Early April 2021 Newsletter

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See below for our Early April announcements! Featured in today's newsletter: WJOA Board Openings Jews Do Comedy: Passover Seder Edition: 4/1 Book Club Voting: 4/4 Earth Day 5K Fun Run: 4/18 Shabbats: 4/23 Schmooze News WJOA Board Openings Interested in getting more involved with this amazing group of Yids? The Wandering Jews of Astoria has openings for board positions. Through volunteering a small amount of time, you can help us plan events and strengthen the Jewish community in Western Queens! WJOA is particularly looking for new Board Members to assist with: Organizing social action events Organizing community social events Managing our Facebook and social media WJOA is also looking for a community member to help redesign the look of our Newsletter. If you are passionate about graphic design and MailChimp, let us know! If you have another skill you’d like to bring to our Board, let us know! To learn more, contact us at [email protected]. Jews Do Comedy: Passover Seder Edition Thursday, Apr. 1, 8 p.m. Buy tix here ($18 + fees) – Facebook event here Join our Passover Seder, one the likes of which you've never attended! Each part of the seder will be presented as a game, song, sketch, or stand-up comedy thematic to this special holiday! Hosted by Rachel Gordon Featuring: Myq Kaplan Orli Matlow Dan Wilbur Jessica Brodkin Rick Cisario Noah Weston Sandeep Sen Liz Glazer Ophira Eisenberg Rich Aronovitch Ester Steinberg Plus musical numbers from: Gabe Nathans Romi Hanoch from Power Snap And the sketch comedy stylings of: God Should Not Have Chosen Us WJOA Book Club Voting Now through Sunday, Apr. 4, 8 p.m. Vote for the next WJOA Book Club book on this form, and please only vote once. Here is the Facebook event. The Angel of Losses by Stephanie Feldman (304 pages) Here All Along by Sarah Hurwitz (352 pages) The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan (304 pages) Dancing Arabs by Sayed Kashua (224 pages) The Rabbi Who Prayed with Fire by Rachel Sharona Lewis (276 pages)  A Horse Walks Into a Bar by David Grossman (208 pages) Earth Day 5K Fun Run Sunday, Apr. 18, 12:30 p.m. Astoria Park Loop Trail Join us for WE ACT’s* Earth Day 5K Fun Run. WJOA will be gathering at the Astoria Park Loop Trail on April 18th to run, walk, skip, dance, and cheer as part of the 5K. Walking around the loop 2.5 times will bring us to our 5K goal. You can also participate virtually, exercising in your own home, walking around your neighborhood, or even marathoning environmental documentaries on your couch. Location: Meet at 23rd Avenue and 19th street, right at the entrance of Astoria Park. For virtual participants, meet us anywhere in the world, and make sure to post on social media with #WEACT5K and #WJOA. Tag us on Instagram @wanderingjewsofastoria. You can find the Facebook event here. Contact Marina with any questions. Social and physical distancing protocols will be practiced - all participants must wear a mask. Please do not attend if you are feeling sick or if you have tested positive for COVID-19. Fundraising Link – Join the WJOA Team here! Help us reach our fundraising goal of $500! *WE ACT is a Woman of Color-founded environmental justice organization in Northern Manhattan, whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. Join Us for Virtual Shabbat! Friday, Apr. 23, 7 p.m. Link to register here – Facebook event here Schmooze News Weekly Write-In With Prompt April 5, 12, 19, 26 at 5:15 - 6:15 p.m., Free In this weekly write-in, Elyssa Nicole Trust will provide a prompt at the beginning of class and then everyone will work autonomously for the rest of the hour. This is an opportunity for anyone looking to have more structured writing time in their life. It is sponsored by Ahava Theatre Company, which is a new NYC-based theatre company that aims to bring great Jewish plays to life. Sign up here. If you'd like to stay in touch with the Ahava Theatre Company and learn about their additional events - for kids and adults alike - sign up for their mailing list here. Central Synagogue's 20s and 30s First Fridays Join Central Synagogue's 20s and 30s group in welcoming Shabbat on the first Fridays of the month. To get the link, RSVP to Rabbi Dan. Save the dates for First Friday Shabbats for the rest of the year: Friday, April 9 (special Second Friday!) Friday, May 7 Friday, June 4 Donate Food One of our favorite local groups is Astoria Fridges, community fridges that provide free, accessible food to the Astoria community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have an excess of food, donate some to an Astoria Fridge near you (click here for a map of locations). Astoria Food Pantry is located at 25-82 Steinway Street, and accepts donations (read details here). If you would like to donate but going in-person presents a barrier, feel free to get in touch with Meredith, who is both a WJOA board member and Astoria Food Pantry volunteer.     Cards for Dorot Seniors Last month we made cards to give to DOROT. These cards will be sent to seniors for birthdays, various Jewish holidays, or just to say hello. If you missed the group event, but are still interested in making cards at home, here is the info for tips on getting started. Once you have made a set of cards, mail them to the address below, along with the "Cardmaking Project Volunteer Information Form," which you can find on their website here. DOROT 171 West 85th Street New York, NY 10024 Attn: Caring Cards If you have any further questions about making cards for DOROT, please reach out to Jennifer by email.  Have an event you'd like to organize or share? As always, please don't hesitate to send them our way! Stay safe and well during these trying times! —The WJOA Team