Virtual Community Continued
Synagogues and Organizations Connect People Virtually
By Ilene Schneider
As the pandemic-related shutdowns continue, many Orange County Jewish organizations are conducting services and other events via Zoom. Enjoy these events and stay safe.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Tuesday, August 4, 9 AM
Supreme Court Review
With COVID-19 disrupting day-to-day operations and many significant cases on the docket, it has been an exceptionally busy term for the Supreme Court. ADL will partner with the National Constitution Center for its annual Supreme Court Review, when distinguished legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky, Dahlia Lithwick, Paul Clement and Frederick Lawrence will break down the most important legal questions of the term, including separation of church and state, immigration, and Title VII employment discrimination. They will also discuss what to expect at the Supreme Court next year.
Sign up to watch the live broadcast of this important event. Registration is free and open to all.
For more information, contact orange-county@adlmail.org.
Chabad Beth Meir Hacohen Jewish Center/Chabad Jewish Center of San Clemente
Tuesday, August 11, 7:30 PM
From Auschwitz to the IDF
Tzippy Slavin and Naomi Blesofsky invite the community to an inspirational Zoom interview event with Sgt. Leibel Mangel. Being the son of a Chabad rabbi and grandson of one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, serving his people was not a matter of if, but when , Leibel, at the age of 19, left his home in Cincinnati to enlist in the IDF. He served as a machine gunner in an anti-terror unit where he took part in numerous high-profile anti-terror operations. Leibel has used his personal and family story to continue his service by fighting for the Jewish people in both mainstream and social media, and speaking in communities around the world. Leibel is the recipient of a 2017 Jewish People’s Choice Award and has amassed tens of millions of views on social media.
Leibel is also a Krav Maga instructor and tactical director of Candid Solutions, helping to empower and promote Jewish safety and security around the country.
For more information, contact naomi@ocjewish.com or tzippy@jewishsc.com.
Community Scholar Program (CSP)
Friday August 7, 4 PM
CSP Friday Music Series: “Live from Zoomer Canyon II”
Duvid Swirsky & Nefesh Mountain, along with special local guest artist, Leeav Sofer, will present a Zoom concert. As a tribute to Bommer Canyon, the site of many of our recent “Jewish happenings,” CSP is offering a three part, “Live from Zoomer Canyon” Friday afternoon music series featuring some of the most creative Jewish musicians in America today. On Friday August 7, musical guests are Duvid Swirsky and Nefesh Mountain (“folk rock meets bluegrass”). “Get your pre-Shabbat treats ready, crank up the sound and join us for a pre-Shabbat experience that will raise your spirits and rock your world,” say the organizers.
Duvid Swirsky is a LA-based musician, songwriter and producer originally from Israel. He co-founded both the legendary Israeli band MOSHAV and the critically acclaimed folk/pop trio the Distant Cousins. Duvid grew up in a musical village in the hills between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, performing at an early age with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.
Nefesh Mountain is the place where American Bluegrass and Old-time music meet with Jewish Heritage and tradition. Band leaders, genre-pioneers, and husband and wife Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg are the heart of this eclectic offering, and share their love for American music, their own cultural heritage, and each other with audiences throughout the world.
Leeav Sofer is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer/arranger, music director and teaching artist with a performance degree in clarinet and voice from the Bob Cole Conservatory of California State University of Long Beach. He has performed at venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Ford Amphitheatre, as well as singing backups at the Staples Center with the Rolling Stones for their 2013 tour. He currently is on faculty at the Colburn School in Los Angeles where he teaches classes, directs choirs, and community engagement programs. Under the auspice of Colburn, Leeav helped initiate music programs to culturally elevate the surrounding communities.
CSP live-streams programs on its CSP Facebook site and shares recordings on its CSP YouTube Channel. Contact CSP at www.occsp.org or (949) 682-4040.
Sunday, August 9 / Sunday, August 16 / Sunday, August 23, Noon
CSP 3-Part Master Class: The Dead Sea Scrolls: New Perspectives on the Bible, Judaism and Christianity with Prof. Lawrence H. Schiffman, live from New York City
Sunday August 9, 2020
The Hebrew Bible, its Text and Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Some 250 biblical manuscripts were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. These texts are of great significance for the history of the Bible text as we know it. Dr. Schiffman will explain how the varying text types found among the Qumran Scrolls and other sites in the Judean Desert allow us to trace the process that eventually yielded the consensus around the Masoretic Text. He will then treat texts presenting varying forms of biblical interpretation, explaining their place in the history of Jewish biblical studies.
