Mid-March 2021 Newsletter

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See below for the Mid-March announcements! Featured in today's newsletter: WJOA Board Openings Shabbats: 3/19, 4/23 Jews Do Comedy: Passover Seder Edition: 4/1 Passover Seder List Earth Day 5K Fun Run: 4/18 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 Assisting with holiday event planning Managing our Facebook and social media If you have another skill you’d like to bring to our Board, let us know! To learn more, contact us at WanderingJewsofAstoria@gmail.com. Join Us for Virtual Shabbat! Friday, Mar. 19, 7 p.m. Link to register here – Facebook event here   Save the Date: Friday, Apr. 23, 7 p.m. Link to register here – Facebook event here 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 Jessica Brodkin Rick Cisario Noah Weston Sandip Sen Liz Glazer Ophira Eisenberg Rich Aronovitch Ester Steinberg Gabe Nathans And the sketch comedy stylings of God Should Not Have Chosen Us Passover Seder List Passover starts in March this year! Looking for a Passover seder? Check out this list of virtual and streamed seders. Know of a seder not on the list? Reach out to Brian Mawyer.  Looking for a more intimate video-conference seder? You can also reach out to him to find guests for your virtual seder or to be a guest at someone’s video-conference seder. 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. Facebook event here. Contact Marina with any questions. Fundraising Link – Join the WJOA Team here. *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. Schmooze News Ohel Ayalah Offerings The Famous Four Questions of Passover Monday, Mar. 22, 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. The four questions, generally asked by a child, first appear in the Mishnah. But the rabbis of the Gemara change them up. How? Why? What are the answers to these questions? Click here to register. Donate Your Chametz Need to get rid of chametz for Passover? Consider donating unexpired food to a nearby community fridge! These fridges are usually run by or are affiliated with local mutual aid entities. Anyone in need of food may visit a fridge at any time, no questions asked nor qualifications necessary. We are lucky to have several across Astoria and you may find your nearest community fridge in the city here. Food that has been opened but is not expired often may be brought to a fridge if it is re-sealed in another manner (ex. transferred to a tupperware container). Another option is to bring your items to the Astoria Food Pantry (run by the Astoria Mutual Aid Network) at 25-82 Steinway St. More information about how to make a donation is available 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. 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     Cards for Dorot Seniors Earlier this 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