Alif Institutes March 2025 Newsletter

OUR MISSION:To foster the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of Arabic cultures.

OUR VISION: One world, united through the power of Arts & Culture.

Dear Alif Community,

I can’t believe that we are almost through the first quarter of 2025. As we turn toward the promise of spring, we find ourselves in a month that many in our community share as a time for spiritual renewal. In the usual Alif style, we are celebrating our shared traditions of fasting and spiritual renewal with our Ramadan Iftar & Lent Dinner. At the same time, we are busy preparing for National Arab American Heritage Month in April. If you’d like for us to visit your school or organization with fun cultural activities, please let us know.

Even though our minds are already on spring break, now is actually the time to start planning for summer. Our Summer Arabic Language Program for YOUTH and ADULTS has been announced, including our Study Abroad and Summer Intensive. For the first time since the pandemic, we are offering Summer Camp at Alif for kids!

Speaking of looking ahead, applications for vendors at the 18th Annual Atlanta Arab Festival are now open. I know it seems like a long way away, but in terms of planning a huge event like this, it’s really just around the corner.

Back to the here and now, as you will see below this month we have so many classes and programs to enjoy. We hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to connect with Arabic culture and community. As always, if you have questions, comments, or ideas please EMAIL US. We’d love to help!

In appreciation,

Alta Schwartz

Operations Director

Newsletter Sponsors

Thank you, newsletter sponsors! We couldn’t do it without your support!

Marcel Khalife tickets are on sale now!

ONLY 36 days left until Alif Institute welcomes iconic Lebanese artist Marcel Khalife on April 11, 2025. Don’t wait until the last minute to reserve your seats for what is sure to be an incredible evening. Also, please don’t forget that we need your support! Join the team of sponsors below and help us bring the beauty of Arab cultures center stage in Midtown Atlanta. The top three levels of sponsorship packages include a pre-concert reception with the artists! Click on the button above or EMAIL US for more information!

Thank you, concert sponsors!

OUD LEVEL

QANOUN LEVEL

KAMANJA LEVEL

DARBAKEH LEVEL

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Programs

MAR 8

MAR 15

MAR 22

APR - MAY

APR 5

APR 5 (1st SAT/month)

APR 8

APR 11

APR 15

MAY 13

JUNE 9-27

Arabic Music Workshops & Jam Sessions

Don’t have the time to commit to a semester of music classes? Just want to explore a new instrument? Try our workshops!

Play an instrument and just want to have fun with other musicians? Try our Saturday Jam Sessions on the first Saturday of each month! Open to both amateur and professional musicians.

Summer 2025 Arabic Language Program

Now is the time to plan for your summer adventures in Arabic learning!

Summer Camp 2025

Arabic cultural immersion camp for children 3 to 10 years old
3 Sessions in June: 9-13, 16-20, 23-27
Join one session or all
On site at Alif Institute!
For more information, EMAIL US at info@alifinstitute.org.

February Recap

THANK YOU, ALIF VOLUNTEERS!We made some great progress on several projects thanks to some wonderful volunteers!

Facility improvement: Kasim and Mark inspected the roof and cleaned the gutters. Hisham made sure that the outlets in the kitchen were in great working order. Mark also spent time preparing plans for our upcoming bathroom renovation. And, Yacoub, we can’t thank you enough for the countless hours you’ve spent over the last two months helping us organize and improve.
Library: Jumana, Ahmed, and Margaret are almost done cataloguing and organizing our library.
Sanad Team: Board members Frannie, Cherie, and Mariem called community members to invite them to become part of the Sanad Team.
Ramadan Iftar & Lent Dinner: Lara, Dina, Yacoub, and Mariem gave their all this month helping us plan for this big event.

2/1/25 & 3/1/25 - KAN YA MAKAN ARABIC STORYTIME & CRAFTS

As usual, a great time was had by children and parents who attended our February/March Arabic Storytime & Crafts. This is a great program to help your kids fall in love with reading and connect with Arabic cultures. Thanks to Alif parent and board member, Lara Karam Dempsey, for leading this program!