Sunday August 16, 2020
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism
The Dead Sea Scrolls have recast our view of Judaism in the Second Temple period. We will emphasize the ways in which the Scrolls teach us not only about a small sectarian group, identified by most scholars as the Essenes, but also about the wider constellation of groups and ideologies that existed before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Dr. Schiffman will explain how this period contributed to the ongoing development of Jewish law and theology.
Sunday August 23, 2020
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
In the early days of Dead Sea Scrolls research all kinds of sensationalist statements were made about the connection of the Scrolls to the earliest Christians. We will explain how the Scrolls allow us to understand the variegated nature of the Judaism that served as the background for the rise of Christianity and the New Testament. We will see that the Scrolls clarify certain aspects of Christianity, despite the fact that they were all composed before the rise of the earliest Christian communities.
Lawrence H. Schiffman is the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Director of the Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. He served as the Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University.
For more information, contact CSP at www.occsp.org or (949) 682-4040.
Jewish Collaborative of Orange County
Tuesday, August 4, 7 PM
IKARON Zoom informational Open House
Registration is now open for IKARON concierge Jewish learning for children grades K-6. Classes include in-person or online options. IKARON sessions for the 2020-2021 school year will begin the week of September 14 and continue for 30 weeks. IKARON brings children on a journey of discovery, helping them to uncover an authentic connection to the time-tested teachings of Judaism via project-based learning, music, interactive activities and opportunities to explore personal connections. Through exposure to prayer, ritual, Shabbat and festival observance and Torah study, IKARON students will embrace life lessons guided by Jewish ethics, according to the website. Hebrew vocabulary and connection to the land of Israel are reinforced throughout.
Please visit the website (https://jewishcollaborativeoc.org/2020/07/02/ikaron/) for detailed information about the curriculum and instructors.
Sunday, August 16, 5:30 PM / Friday, September 11, 6 PM / Sunday, October 18, 10:30 AM
2020 Festival of Friends: Community Unity
Sunday August 16, 5:30 PM
“That’s Entertainment!”
The gala features The Von Chap Family Live from their Living Room: KUSC’s Alan Chapman is joined by Karen Benjamin and their offspring, Jake and Molly, for a cabaret presentation. This evening’s auction and fundraising will support JCoOC’s growing array of experiential learning opportunities for all ages and interests: IKARON online and in-person education for youth and teens; Pathways into Judaism; Advanced Learning Institute; and Special Partnership Programs.
Event Sponsors will receive a festive hors d’oeuvres basket to enjoy during the performance.
Please visit the website (https://jewishcollaborativeoc.org/2020/05/19/gala/) for details and registration information.
Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society (OCJGS)
Sunday, August 23, 10 AM
Monthly Meeting
OCJGS will present — directly from Belarus — Yuri Dorn, speaking on 19th Century Jewish Records in Belarus. The meeting will be held on Zoom. For more information, contact (949) 423-3746.
Temple Beth Sholom
Sunday, August 2, 2 PM
Sinatra’s Tailor: A discussion with Mark Thompson and Umberto Autore
Sinatra’s Tailor is the remarkable story of Umberto Autore, orphaned as a young boy in Italy during WWII and raised by “nuns and Nazis.” He eventually immigrated to America where he became the tailor of first Frank Sinatra and then Steven Spielberg. Temple Beth Sholom invites people to join TBS’ former cantorial soloist, now published author, Mark Thompson, along with the subject of his book, Umberto Autore, Sinatra’s tailor, himself, for an afternoon book discussion of this moving and gripping life story, via Zoom.
For more information, contact TBS at (714) 628-4600 or www.tbsoc.com.
University Synagogue
Wednesday, August 5, 5:30 PM
Intro (and Refresh) to University Synagogue and Reconstructionism
Friends, neighbors, extended family and colleagues are invited to join University Synagogue online for its annual “Introduction to University Synagogue and Reconstructionism” event. This Zoom open house is geared toward prospective members and anyone who wishes to learn more about our philosophy and activities.
Current members and guests, please register via email to pam@universitysynagogue.org no later than Tuesday, August 4, at noon. A link and a password will be sent out prior to the start time.