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What’s Happening in Jewish L.A. Feb. 2-7: Intriguing Talks and Super Sunday Events

[additional-authors]
January 31, 2018
Barbara Grover

FRI FEB 2
“SHOAH: HOW WAS IT HUMANLY POSSIBLE?”

An art exhibition presented by the American Society for Yad Vashem and Sinai Temple, making its debut on the West Coast, offers a comprehensive history of the Holocaust from 1933-1945. Several sections of this exhibition recount major historical aspects of the Holocaust, including pre-Holocaust Europe, European anti-Semitism and Nazi policy before the outbreak of World War II, Jewish life under German occupation, industrialized exterminations and deportations, and the liberation of the concentration camps in 1945. The exhibition, introduced at the United Nations in 2015 for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, features text, images and video clips. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free, RSVP required at stcommunications@sinaitemple.org. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (424) 273-4460.

INCLUSION SHABBAT

Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas marks February, which is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, with an inclusion Shabbat service open to those with disabilities and those without a place to worship or a community to call their own. Or Ami Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Cantor Doug Cotler and rabbinic intern Julie Bressler lead the service. 7:30-9 p.m. Free. Congregation Or Ami, 26115 Mureau Road, Suite B, Calabasas. (818) 880-4880. The service will be livestreamed at oramilive.org.

SAT FEB 3
RESTORATIVE SHABBAT YOGA

Yogis interested in infusing their practice with Jewish spirituality are encouraged to come to Adat Ari El for a Saturday morning restorative Shabbat yoga service. Bring your yoga mat. 9:30 a.m. Free. Adat Ari El, Adler Fabe Meeting Room, 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village. (818) 766-9426. adatariel.org.

CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCACY AND LITIGATION FOR JEWS

Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the Lawfare Project, the self-described “legal arm of the pro-Israel community,” discusses “Civil Rights Advocacy and Litigation for the Jewish People.” She appears after Shabbat services at the Beverly Hills Jewish Community. Limited seating, RSVP at info@beverlyhillsjc.org. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 276-4246. beverlyhillsjc.org.

L.A. CITY ATTORNEY MIKE FEUER

Mike Feuer

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer discusses public safety, criminal justice reform, gun safety and immigrants’ rights during lunch after IKAR’s Saturday Shabbat service as part of the egalitarian congregation’s “Know Your Reps” campaign. Noon-1:30 p.m. Free. IKAR, 910 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 634-1870. ikar-la.org.

“GOOD VIBRATIONS”

Have a groovy time with Cantors Ken Cohen of Temple Ahavat Shalom and Daniel Friedman of Temple Ramat Zion, both in Northridge, cantorial soloist Jackie Rafii of Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills and musical theater vocalist Jennifer Bennett as they perform songs of courage, hope and love. Proceeds benefit Temple Ahavat Shalom programs and services. All tickets will-call, starting at $40. Will-call opens at 6:30 p.m., doors open at 7:10 p.m., concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Temple Ahavat Shalom, 18200 Rinaldi Place, Northridge. (818) 360-2258. tasnorthridge.org/concert.

SUN FEB 4
WORLD WIDE WRAP XVIII

On Super Bowl Sunday, more than 100 men’s clubs and congregations around the world teach the mitzvah of wrapping tefillin. Participating congregations include Sinai Temple, which hosts a breakfast in conjunction with the event; Temple Aliyah, which serves bagels and holds a drash after the wrap; and Temple Ramat Zion, which serves light refreshments afterward. Organized by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, an initiative of the Conservative/Masorti movement, the World Wide Wrap unites men, women and children in prayer. Free at all locations. 8:45 a.m., Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-1518, ext. 3340, member.sinaitemple.org/events; 9 a.m.-noon, Temple Aliyah, 6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 346-3545, templealiyah.org; and 9:30 a.m., Temple Ramat Zion, 17655 Devonshire St., Northridge. (818) 360-1881, trz.org.

