What’s Happening: Special Needs Workshop, JNF at Hollywood Bowl

FRI JULY 12

Na’or: Enlightened Shabbat
Conservative congregation Mishkon Tephilo holds “Na’or: An Enlightened Shabbat on the Beach,” featuring a BYO picnic dinner and musical sunset kabbalat Shabbat services. Attendees assemble just below South Beach Park in Santa Monica, at the south end of Ocean Park parking lot, near lifeguard tower 28. This is not a lengthy service as Mishkon Rabbi Gabriel Botnick seeks to draw a diverse crowd. 6 p.m. picnic dinner. 6:45 p.m. services. Free. No RSVP necessary. (310) 392-3029.

Beatles Shabbat Under the Stars
The members of the Beatles may not have been Jewish, but the Fab Four nonetheless will help to welcome Shabbat at Shomrei Torah Synagogue. The Beatles-themed kabbalat Shabbat service is held outdoors, under the stars, and guests are asked to bring their own dairy dinner. Time to celebrate with a little help from your friends. 6 p.m. Free. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, ECEC Yard, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 854-7650.

Southern Fried Shabbat
An Americana-infused “Shabbat Under the Stars” service at Temple Beth Am features attorney Stuart Leviton speaking about the past and present state of Southern Jewish life. Leviton graduated from high school in Louisiana and is a board member of the Mississippi-based Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 6:15 p.m. $20 adults, $16 per child for ages 2-12. RSVP required for dinner. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-7353.

Shabbat at the Shore
Spend kabbalat Shabbat with Temple Akiba. The Culver City congregation’s “Shabbat at the Shore” gathers temple members and friends at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey. Gather starting at 5:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. service. Toes Beach, 6935 S. Trolley Place, Playa Del Rey. (310) 398-5783.

“The Devil Wears Prada”
An outdoor movie night at the Skirball Cultural Center features a screening of the 2006 comedy “The Devil Wears Prada,” about an aspiring journalist whose first job is at a fashion magazine with a stern, larger-than-life editor. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep co-star. Before enjoying cocktails, wine, beer and light fare during the film, attendees are invited to arrive early to view the fashion exhibits of Rudi Gernreich and the “Black Is Beautiful” photography of Kwame Brathwaite. 6 p.m. doors open. 8:30 p.m. film. $12 general admission. Free to members and children under 12. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500.

Russian Speakers Go Camping
With the entire campground to themselves at the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, Russian-speaking Jewish families come together for a unique Shabbat weekend in Miller Canyon, in San Bernardino County. The goal of the outing is to grow the Russian-speaking Jewish community. There is room for 40 families. Couples without children are welcome. Through July 14. $150 per car. Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, 14651 Cedar Circle, Hesperia. (760) 389-2281.

“Baseball Shabbat”
What better way to spend Friday night than at a “Baseball Shabbat” at Temple Aliyah? Rabbi Stewart Vogel is asking all attendees, including children and adults, to wear the caps of their favorite teams. This “Summer Shul” series at Temple Aliyah also will feature “Ice Cream Shabbat,” “Beach Shabbat” and “Camp Shabbat.” 6:30 p.m. services. Temple Aliyah, 6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 346-3545.

SAT JULY 13

Remembering Elie Wiesel
The late Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust before launching a legendary career chronicling the horrors he witnessed, is the subject of Sephardic Temple Rabbi Tal Sessler’s monthly Shabbat Lunch and Learn series on “Great Jewish Writers.” Wiesel wrote 57 books, the best known being “Night,” following his experiences with his father at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He died three years ago at age 87. Noon-2 p.m. Free. Sephardic Temple, 10500 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 475-7000.

Torah Yoga
The most unique service on this Shabbat morning might be University Synagogue’s “Torah Yoga” event. Join Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro, the Torah instructor, and yogi Evan Kopelson, the yoga instructor, when they take their audience on a dual spiritual journey that marries the two practices. 9-10:30 a.m. Free. RSVP required. Space is limited. University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 472-1255.

SUN JULY 14

Downtown Jewish History
Shmuel Gonzales, aka the Barrio Boychik, leads a three-hour walking tour promising a fresh look at the 175-year history of Jews working and praying in downtown Los Angeles. His tour includes a closer look at Angels Flight, the Grand Central Market, theaters and little-known stories inside office buildings. The tour convenes at Grand Park in front of the Starbucks. Assemble at 9:45 a.m. for the 10 a.m.-1 p.m. tour. $25. Starbucks meeting place, 217 N. Hill St., Los Angeles. eventbrite.com or barrioboychik.com.

Comedy Night for Singles
Comedy Store veteran Menachem Silverstein leads a cast of veteran comics from Hollywood for “Comedy Night, a Gathering for Jewish Singles,” drawing attendees in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Besides being a stand-up comedian, Silverstein is an actor and writer. His credits include “Knifecorp,” “The Night Time Show” with Stephen Kramer Glickman and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” 6-8 p.m. $20 online. $25 at the door. Temple Beth Zion, 5555 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 933-9136.

MON JULY 15

“A Musical Journey Through Judaism”
For many years, Michael Frisch has been performing original music, and now he is bringing it home to his synagogue, Kehillat Ma’arav. In “A Musical Journey Through Judaism,” Frisch explains how Jewish tradition has inspired his compositions through stories, rituals and spirituality, and how the land of Israel has influenced him. 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Kehillat Ma’arav, 1715 21st St., Santa Monica. (310) 829-0566.

THU JULY 18

“100 Planes”
Jewish playwright Lila Rose Kaplan’s “100 Planes,” presented by the Filigree Theatre, an independent, women-led theater company based in Austin, Texas, has its West Coast premiere. Called a bittersweet comic drama and set in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era of the 1990s, the play follows three women on a U.S. Air Force base in Germany where their ambition, love and passion clash. The production asks if it is possible to love what you do and also love another person. Through Aug. 4. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays. $30 general admission. $25 students with ID and seniors. $20 each for groups of 10 or more. Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. (512) 496-5208.

Knowledge is Power Workshop
Families with special needs members are invited to the Los Angeles Jewish Abilities Center workshop “How to Obtain and Maintain Benefits for People With Special Needs.” Speakers are attorney Ariana Cernius of Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Sarah Blitzstein, director of HaMercaz and its special needs programs. Cernius discusses Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) basics, eligibility for government benefits and maintaining a healthy relationship with your SSI benefits. Blitzstein talks about how to maximize the regional center’s benefits. A Q&A session follows. 10 a.m.-noon. Free. ETTA, 13034 Saticoy St., North Hollywood. (323) 761-8105. RSVP required.

JNFuture at Hollywood Bowl
The Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) JNFuture program for ages 22-40 and the Young Patrons of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra spend an evening of education and entertainment at the Hollywood Bowl. At a potluck picnic dinner, guests learn about JNF’s Arts and Entertainment Task Force, recently launched by Civia Caroline, a music manager, marketer and chair of the task force. There will be an update on how JNF is bringing arts programs to Israel’s peripheral communities. Pianist Khatia Buniatishvili headlines the evening’s Hollywood Bowl concert, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 6:30 p.m. potluck picnic at the Highland Camrose Park Pavilion. 8 p.m. concert. $55 general admission. $40 JNFuture members. Hollywood Bowl Highland Camrose Park, 2301 N. Highland Ave. (323) 064-1400, ext. 968.

Have an event coming up? Send your information two weeks prior to the event to ryant@jewishjournal.com for consideration. For groups staging an event that requires an RSVP, please submit details about the event the week before the RSVP deadline.