Alif Institutes May 2025 Newsletter

May 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,

As the days grow longer and the warmth of summer fills the air, Alif is preparing for a season of creativity, celebration, and community engagement. From our fun and culturally immersive summer camp for our kiddos to outdoor movie nights beneath the summer sky, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

While our Winter/Spring Semester is coming to a close, Arabic cultural and linguistic enrichment at Alif continues through June. As classes wind down and students ease into summer mode, our center remains vibrant with programs that nurture connection, creativity, and cross-cultural exchange.

With offerings ranging from immersive Arabic language intensives to arts and community events, May and June at Alif provide a rich array of opportunities for exploration and engagement. Whether you’re maintaining your fluency, discovering new artistic perspectives, or simply connecting with others, there’s still much to experience before we pause for our summer break in July.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or ideas please EMAIL US. We’d love to help!

In appreciation,

Mouna Abdelhamid

Executive Directors

Newsletter Sponsors

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

Upcoming Programs

MAY 15

MAY 17

MAY 20

MAY 22

MAY 23

JUNE 9-20

JUNE 5 & 7

JUNE 7

OCT 4 & 5

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.

MAY 13

JUN 7 (1st SAT/month)

Regular classes for adults and two great options for accelerated learning!

Summer Camp 2025

SUMMER CAMP AT ALIF INSTITUTE IS BACK!

We’re excited to welcome campers ages 4 to 11 years old back to Alif this summer! We have two sessions available; join one or both.

For more information, visit the WEBPAGE or EMAIL US at info@alifinstitute.org.

April Recap

4/10/25 - THE LEGACY TOUR PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION

We were delighted to welcome Marcel, Rami, and Sary Khalife to Alif Institute for a pre-concert reception. Joined by our generous sponsors and community members, we enjoyed a wonderful evening getting to know the artists while feasting on a delicious dinner sponsored by Mediterranean Grill and refreshments sponsored byMajlis Mocha.

4/11/25 - THE LEGACY TOUR: MARCEL, RAMI, & SARY KHALIFE

Surrounded by our vibrant community, on April 11 we shared a musical experience that stirred our souls and uplifted our spirits. The legendary Marcel Khalife, joined by his son Rami and nephew Sary, delivered a performance that transcended generations and borders. The music moved us deeply—many sang along, and some were brought to tears of joy. It was a night of connection, culture, and unforgettable artistry that will live long in our memories. We are grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this extraordinary night possible. For a complete review of the evening, list of our sponsors and collaborators, and information about our oud raffle winner, please CLICK HERE.

4/13/25 - OUD RAFFLE

Raising a net total of $4,690, our fundraising raffle for an oud signed by Marcel Khalife was a huge success! Thanks to Mr. Khalife for signing this beautiful instrument and to everyone who participated. Congratulations, Wadad Itani, our lucky winner!

4/23/25 - Culture on the Concourse, Atlanta International Airport

Alif Institute was honored to be invited by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to kick off the very first event for their Culture on the Concourse program! If you were traveling internationally during the last week of April, you may have seen our Windows to the Arab World exhibit proudly displayed in the International Atrium.

And if you were lucky enough to pass through on Wednesday, April 23 at 12 PM, you would have witnessed a vibrant celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month, hosted by Alif Institute in partnership with airport leadership.

The festivities featured a high-energy dabkeh performance by Al Fursan Dabka & Zaffah, who also invited the crowd to join in the dancing! Live music was provided by the incredible Matias Hazrum and Ayas Alnaheli, while delicious food was served by Shawarma Press and Yumma’s Bread.

Guests had the chance to have their names beautifully written in Arabic, and our talented henna artist, Meryem Elamri, painted stunning henna designs for passengers and airport employees. This was a hugely successful event, and we are already looking forward to returning next year!

FESTIVALS & COMMUNITY OUTREACH -

Festivals are a wonderful opportunity for Alif Institute to engage in vital outreach that supports our mission to foster understanding, appreciation, and preservation of Arab cultures. April is always a big month for festivals in Atlanta—and this year was no exception!

We kicked things off at the Atlanta International Night Market: Glow in the Park in Suwanee, where we connected with many new faces. We’re proud to share that our booth earned third place among nonprofits, along with a $500 award!
Arab cultures were celebrated on stage at the iconic Dogwood Festival through a dynamic performance by Al Fursan Dabka & Zaffah.
In one action-packed weekend, our team was present at both the Refuge Coffee Spring Market in Clarkston and the Inman Park Festival—bringing our message and presence to even more communities across the city.

