IKAR announces its move to Shalhevet

Egalitarian spiritual community IKAR announced on Aug. 26 that it is relocating to Shalhevet High School’s new building near Olympic Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, following its 11 years operating out of the Westside Jewish Community Center (JCC). 

“We are thrilled to announce that as of Sept. 5, 2015, all IKAR Shabbat and holiday services and Limudim will be held at Shalhevet High School’s beautiful brand new building, just down the street from the JCC. The IKAR offices will remain at the JCC for the time being,” said a statement signed by IKAR’s Rabbi Sharon Brous, executive director Melissa Balaban and board chairwoman Karen Hogan.

The final IKAR Shabbat service and bat mitzvah at the JCC was Aug. 29. That’s when Brous told a crowd of about 300 people, “Sometimes space is holy because holy things happen in it.” 

Services wrapped up with the congregation singing and swaying together as the IKAR clergy led them in a rendition of the Beatles’ “In My Life.” 

Afterward, a ceremonial Torah walk to Shalhevet was followed by singing and dancing. As the congregants walked on the busy L.A. streets from one campus to another, IKAR Hazan Hillel Tigay led them in another Beatles song — this time “Hello Goodbye.”

It was a bittersweet chance to say goodbye to one space and be introduced to another, Balaban said in a phone interview.

“The JCC has really been our Jewish home. Our kids grew up in this place; we all grew up in this place [and] IKAR grew up in the JCC. We will have a lot of nostalgia. I think we will miss it,” she said. 

The statement by IKAR clarifies that the synagogue community is still hoping to eventually purchase a building of its own.

“As many of you know, our long-term goal is to build a Jewish center for social innovation — a laboratory for experimentation in all aspects of Jewish expression: spiritual, ritual, political, cultural and social. The move to Shalhevet is an interim step as we lay the groundwork for a capital campaign,” the statement said. 

Balaban told the Journal that IKAR signed a two-year lease with Shalhevet on Aug. 26.

IKAR is a nondenominational community of about 600 member units, while Shalhavet has more than 180 students and identifies as Modern Orthodox. Shalhevet Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal said the new arrangement benefits both communities.

“What makes us a good match is that our schedules are essentially mirror images. Sharing our space with an organization that has different religious viewpoints does not require relinquishing our own opinions; renting to an organization with different religious beliefs does not equate to religious relativism.

“It helps generate income to support the ongoing operations of the school, programmatic and curricular investments, and our increasing financial aid budget — and that is hugely important to us,” Segal added.

IKAR’s announcement coincides with Shalhevet concluding construction of its new $12 million campus at 910 S. Fairfax Ave., less than a half-mile from the JCC. 

Last year, Shalhevet began the ambitious effort of selling off half of its property, demolishing the other half and building a brand-new campus. During construction, Shalhevet moved to the Westside JCC, where it became acquainted with IKAR. The two organizations developed a mutual respect during their time of sharing the tight JCC quarters, according to Balaban. 

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with their administration and their faculty. It was very tight when we were all in the building at the JCC, but I enjoyed them being here,” she said. “They added a life to the building.”

Over the next two years, IKAR will conduct its services in the Shalhevet gymnasium, only holding services on Shabbat and on holidays, which are times when Shalhevet will not be in session. An IKAR weekday morning minyan takes place once a week at its early childhood center, which is run offsite. IKAR’s Hebrew school program, Limudim, is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays and will take place after the Shalhevet school day is over. 

As for parking, Balaban said that the amount of parking spaces available at Shalhevet is comparable to the amount of parking that was available at the JCC.

Aside from the logistics working out well, the IKAR leadership said the beauty of the new Shalhevet campus was part of what convinced IKAR that it would make a great home for the shul. 

“We just feel incredibly fortunate to be able to rent space in such an inspiring, beautiful and light-filled space,” Balaban said.

Brian Greene, executive director of the Westside JCC, had only positive things to say about the time JCC and IKAR spent together.

“It has been a terrific 11 years of growth for both organizations, and we wish IKAR continued success,” he said in an email. “Looking back at where both organizations were a decade ago, I think we can all be very proud of our achievements.”