu Z’man in a Pre-Kabbalat Shabbat concert on Friday, May 4, at 6:00 p.m.

Hazzan Rhodes was born in Fairfax, Virginia, but lived in Ormond Beach, Florida for most of his life with his very talented and actively Jewish family. After graduating from the University of Miami in 2003, he found himself composing music for Warner Bros. and then traveling on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. But it was his journey to the Jewish Theological Seminary that sparked his Jewish soul. Since his graduation from JTS, Hazzan Rhodes has been a part of the Brith Shalom Congregational family in Texas, where he met his besheirt, Dina. Look forward not just to hearing a lovely voice, but to experiencing a beautiful neshama.

Sunday, May 6, 2012
Come laugh with your kindergarten through 12th grader as ComedySportz4Kidz makes them the stars of the show! The show features child-sized versions of the critically acclaimed short-form improvgames hosted by a ComedySportz Kidz Coach.
Date:  Sunday, May 6, 2012
Time: Lunch at Agudas Achim at noon; show at 1:30 pm – @ ComedySportz
Bring:  Bring a parve or dairy lunch to eat at AAC before leaving for the show
Cost: $10 each for adults & children
Location:  Meet at Agudas Achim, pick up is at Ballston Common Mall – 4238 Wilson Blvd – Arlington, VA
Parents:  Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend with their children.
Drivers are needed!!!!!
When you RSVP, please state whether you will join your child and how many other children you could take in your car.
Please meet in the Youth Lounge with your child(ren), unless your specify that you will meet at the Comedy Spot.
RSVP – No later than Tuesday, May 1st to Judith at  judith.cabelli@gmail.com

May 9, 2012, 6:30 p.m. at AAC

It’s hard to believe that Lev’s almost three
He’s still the baby to us —
But it’s time to cut his hair at last,
To rejoice and make a big fuss.

We are thrilled to announce and let you all know
You are invited to his Upshirin –
We will join together from 6:30 – 7 (pm)
On Wednesday, May 9th, at Agudas Achim

See you there!  - The Dienstfrey Family

Click here to see Lev BEFORE his haircut.

Saturday, June 2 – Men’s Club Shabbat
Join us on Saturday, June 2, 2012, for Men’s Club Shabbat, followed by a Kiddush luncheon.  All men over the age of 18 who wish to participate in the leading of services or the chanting of Torah and Haftarah should contact Jack Berman at mayimchayim36@verizon.net.

Sunday, June 10, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Agudas Achim Congregation
2908 Valley Drive, Alexandria, 22302
We are exploring a new opportunity at Agudas Achim. We are looking to create programming for a community of young adults (under 45-ish). Please join us for a kickoff brunch on Sunday, June 10, at 11:00 AM at Agudas Achim. Come to meet new people, bring ideas and friends, or just come for a nosh. Whether you are single, married, have young children or do not, you are welcome at the free event. Please RSVP no later than June 1st by registering here or contact Sonya in the office at sfaulkner@agudasachim-va.org.

PLEASE NOTE: It has long been our custom not to hold services on the first two evenings of Pesach. Most people are gathered at their sedarim at the usual 6:30 start time.

This year, the first seder occurs on Friday night, which raises the question about whether we will hold Friday/Pesach services. The answer is NO. We encourage you, as always, to conduct the evening service before your seder. Likewise, since ma’ariv will not occur on Saturday/second night until 8:20, there will be no service at the synagogue that night.

ANYONE IN NEED OF A PLACE FOR SEDER, PLEASE CONTACT THE SYNAGOGUE OFFICE AND YOU WILL BE INVITED TO A HOST HOME. ANYONE WITH SPACE AVAILABLE FOR EITHER NIGHT IS ASKED LIKEWISE TO CALL. THANKS!

The Agudas Achim Wine Tasting on February 25, 2012 was an outstanding success!

The Curious Grape is finally expected to re-open over the March 30th weekend. The Wine orders placed at the February 25th tasting should be ready over that weekend.

If you were unable to attend, you can still place your order to benefit the Agudas Achim Religious School by completing the order form below and providing it to the Curious Grape.

This is a great opportunity to order some great Kosher wine for Passover or year round.

Click here for the order form (PDF).

Contact Lauren Snyder at laurens@curiousgrape.com or 703-671-8700 extension 103 to complete your order. Order forms must be returned by April 15 in order to count towards the 15% donation to Agudas Achim Congregation.

