WJOA Happy Hour and Book Club

Read about upcoming events and news from the Wandering Jews of Astoria.

See below for the WJOA mid-March announcements! Featured in today's newsletter: Happy Hour: 3/25 Book Club Brunch and Discussion: 3/30 Happy Hour and Cardmaking for Dorot: 4/1 Schmooze News Happy Hour Tuesday, March 25, 6pm Bar Dalia (33-17 31st Ave, Astoria) Come hang out with us as we continue choosing bars from the BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC best Happy Hour bars in Astoria winners list. Check out the other BOAST 2024 winners here. Here is the Bar Dalia Happy Hour menu. Please send a RSVP to Jennifer so she can hold you a seat. Here is the Facebook event. RSVP to Jennifer Book Club Brunch and Discussion Sunday, March 30, noon Location TBD   The next Book Club book will be Jerusalem Beach by Iddo Gefen (304 pages). We'll meet for a discussion and brunch potluck at location TBD. Come with a question or two if you'd like. Here is the link to the book at Astoria Bookshop. RSVP to Jonah by Thursday, March 27 if you can make it. Here is the Facebook event. RSVP to Jonah Happy Hour and Cardmaking for Dorot Tuesday, April 1, 6:30pm Oliver's Astoria (37-19 Broadway at 38th St, Astoria) Join Jennifer as she leads a handmade cardmaking workshop where the cards are made by YOU! The cards will then be given to Dorot, a non-profit organization that provides many different services mainly for older adults living on the Upper West Side. One way to volunteer is by making cards that Dorot will distribute to older adults for birthdays and holidays. Here is more info about Dorot and their cardmaking program. All materials will be provided. We will meet at Oliver's in Astoria and enjoy Happy Hour while creating our cards. Here is Oliver's menu. To attend, RSVP to Jennifer. Here is the Facebook event. RSVP to Jennifer Schmooze News WJOA member Eli Steier has a YouTube series of two-minute videos called Whole Heart Torah Fundamentals. You can check it out here.  These short clips are designed to introduce and deepen key Torah concepts such as the significance of the unity of Hashem, Hashem's love for us, and the importance of being wholehearted.    Central 20s & 30s Shabbat Dinner and Service Friday, March 21 6:30 pm | Central Synagogue Pavilion Spring has sprung, and Central 20s & 30s is feeling sunny about our next Shabbat program. Join us for an evening of warmth and light as we shmooze, pray, and nosh as a community. Register   Virtual event for Iddo Gefen's new book, Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory April 7, 6pm ET It will be a conversation with the actress Mayim Bialik about how the brain understands stories, and the conversation will also probably touch on Jewish identity in the current climate. More information and sign up here   Central 30s & 40s New group alert! Central Synagogue now has a group for those in their 30s and 40s. The group goes to Shabbat services at Central on the third Friday of the month, followed by a bar nearby to schmooze. (They also have other events.) You can sign up here to get on the email list, and the WhatsApp group is linked here.   Donate to Aid in the Israel-Gaza Crisis  We are heartbroken and devastated by the Israel/Gaza war. You can contribute to GlobalGiving's Israel-Palestine Crisis Relief Fund, which provides emergency relief and long-term support to people in need.   Donate to Aid in the Ukraine Crisis In February 2023, WJOA board member Jonah Schrogin volunteered at JCC Krakow, where he packed and sorted food for Ukrainian refugees. If you'd like to contribute to JCC Krakow's Ukraine relief program, here is their Ukraine Appeal. JCC Krakow is a 501(c)(3) organization, so any donations made are tax-deductible. Please write “Ukraine donation via Jonah Schrogin, int vol” in the comment box.    Jonah has another fundraiser, this one benefitting GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This supports more than 80 non-profit organizations on the ground in Ukraine and in the surrounding areas providing humanitarian aid, such as shelter, medical care, food, and clean water. Contribute here, and you can get more information by emailing Jonah, including seeing a recorded presentation. Have an event you'd like to organize or share? As always, please don't hesitate to send them our way! —The WJOA Team