Got an event you'd like to add to the United Jewish Federation's calendar? Just complete the attached form and send it to Wendy in the Temple office. Any questions, give her a call at 272-8872.

For more information about any of these events, please contact the Temple by e-mail or at 272-8872. Also see the calendar or check the Shabbat Bulletin (members only) for exact dates in the coming month.

Tot Shabbat , a short program for pre-school children focussing on Shabbat, holidays, or other Jewish basics, is held periodically on Friday night , with a dairy/veggie potluck at 5:45 or 6pm in the Benjamin Social Hall, followed by a songs and stories in the sanctuary at about 6:40. All are welcome.

Jewish Renewal-style Shabbat Morning Services are held the second Shabbat morning of the month from 10am - noon. The morning will begin at 10am with study and reflection, primarily on the Torah portion of the week, though we are open to where our discussion takes us. Around 11am we will begin our davvening of the Shacharit (morning service) together, and we conclude around noon. Check the calendar or the Shabbat Bulletin (members only) for the date of the next one.

Shabbat morning Torah study is usually held one Shabbat morning a month in the Benjamin Social Hall. No Hebrew or experience is necessary, just a desire to delve into Judaism's source text and see what we can learn that's relevant for today. Check the calendar to see when we’re gathering this month. Bring your favorite Torah translation if you wish, or we’ll provide books.

The Women's Rosh Chodesh Group meets for Torah Study every month on a Shabbat afternoon near Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the Jewish month). Contact the Office by e-mail or at 272-8872 x64 for more information.

The Outreach Group for Intermarried Families meets for food and conversation every 4-6 weeks. New familes are welcome. Contact the Office by e-mail or at 272-8872 x64 for the time and place of the next gathering.

The Gay and Lesbian Chavurah has not been meeting as a formal group but we are around if you need us. For more information, email Rabbi Gordon or leave a message on her confidential voicemail at 272-8872 X62.

The Mah Jongg Group welcomes both new and experienced players. Once the most popular game in the Orient played by Chinese men, Mah Jongg is now the rage with Jewish women, and men are welcome also. Don’t miss the chance to learn this fun game! This friendly group meets weekly in the Social Hall on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM. If you have never played, come and learn the fundamentals. We are playing with the 2007 National Mah Jongg League card.

The CBS Book Club has been in existence since 2000 and currently has about 10 members. We meet every 6-8 weeks at a different member's home to discuss a book that we have chosen together. The book must meet two criteria: It must have some (however indirect) Jewish content, and it must have fewer than 300 (or so) pages. We read both fiction and non-fiction. We can always use a few more members. We welcome diverse viewpoints. Contact the Office by e-mail or at 272-8872 x64 for more information.

For more information about any of these events, please call (272-8872) or e-mail the office.

Contact the Temple Office for more details on any event listed here.

Sunday, March 14th, 3 pm at the WAMC "The Linda" Performing Arts Studio (Albany ) -- Klezmer concert with the band "Isles of Klezbos".
Tickets are $15. All seats are general admisison, there is no reserved seating.

The all-women band known as the Isle of Klezbos, the radical feminist wing of the Metropolitan Klezmer Band, know how to both get at the heart of Klezmer/Yiddish Theatre music and simultaneously wail! Since 1998, Isle of Klezbos has approached tradition with irreverence & respect. Based in NYC, this soulful, fun-loving powerhouse klezmer sextet has toured from Vienna to Vancouver. With repertoire from rollicking to ethereal -- folk dance and trance, Yiddish swing and tango, plus genre-defying originals.

If there is enough interest, we may plan lunch and/or dinner nearby the show. Please call Margo Singer at 463-8801 or email: margosinger@yahoo.com to RSVP by March 8th.

Women's Philanthropy Proudly Presents Comedian Amy Borkowsky: Amy's Answering Machine: Messages from Mom
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 7:00pm at the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, 255 Fuller Road, Albany. This event, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of NENY's Womens Philanthropy is a non-solicitation event; couvert is $20 per person ($15 for children and students 12 – 21 years old). Champagne and dessert will be served.

Comedian Amy Borkowsky stepped into the national spotlight when she appeared on the Today Show with Matt Lauer and on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition to introduce the first volume of Amy’s Answering Machine: Messages from Mom. Amy shares the entertaining inside story of how she turned all the years of her mother’s interference and love into a comedic phenomenon. Ms. Borkowsky’s CDs will be available for sale and she will be signing copies. Amy is donating a percentage of the CD sales to the 2010 Federation/Israel Campaign. Berith Sholom congregants should have received an invitation in the mail with a RSVP card. If you haven't, please contact Margo Singer at 463-8801 (or email to: margosinger@yahoo.com). RSVPs are requested by Friday March 19th.While free parking is available, carpooling is encouraged and Margo will help arrange.

Sunday, March 28th , 1-3 pm - Northeast Regional Food Bank Volunteer Outing (Latham). If there is enough interest, we will arrange for pizza/beverages in the Social Hall at Noon after TJCRS ends. A small donation to cover food costs is requested. Call the Temple Office at 272-8872 to RSVP by March 15th.

We have planned some additional member social activities that still need to be finalized, so watch your weekly Shabbat Bulletins. We are now designing our 2010 programming, so if you have any programming ideas to suggest or wish to help, call Margo Singer (463-8801) or email: margosinger@yahoo.com