Something is always happening at Ohr Shalom!
As one would expect, the synagogue observes all of the Jewish religious holidays with devotion and vigor. In addition to our holiday services and festivities, Ohr Shalom’s members love to enjoy themselves, so the congregation needs little excuse to hold a party or event. Throughout every year, Ohr Shalom puts on a variety of events that augment its religious programs. Most of these are free to members, with minimal charges for food (of course, there’s always food). The specific venue for Ohr Shalom’s many events is its newly remodeled social hall, which boasts a state-of-the-art audio-visual system.
A few of the major events are:
Purim Carnival
Held the Sunday afternoon nearest to Purim. A paradise for kids. There’s a parade, jumpies, and booths where you make your own hamantashen, decorate a t-shirt, get a balloon sculpture, make a mask, have your face painted or get a sparkly hairdo. Most attendees look a lot different when they leave than when they arrived. There’s good food and prizes too!
Lights of Ohr Shalom
Held in the Spring, this is the synagogue’s major fund-raiser. Usually honoring one or more particularly deserving members of the congregation, the “Lights” event is also the synagogue’s big annual dress-up party. This year, the social hall was turned into a gambling hall for Casino Night. Who knows what grand festive theme will be followed next year!?
New Member Brunch
Held every November to welcome the new members of our congregation. We believe it’s important that everyone at Ohr Shalom feel they are part of our community. This is an opportunity for members to mingle, make connections and enjoy some delicious food!
Chanukah Party
Held on the Saturday night during Chanukah. We light our hanukiahs together, sing, beat up a piñata, put on a skit, eat loads of latkes & have a raffle so that everyone gets a present!
Some of our regular programs are:
Sunday Night at the Movies (free, the 3rd Sunday of every month)
Family Movie Night (free, kids in jammies, held quarterly)
Games Night (quarterly)
Ohr Shalom has lots more going on, as is clear from reading its monthly and weekly bulletins. The synagogue offers recurring events, and it is open to trying new ventures and suggestions from members. Other unique events during the past year have included: a concert by an Israeli chamber orchestra, a performance by a university-based Jewish acapella choir and an evening’s tribute to an Ohr Shalom member who is a Holocaust survivor. Those are in addition to celebrations of countless simchas, birthdays, anniversaries and other happy events that mark milestones in the lives of members!