WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JEWISH L.A
by Ryan Torok, Contributing Writer
June 11-17
To submit an event organized by a Los Angeles organization, please email calendar@jewishjournal.com
Friday, June 11
BCC PRIDE WEEKEND
Ushering in L.A. Pride Weekend, Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) invites the community to tune in on Zoom or BCC’s Facebook page for a special Pride Shabbat celebration. Rabbi Jillian Cameron and Cantor Juval Porat welcome the Shabbat with soulful songs and creative teaching. 7:30 p.m. bcc-la.org/calendar
A PRIDE SHABBAT
Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills (TEBH) joins the list of Los Angeles synagogues observing Pride Month. TEBH Rabbi Jonathan Aaron leads a special virtual Pride Shabbat service. 6:15 p.m. To attend, registration and proof of vaccination is required. tebh.org/event/pride-shabbat-unplugged
MEET TRANS CHORUS
“Out Loud” is a 2020 feel-good film that tracks the first season of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the largest group of transgender and gender-nonconforming persons anywhere who sing together. The Skirball Cultural Center makes the film available for streaming through June 14. On June 15, tune into a conversation and Q-and-A with filmmakers Gail Willumsen and Jill Shinefield, chorus founders Lindsay Deaton and Lisa Marchbanks and film composer Alana Balagot. Virtual talk held at 7 p.m. skirball.org/programs/film/out-loud.
Saturday, June 12
TIE DYE HAVDALAH
To celebrate the return to in-person Havdalah and marking Rabbi Max Chaiken’s final Open Yad Project event before moving to Andover, Massachusetts next month, Congregation Kol Ami holds a DIY Tie Dye Havdalah in honor of Pride Month. You bring the white T-shirt or other article of clothing, and Kol Ami provides the tie-dye materials. Registration required to attend. 5:30 p.m. kol-ami.org/event/OY-tie-dye.
Sunday, June 13
“PRIDE IN THE FRONTIER”
Join Jewish National Fund-USA and its young philanthropists community, JNFuture, for JNF-USA’s inaugural Pride Month event, “Pride in the Frontier: A Virtual Event for Young Professionals,” featuring a panel of Israeli LGBTQ+ activists. The speakers are Hadas Goldman, co-founder of MAKOM; Gil Elias, CEO of Pride House in Be’er Sheva; and Arnon Allouche, manager of the Haifa Communities House for Pride and Tolerance. Quentin Ozeri, associate director of JNF-USA Los Angeles, moderates the discussion, held over Zoom and open to attendees ages 22-40. 10 a.m. PT. Free. To register, visit jnf.org/events-landing-pages/jnfuture-presents-pride-in-the-frontier.
CONVERSO, LATINO LINK
In the finale of Jewish National Fund-USA’s series on “The Converso & Latino Connection to Israel,” Ofir Haivry and Ashley Perry discuss current efforts to welcome new Sephardic immigrants to Israel. Learn about the 16th century Sephardic woman regarded as the first Zionist. Perry is president of Reconectar, an organization committed to reconnecting descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews with Israel and the Jewish world. Haivry is co-founder and vice president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem. 10 a.m. PT. jnf.org/events-landing-pages/converso-latino-connection-to-israel
SHANGHAI JEWS DISCUSSION
Tune into speaker Faith Goldman’s presentation on the history of Jewish refugees of Shanghai, organized by the “Lunch Bunch” at Congregation Ner Tamid of the South Bay. All ages welcome. 11-12:30 a.m. Free for members, $18 general. nertamid.com/event/shanghai-jews-presentation.html
INTERFAITH CONCERT
Temple Judea invites the public to “The Musical Message of Faith,” a concert organized by the Interfaith Solidarity Network emphasizing the strong role of music in worship services across the religious spectrum. Among the participants are Hazzan Mike Stein of Temple Aliyah, Rabbi Jim Kaufman, emeritus rabbi of Temple Beth Hillel, and the Reverend Joy Magala, co-founder of the Ugandan Community Church. 4-5:15 p.m. templejudea.com/event/concert-the-musical-message-of-faith.html
Monday, June 14
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
At American Jewish University, Professor Michael Berenbaum interviews Alexis Landau about her second novel, “Those Who Are Saved,” which was inspired by a true story. Set in World War II, Landau recounts the heartbreaking drama of a mother facing an impossible choice, traveling from Europe to California in search of her daughter. 2-2:45 p.m. Free. https://learning.aju.edu/event/book-talk-those-who-are-saved/.
Tuesday, June 15
TWO KINDS OF HUMANS
The Holocaust demonstrated the capacity of humans to commit the most horrible acts, but also their capacity to be incredibly courageous in the face of danger. In a Holocaust Museum LA webinar, the museum’s Jordanna Gessler and Christie Jovanovic relate stories of unusually brave Holocaust heroes. 4 p.m. holocaustmuseumla.org/event-details/inside-the-acid-free-box-the-righteous-among-the-nations.
INCLUSION, ALLYSHIP TRAINING
In honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, its NuRoots initiative and JQ International share a virtual LGBTQ+ inclusion and ally-ship training session. Open to everyone, it is structured to answer all questions about gender identity and expression. Also, learn what Jewish tradition says about being an LGBTQ+ ally. 5 p.m. nuroots.org/pride
“CASE FOR REPARATIONS”
The latest installation in Temple Judea’s “Uncomfortable Conversations” series explores “The Case for Reparations.” This discussion examines two pieces of media: the “Case for Reparations” article in the Atlantic by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and a recent “Freakonomics” podcast featuring two Black economists one on each side of the reparations debate. 7:30 pm. templejudea.com
Wednesday, June 16
IDENTITY POLITICS
Yael Tamir, president of Beit-Berl College in Israel and a former cabinet minister, discusses “Identity Policies in Israel and the USA,” focusing on the influence of identity politics on the state of democracy in both Israel and the U.S. Organized by UCLA’s Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. 10-11:30 a.m. international.ucla.edu/israel
MENACHEM KAISER
Author Menachem Kaiser talks to American Jewish University Professor Michael Berenbaum about “Plunder,” Kaiser’s new memoir about renewing his Holocaust survivor grandfather’s battle to reclaim the family’s apartment building in Sosnoweic, Poland. The adventure far exceeded his original plans. One question it raised was whether reclaimed property can repair rifts among the living. 2-2:45 p.m. Free. learning.aju.edu/event/humans-of-the-holocaust-conversation-with-menachem-kaiser-2
Thursday, June 17
SPOTLIGHT ON SEPHARDIC JEWS
The latest program in Ikar’s 2021 speaker series, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” features Ikar Rabbi Sharon Brous and Mijal Bitton of the Hartman Institute of North America posing provocative on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, from “Do Jewish institutions really see Jews of color?” to “Is saying “Gut Shabbes” Ashkenazi-normative?” The series continues through Aug. 12 with events including “Disability Inclusion in Jewish Spaces,” July 15, and “Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in Jewish Spaces, Aug. 12. Tune in for the June 17 program, titled “Diversity in our Jewish Community: Spotlight on Sephardic Jews,” at 5 p.m. Additional information at ikar.org