The Heart Has Reasons: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage
April 18, 7:30 pm (no charge), at AAC

Please join us as we welcome author Mark Klempner to  discuss his book “The Heart Has Reasons: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage” about Dutch rescuers during the Holocaust.

Mark Klempner is a folklorist, historian, and social commentator. The son of an immigrant who barely escaped the Holocaust, Klempner spent nearly a decade talking with and getting to know the Dutch rescuers in order to write The Heart Has Reasons: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage.

Klempner grew up in New York, and attended Cornell University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1997, and winning a J. William Fulbright Fellowship. In 2000, he received an M.A. in folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Klempner’s articles have appeared internationally in professional publications such as the Oral History Reader, as well as in the Christian Science Monitor, Baltimore Sun, and other mainstream newspapers and periodicals.

He has also been featured as a radio commentator on Morning Edition, and has been interviewed on NPR, and other broadcast media.

Online, Klempner is a blogger for The Huffington Post and has contributed to Alternet.org and CommonDreams.org.

The Preschool’s professional photographer, Stuart Hill, will be at Agudas Achim on Tuesday, May 1st, and will be taking portraits of interested congregant (individuals and families). Stuart will donate a percentage of all proceeds to the Preschool! There is an $18 sitting fee. Sittings begin at 5:00 PM and RSVPs may be made by contacting the Preschool Director Sue Keitelman
(preschool@agudasachim-va.org) or by calling 703-998-6072.  Stuart is extremely nice, very patient and takes AWESOME photographs — Just ask any Preschool family!

Ein Lanu Z’man, the congregation’s in-house band is excited to announce its first CD!   “Ein Lanu Z’man - We Have No Time.”  Jewish music of all kinds is highlighted on this album – from Yiddish, Ladino and Yemenite folk songs to contemporary settings of Jewish prayer to classic Israeli favorites. Hazzan Elisheva Dienstfrey directs this talented group of musicians featuring piano, guitar, bass, violin, viola, mandolin, percussion, English concertina, and the voice.  Click here to read about Ein Lanu Z’man, and click here to purchase the CD.

In order to fulfill the mitzvah of eliminating all chametz in your possession during Pesach, it is customary to dispose of your dishes, pots and pans, and any chametz re­main­ing on your premises before Pesach, by means of a document, or by a shtar mechira (bill of sale) to a righteous gentile in our community. The sale is effective as of the night before Pesach and, unless the conditions of the sale are not met, is legal and binding. Typically, the gentile has until the night Pesach ends to meet all the conditions of the sale.

Click here for the form. Please use the form, even if you come to the office yourself. If you have chametz  at more than one address, please fill out a form for each address. Photo­copies or hand-written facsimiles are acceptable. You may also fax your form, (703) 998-5843, as long as it arrives before close of business on Thursday, April 5th – please note, this deadline is absolute.

Firstborn who are male are expected to fast on the day preceding Pesach. This fast may be overridden by participating in a seudat mitzvah the morning before the first seder. We will conduct a morning minyan on Friday, April 6, beginning at 7:00 a.m. Unless there is a brit milah or baby naming that morning, the service will be followed by a brief study session which will end with a siyyum celebrating the completion of a unit of study. All attending will be invited to participate and thereby be exempted from the fast.

This past Shabbat, Rabbi Moline gave a talk on this subject. In case you missed it, or if you just want to read it, click here to read this 2-page pdf.

Here is the Guide to Pesach published by the Rabbinical Assembly. It has all the information in it for making your kitchen kosher for the holiday, plus lists of permitted and non-permitted foods.

April 29

Rocknoceros returns to Agudas Achim Preschool. Mark your calendar to join the three guys – Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie – who make wildly popular, award-winning music for the whole family. Tickets on sale April 1. $10 in advance, $12 at the door Concert at 4:00 p.m., doors open at 3:30 p.m. Agudas Achim Preschool, 2908 Valley Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302

The next meat order will be delivered on Monday March 19, 2012. This is the Passover order! You may call in your order on Thursday the 15th, Friday the 16th AM or Sunday the 18th. The phone # for Wasserman is 410-486-4191. If there are any questions please call Marion Wachtel at 703-403-5829 or email at  emjay47@verizon.net .