On Your Wedding To-Do List

Wedding Hall? Check
Caterer? Check
Flowers? Check
Pre-Marriage Workshop? Check!

Particularly in these trying economic times, many couples are focusing less on the costly parts of the wedding and more on the spiritual journey of getting married.

With this in mind, the J is proud to offer an inexpensive, high quality pre-marriage couples workshop.

Clinical psychologist Deborah Perlman will be facilitating a lively and thoughtful discussion about issues ranging from communication to finances to building a Jewish home.

All four sessions cost only $75/couple thanks to a generous grant from the the United Jewish Endowment Fund.

This is a wonderful opportunity to explore issues together while meeting other couples.

Information is below:

Tying the Knot: A Pre-Marriage Workshop for Couples

4 Tuesdays
January 12 – February 2
8:00 – 9:30 pm: $75/couple
Register online

The Washington Jewish Film Festival is Happening Now (and always)

by Susan H. Barocas, Director of the Washington Jewish Film Festival

Most people don’t know this, but as one Washington Jewish Film Festival ends, preparation for the next is already happening with films in production being “tracked,” filmmakers submitting new work and lots of thinking about a place for some of the many good films we just couldn’t find room for in the Festival wrapping up.  And now, unbelievably, last year’s “next” is almost “now”!

After watching someplace around 300 features, documentaries and shorts plus scouring the Jerusalem and Berlin film festivals – I know, tough job – the program is set, catalog out there in public, new website up and running AND tickets selling.  It’s so exciting to see that after just three days, over 800 tickets have already been sold!  In fact, Festival coordinator Josh Gardner commented today that checking the ticket sales numbers is like a new drug!  He’s right.  Watching the numbers, seeing what the favorites are during one of our many checks, guessing which film will sell out first…Okay, no betting money has changed hands yet, but we each have our favorites!

I do have to say that it’s so encouraging to know that the program is being received well.  This year we are showing more films than ever before – 62 films from 20 countries including perennial favorite sources Israel, France, Germany, Argentina, the US, Switzerland, Canada…as well as some more unusual film sources such as Tunisia, Slovakia, Russia, Ireland, Denmark and Kazakhstan.

Check out our opening night film, A Matter of Size, Israel’s award-winning romantic comedy about four very overweight guys ditching their diets in favor of becoming of sumo wrestling stars.  Just click below to see the film’s trailer.  But keep in mind that this film on December 3 with a matinee on the 4th and the closing night film on December 13, The Gift to Stalin, are both selling very well.  So take a look and then get busy and buy your tickets sooner than later by going to WJFF.ORG.  Lots of info about the schedule, venues, all the films, guests, special receptions and parties plus links to buy tickets. You can even sign up online to VOLUNTEER for the Festival.  Great fun, and that’s how I got started with the WJFF way back in 1994, but that’s another story….

Vote or Die…Not Really, But We Get a Party

If there is such a thing as a “cool office”, we just might be it.
Yes, the Washington DCJCC has been nominated for the “coolest office contest” at metromix DC.

Here’s what they say about us:

Their office is pretty much as quirky as the hit TV show, “The Office.” Plus, they have a theatre on-site and are encouraged to watch matinee’s during the work day as well as taking take three hour long trips to Costco to buy cases of beer and tons of food for their programs.

Sound like fun? It is (most of the time). So vote for us!