December 30, 2015 
18 Tevet
CALENDAR

Friday,
January 1st
6:00 PM
Early Shabbat Services with Rabbi Eger. Please note early time of 6:00 PM!

Saturday,
January 2nd
10:00 AM
Shabbat Morning Service
with Rabbi Eger

Sunday,
January 3rd
No Religious School in session.

Friday,
January 8th
8:00 PM
Shabbat Services with Student Rabbis Jeremy Gimbel and Michael Shefrin

Saturday,
January 9th
10:00 AM
Torah Study

Saturday,
January 9th
12:15 PM
HIV+ Shabbat Lunch

Sunday,
January 10th
8:30 AM
Kol Ami Volunteering at SOVA

Sunday, 
January 10th
9:00 AM
Religious School at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills is in session.

Thursday, 
January 19th
7:30 PM 
Conversations with Rabbi Eger featuring Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith
Watch Services 
 
We are excited to debut a new online webcasting system! You can participate in the community and services even if you're out of town or just can't make it to the synagogue.

The new system is a significant improvement in both audio and video quality over our previous system, so if you haven't seen the new broadcast, you haven't seen us. Click here to watch live. 
Refuah Schlemah
 
Please keep the following people in your prayers: 
 
Marilyn Ader
Marlene Bram
Brian Garfield
Jeannette Kaufman
Jack Levin
Barton Mozlin
Ben Reback
Steve Reissman
Ivan Rosenberg 
Tom Royer
Henry Schaumberg
Hillary Selvin
Lowell Selvin 
Michael Silverman
Edie Siteman
Max Snow 
Cathee Weiss


Mazel Tov 
to Abby Bergman (and her parents Natalie and Kim Bergman)  who received an individual gold medal in the 200 m fly and a gold medal in the women's team 200 medley and a gold in the mixed 200 medley relay and a bronze medal 
in the 100 fly at 
the Pan American Maccabi Games in Santiago, Chile.

Mazel Tov to 
Mason A. Sommers who will be honored with riding on the Donate Life Float in the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.
The Kol Ami Mitzvah  Corps is available to visit you at home or in the hospital, bring a hot meal or run an errand.  Call the office at 323-606-0996 and you'll be contacted with-in 48 hours by one of our Corps members. 

 

If you are interested in joining the Mitzvah 

Corps please contact Kelsi at [email protected] or 323-606-0996. 



ATTENTION: Kol Ami is now volunteering at SOVA twice a month! Starting August 1st, we will be having volunteer groups on two Sundays a month, the second Sunday (our usual time) and now also the third Sunday of every month! We're excited to be offering this new opportunity for you to be involved in healing hunger. 

January 10th and January 17th
8:30 AM - 12 PM
1140 N. La Brea

Please email Ed Casson at: [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering.  Thank you, and remember, SOVA is here to serve you if you are in need. Visit their website atjfsla.org/sova. 

This month's most needed donation items:
peanut butter
cold cereal
canned pasta
oil
coffee and tea
soap (liquid or bar)
razors
toothbrushes
toothpaste
deodorant
shampoo & conditioner
lotion
feminine products

  
Save the date! 6:30 PM Sunday June 26, 2016 and join 
Kol-Ami for a "Beautiful Evening." 
 
We'll watch a performance of
BEAUTIFUL, THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL,
  • Private celebration afterwards with desserts and drinks in the iconic Pantages theater!
  • Meet members of the cast and special guests for photos, autographs and maybe even an impromptu sing-along!
  • Be there for the first ever presentation of Kol Ami's inaugural award to those who have made significant contributions to the arts!
Don't buy your tickets through the box office or online - come and see the show with us for a Beautiful Evening - we have tickets in all sections of the theater! 

Tickets will go on sale soon! Keep your eyes open for this incredible opportunity!


Rabbi Sabine Meyer's 2016 course of Intro to Judaism begins on Sunday, January 24th from 10 AM to 12 PM at Kol Ami! 