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who stopped by to visit, and to all the incredible volunteers (see below) who made it possible to share the richness and beauty of Arab cultures with thousands of people!

ARABIC LANGUAGE PROGRAM (ALP) - For Arab American Heritage Month, we added a variety of cultural enrichment activities for kids and adults!

APRIL 12 - Tatreez for KidsAlif’s Office Manager and volunteer (Knit & Stitch Club & Sahtain wa Hana) Liz Talamas taught students how to do tatreez, the traditional Levantine art of cross stitch. The students caught on fast and made did some beautiful work!
APRIL 19 - Arabic pot luck for adultsAs a special enrichment activity, all the adult in-person Arabic Language classes picked a dish to make and share with their classmates.
APRIL 19 - Cooking Class, Mosaic Art, and Reading for Kids As part of Arab American Heritage Month, our ALP for Kids featured special enrichment activities—including a fun and educational cooking class! ALP mom and food blogger Rania Renno led the class, guiding students through the process of making manqeesh from scratch!
APRIL 26 - Professional Development for Arabic TeachersKinda Hanano, Alif’s Arabic Language Program Director, along with all of our Arabic instructors, participated in a full-day seminar organized by the Arabic Teachers’ Council of the South. This professional development event, supported by the Atlanta Global Studies Center, offered valuable tools and insights to help strengthen Arabic language education across the region.

SCHOOL OUTREACH - Two more schools opened their doors to Arab cultures this April! We’re proud to continue expanding our educational outreach and grateful to these schools for their commitment to cultural learning.

APRIL 4 - Shakerag Elementary welcomed us back for the 3rd year! Alif Institute’s Executive Director, Mouna Abdelhamid, and parent volunteer, Widad Saad, combined the beauty of Arabic language with the art of mosaics, guiding students in creating their own unique pieces of art.
APRIL 22 - Mouna Abdelhamid was invited to Holy Innocents Episcopal School, where she led students in an engaging workshop exploring the beauty and complexity of Islamic geometric art.
APRIL 30 - Alif organized a special cultural experience at North Atlanta High School, featuring a live performance and workshop by Al Fursan Dabka & Zaffah. Students danced as they learned about the rich Levantine dabkeh tradition.

Alif Events & Programs - Saturday, April 5On Saturday, April 5, we kicked off the month with our beloved Sahtain wa Hana homestyle community lunch. As always, our amazing Sahtain wa Hana ladies prepared a delicious meal made with love and care. We were thrilled to welcome familiar faces and new friends from the community. This monthly lunch is open to the public, so mark your calendars for the first Saturday of each month and bring a friend for authentic Arabic cuisine and community connection!

After lunch, the incredible Lara Karam Dempsey delighted the children with engaging Kan ya Makan, stories in Arabic followed by fun crafts, dances, and songs. This family-friendly program takes place on the first Thursday and Saturday of each monthand is free and open to all!

At noon, we launched our Speaker Series with Coffee with Rola! Rola Doughan, a local health and wellbeing coach, led a thoughtful discussion on the prevention of chronic diseases and shared practical wellness tips. Thank you, Roula, for a fantastic kickoff to this new program!

THANK YOU, ALIF VOLUNTEERS!Alif was able to host and participate in so many events in April because of our amazing volunteers. Look at everything we did with your help!

April Festivals -

4/12 - Dogwood Festival: Thanks to Al Fursan Dabka & Zaffah Group for representing Arab cultures on the International Stage!
4/18, 4/19 - Atlanta International Night Market: Muhammad, Ahmad, and Jumana
4/26, 4/27 - Refuge Spring Market: Ahmad, Rhizlane, Dan, Muzna, Tyler
4/26 - Inman Park: Muzna, Andrea, Dima, Jumana, Amjad, Samir, Nora

4/5 - Kan ya Makan Storytime - Lara

4/5 - Sahtain wa Hana: Narjis, Ghada Nabhan, Liz, Nora

4/11 - The Legacy Tour Concert & Raffle: Dima, Dimitri,

Helen, Cherie, Mustafa, Jumana, Mariem, and Frannie

4/19 - Kid’s Cooking Class - Rania

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: If you would like to volunteer to help us with programs, events, or projects, EMAIL US for more information.

Alif Announcements -

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.
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.

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