KIDS CHALLAH BAKE

The second, nearly annual LA Kids Challah Bake comes to downtown Los Angeles. Boys and girls ages 2-13 will be provided with braiding tips and sufficient ingredients to make two challahs, one to take home and one to be donated to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. Co-hosted by Sarah Klegman, a writer and co-founder of Challah Hub, a local artisan challah delivery company, and Whitney Fisch, director of counseling at Milken Community School’s upper school campus and creator of the Jewhungry blog. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $23 general admission; $50 VIP ticket includes valet parking, early access and check-in, swag bag and reserved seating. The Majestic Downtown, 650 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. lakidschallahbake@gmail.com. lakidschallahbake.com.

SUPER SOUL PARTY

Temple Beth Am, Accidental Talmudist’s Sal Litvak and motivational speaker Meir Kay throw a Super Bowl party for the homeless. Attendees watch the game together, eat and shmooze, and the organizers distribute dignity kits to the homeless. Volunteers are needed to arrange and help with the event, which will be filmed and shared on social media. Contact Lia Mandelbaum with questions at lmandelbaum@tbala.org. 1:30 p.m. Free. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-2384. tbala.org.

“TO LOOK A NAZI IN THE EYE”

Kathy Kacer

Prolific children’s author Kathy Kacer, the daughter of survivors who writes about the Holocaust for children, collaborated with 19-year-old Jordana Lebowitz, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, to tell the fascinating, true story of Lebowitz’s experience attending the 2015 trial of Oskar Groening, known as the bookkeeper of Auschwitz. Their work, “To Look a Nazi in the Eye: A Teen’s Account of a War Criminal Trial,” was published in 2017. Kacer and Lebowitz take part in a discussion and book signing co-presented by the Consulate General of Canada and the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. 3 p.m. Free. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 651-3704. lamoth.org. Kacer and Lebowitz also appear on Feb. 6 at the Museum of Tolerance, for school groups in ninth grade through college. 12:30 p.m. Free. Advance registration required. Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 772-2505. museumoftolerance.com.

MON FEB 5
THIS IS HUNGER

Barbara Grover

Photojournalist Barbara Grover provides an intimate and surprising portrait of hunger in the United States in a multimedia touring exhibition, “MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.” Featuring portraits and first-person narratives of individuals suffering from food insecurity, including people serving in the military and their families, the exhibition is displayed inside a specially designed trailer of a semi-trailer truck. Through Feb. 6. Various times. Free. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 442-0020. thisishunger.org/the-tour.

TUE FEB 6
“REACHING ACROSS THE POLITICAL DIVIDE”

Rick Richman

Jewish Journal Publisher and Editor-in-Chief David Suissa leads a “nonpolitical” discussion of the nation’s political divide, emphasizing the goals and aspirations shared by Jews and citizens, regardless of party affiliations, along with ways people can come together to bridge the divide. Author Rick Richman moderates. 6:30-8:30 p.m. $10, includes dinner. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-1518. sinaitemple.org.

“CARING FOR YOUR AGING PARENTS”

Community Shul president and elder care expert Justin Levi leads a discussion on navigating key issues involved in caring for one’s aging parents. Issues addressed include advanced planning, selecting the right care and housing options, the future of elder care and what it means for children taking care of their parents, and Jewish/halachic issues relevant to aging. A Q-and-A will be held and light refreshments served. 7 p.m. Free. Community Shul, 9100 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. RSVP to justin@clarendonsl.com.

WED FEB 7
“CATCH ’67”

Micah Goodman

Micah Goodman, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, discusses “Catch ’67: 50 Years Since the Six-Day War.” He explores the tension between right-wing and left-wing ideological visions of what Israel and Zionism are meant to be, discusses where both sides have gone wrong, and questions what possibilities there would be if Israelis were to focus on common-sense wisdom rather than ideological commitments. 7:30 p.m. $10. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 476-9777. aju.edu.

WAS ALEXANDER HAMILTON JEWISH?

A discussion of Alexander Hamilton’s roots features Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, and Alexander Porwancher, Straus visiting scholar. 7:30 p.m. Free. Beth Jacob Congregation, 9030 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills. (212) 960-5400, ext. 6902. bethjacob.org.

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