Dates: January 24- May 22, 2016
Sundays, 10 AM-12 PM

Register and find more information at http://www.reformjudaism.org/introduction-judaism-california

Are you part of a Jewish or interfaith family, considering conversion, or want to gain a deeper understanding of Jewish life and tradition? Then our URJ Intro course is for you! It offers a basic foundation in Judaism in 17 sessions and is designed for both Jews and people from other faith traditions who want to explore Jewish holidays and life cycle ceremonies, Jewish values and history, and Jewish liturgy and texts.

This series, Conversations with Rabbi Eger, provides the public with a front row seat to a behind-the-scenes discussion with some of today's most influential figures. 

On Thursday, January 14th at 7:30 PM, Rabbi Eger will host the Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, Chief Ecumenical Officer of the Archdiocese o the Catholic Church. They will be discussing Catholic Jewish relations in light of the 50th anniversary of the document absolving Jewish culpability for the death of Jesus. 

This series is free and open to the public. RSVP is requested.

Remember that Shabbat services will be at the earlier time of 6:00 PM over the holidays.
See below for schedule. 

New Year's Day, Friday, January 1st: Shabbat services begin at 6:00 PM and will be led by Rabbi Denise Eger. 
Who Are Jew? An exploration of our spiritual, emotional, and communal aspects of our Jewish identities.

Who are Jew? There are so many things that make up our Jewish identities: spirituality, being in community, ritual, commitment to social justice, music, Israel...the list goes on and on. At Kol Ami's adult retreat, we will explore who we are, who we want to become, and how we, as individuals and a community, can get there. And of course, we will have fun, taking advantage of the gorgeous campus of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley. This adult retreat will also feature sessions planned by each Pillar of our Congregation. The whole community will be involved. 

Join us for this exciting weekend on May 20-22, 2016! 
Registration opening in January of 2016.
 
Join the growing Kol Ami Book Club! We're at 10 members and counting! The current book selection is ALL I KNOW AND LOVE by Judith Frank. What's the best part about Kol Ami's Book Club? No reading required! We meet up for nosh and conversation and all are welcome whether you've read the book or not. We're a community first, readers second and we're excited to have you there! 

General Fund

Leslie Belzberg
Elliott Elsner
Stephen Hochstein, in memory of Minnie Kramer, wife of Mark Kramer
Gene Kapaloski, in memory of Dan Renberg

Julia Graves Broidy Scholarship Fund

John Altschul, in honor of USC's football victory over UCLA

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund

Howard Bragman, in memory of his mother
David Kaminski, in memory of Milton Singer
Don Margolin
Ira Schelsinger, in memory of his father
Ted Seifman, in memory of his father
Mason Sommers
Neal Zaslavsky

Yahrzeit Fund

Daniel Blatt, in memory of his grandmother, Estelle F. Berg
Evan Cohn, in memory of his uncle, Morty Fuchs
Alexandra Glickman and Gayle Whittemore, in memory of his Alex's mother, Madeleine Kassab
Jacquie Nemor, in memory of her brother, David Nemor
Eugene Rogolsky and Jeanette Kaufman, in memory of his father, Israel David Rogolsky, Jr. 
Tobi Rosen and Tara Eisner, in memory of Tobi's mother and father, Ruth and Jack Friedman
Tobi Rosen and Tara Eisner, in memory of Tobi's uncle, Irving Schuman
Tobi Rosen and Tara Eisner, in memory of Tobi's friend, Audrey Jenkins
Henry Schaumberg, in memory of his father, Siegmund Schaumberg

In the past month, Rabbi Eger has attended the following events: 

Rabbi Eger attended Chanukah at the White House

Rabbi Eger led the board retreat of the CCAR

Rabbi Eger had a letter to the editor published in the Jewish Journal on Transgender Issues

Rabbi Eger's election as president of the CCAR made the top 10 moments in Reform Judaism for 2015.