2/4/25 - AMANA ACADEMY 7th GRADE VISIT Alif staff and volunteers packed as many cultural activities into two and half hours for the 72 7th graders from Amana Academy! The students had a great time learning about Arabic language and culture from Kinda and Mouna. Thanks to our volunteers, Nora & Samir, Jumana, and Liz for leading the cooking activity by making hummus. And, Matias’s Arabic music/tabla workshops were a huge hit.

2/4/25, 2/21/25 & 2/22 - MOVIE NIGHTS

Our first screening of the year, From Ground Zero, drew over 100 people. It was so much in demand that we added a second showing the following day! We were also happy that the Refaat Alareer Mobile Library attended the first showing. Our second film, Foragers, explored the lives of the filmmaker’s parents through the Palestinian tradition of foraging for herbs and edible plants. The film is a beautiful view into this important part of Palestinian culture.

2/15/25 - COOKING CLASS: ALGERIAN OLIVE TAGINE WITH CHICKEN

Our first cooking class of 2025 was absolutely delicious! Guest chef Aouatif Zebiri guided the class in making Algerian Chicken & Olive Tagine, a favorite dish from her hometown, Wahran. If you'd like to join the next class, CLICK HERE. We have two classes coming up in March, one for kids and one for adults!

3/1/25 - ARABIC LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY WORKSHOP

Our volunteer Arabic language “students” had a blast in our test workshop led by Arabic teacher Tyler Brelje. As part of our on-going commitment to professional development, this is the first of a two-part workshop to help our instructors try new teaching techniques that will make learning more engaging for Alif students.

3/1/25 - ARABIC MUSIC JAM

Four accomplished musicians attended our first Arabic Music Jam Session. They brought many different instruments with them and had a blast just hanging out and playing. They clearly had a great time, but hope that more musicians will join them next time! All musicians are welcome on the first Saturday of each month. Join us next time, on Saturday, April 5 from 1:30 PM - 3 PM.

February Dabke & Tabla Workshops

In February, we wrapped up our four-session dabke series led by Samir Hasan of Al Fursan Dabka & Zaffah Group. The particpants worked really hard getting ready to show off their new skills at their next social gathering! You can sign up now for our next dabke workshop on April 8.

We also had a two hour tabla workshop with Matias Hazrum. The group learned some basic tabla skills on which to build. We hope they will join us in our weekly classes or our first ever TUBL WORKSHOP!

Alif Announcements -Instructors, Interns, Volunteers Needed!

JOIN ALIF’S ARABIC FOLK DANCE TROUPE FOR GIRLS!

April 5 - June 14, August 16 - October 5*
Saturdays, 3pm - 5pm
Females only, ages 14 years and up
Group will perform at the Atlanta Arab Festival on October 4 & 5.
Fees: $150 to cover costumes and expenses
Instructor: Aseel Haddad
*Practices during June/July will be determined by troupe member schedules.

18TH ANNUAL ATLANTA ARAB FESTIVAL - OCTOBER 4 & 5

VENDOR APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR:

Artists & Artisans
Caterers
Businesses
Nonprofits

INSTRUCTORS, VOLUNTEERS, & INTERNS NEEDED: Alif is looking for two instructors to help us expand our cultural class offerings! To apply, please send an email with your resume to info@alifinstitute.org. And, please share our call for applications in your circles.

Tableh Instructor - Teach children 5 - 14 years old on Saturdays from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM at Alif Institute and Sundays from 12 PM - 1:30 PM in Roswell.
Arabic Calligraphy Instructor - In person at Alif Institute.
Alif Internships - We have two open intern positions:— Marketing/Communications—Exhibits/Research
General Volunteers - We always need volunteers! Send us an email and we can add you to WhatsApp and/or email list.

Community Announcements:

Send us your community events and we’ll be happy to post them here!

As a service to the community, we offer this space as a bulletin board to announce events in the community. The following events are not planned, endorsed, or verified by Alif Institute. Please click on the images and reach out directly to the event organizers for more information.

3/7 & 3/8/25

3/10/25

4/5/25

4/12/25

4/26/25

Applications Open for Juzour Summer 2025

Jouzour is Lebanon & Beyond’s inaugural program, designed to bring young adults from the Lebanese diaspora back to their homeland for a 5-week immersive experience. Through service projects, cultural exploration, and educational seminars, participants will reconnect with Lebanon in meaningful ways while building lasting relationships with their peers.

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