January 13th, 2016 
3 Shevat
CALENDAR

Thursday,
January 21st
7:00 PM
Guatemala Information Night

Thursday,
January 21st
12:00 PM
Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eger

Friday,
January 22nd
8:00 PM
Special Tu B'shvat Shabbat Services with Rabbi Denise Eger and Student Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel

Sunday,
January 24th
9:00 AM 
Religious School is in session at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills

Sunday,
January 24th
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
First class of Intro to Judaism with Rabbi Sabine Meyer

Sunday,
January 24th
2:30 PM
Book Club Meeting at a private residence in Valley Village. RSVP for address.

Friday, 
January 29th
8:00 PM
Shabbat Services with Student Rabbis Jeremy Gimbel and Michael Shefrin

Sunday, 
January 31st
9:00 AM
Religious School is in session at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills 

Sunday, 
January 31st
9:30 AM
Shalom Hartman Lecture Series with Dr. Elana Stein Hain at Temple Kol Tikvah 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. Register now.

Sunday,
January 31st
10:00 AM
Intro to Judaism Class with Rabbi Sabine Meyer

Sunday, 
January 31st
11:30 AM
Habitat for Humanity Jewish Coalition Work Site Luncheon 

Sunday, 
January 31st
4:30 PM
Shalom Hartman Lecture Series with Dr. Elana Stein Hain at Temple Beth Am at 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. Register now.

Friday, 
February 5th
6:45 PM
Early Shabbat Services with Rabbi Eger and Student Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel

Saturday,
February 6th
10:00 AM
Saturday Morning Shabbat Services with Rabbi Eger
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 
Charlene Trichon
Cathee Weiss
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. 




February 7th
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
cooking oil
coffee and tea
soap (liquid or bar)
razors
toothbrushes
toothpaste
deodorant
shampoo & conditioner
lotion
feminine products
canned tuna


Join Rabbi Denise Eger and Student Rabbi/Music Director, Jeremy Gimbel this Friday night for a Shabbat you won't forget. Tu B'shvat, the birthday of the trees is coming up, and we will be celebrating with a special Tu B'shvat Seder during our services.

Friday, January 22nd at 8 PM

Why is Tu B'shvat a holiday about nature? After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. and the exile that followed, many Jews felt adrift and searched for ways to directly connect to their homeland. During Tu B'shvat, we focus on our environment for those same reasons. We strive to feel a link to the Earth that provides us with such bounty. We remind ourselves about why the responsible stewardship of our environment is necessary for our survival as well as for our experience of sacred home. 

In addition to celebrating nature, this Shabbat is Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song), where we honor the work and life of Debbie Friedman. Join us for a joyous, meaningful Shabbat experience this Friday at 8 PM!


Third Thursdays of every month from 12 noon to 1 pm.

Our Lunch and Learns focus on Jewish law and ethics and how to apply them to contemporary issues. Lunch and drinks are provided. These sessions are held at:

Law offices of Grunsfeld, Desiderio et al.
707 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 4150
Los Angeles, CA


Guatemala Information Meeting January 21st! 

Join us for an informational meeting on Thursday, January 21st at 7 PM, here at Kol Ami!  Our new Guatemala Travel Dates are June 10 - 19th, 2016. 


 

All Kol Ami members and their families are invited to join us for this exciting service trip. There will be plenty of tourist options and site seeing activities planned. It's an especially

great opportunity for the older kids and teenagers to experience an incredible summer of Tikkun Olam!

 

Some of the amazing activities include: 

  • Building a house
  • Teaching a child how to read, sing, dance or paint
  • Visiting a coffee plantation and learning how coffee is grown and cultivated
  • Zipline-ing over the beautiful mountainside in the hills above La Antigua, Guatemala
  • Hiking a volcano
  • Visiting a chocolate museum and learning how to make chocolate delicacies with locally grown cocoa
  • Participating in a traditional Mayan Fire Ceremony
  • Having Shabbat with our sister Synagogue, Adat Israel, in beautiful Guatemala City
  • Creating a lifetime of memories and making new friends!

Purim! On Shabbat!
March 25th, 2016

Come one, come all to this year's Purim Shpiel: "You're A Good One, Queen Esther!" (a parody of the musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown") It will be a special Shabbat service with our Shpiel and a Megillah reading all on a Friday night! Want to be a part of the fun? If you are interested in participating in any way (singing, acting, choreography, set design, etc.), contact Student Rabbi & Music Director Jeremy Gimbel at [email protected].


The Voice of My People Foundation is offering two new scholarship opportunities! 

The Voice of My People Scholarship grants are meant to support students who identify as LGBTQ, or whose parent(s) identify as LGBTQ, and are committed to social justice and making strides in creating a more fair and just world.  
Our first scholarships, available for the school year 2016-2017, are 2 Papel Family Trust scholarships at $2,500 each.

The application process opened January 1, 2016. We will accept the first 50 qualifying applications in the order in which they were received, or until March 15, 2016, whichever comes first. The top 10 candidates will be informed of the second tier review process late May 2016.

If you would like to support these incredible students, either individually or through a corporate sponsorship, please contact Sadie at [email protected] or call 323-606-0996.


Can't make tonight's Pillar 1 Meeting?

There's still plenty of ways to be involved in our spring fundraisers! 
  • Help with set up
  • Help with check in
  • Help with publicity
  • Become a sponsor
  • Donate your Facebook profile photo

Email Pillar 1 at [email protected].



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.

9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Temple Kol Tikvah
20400 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills

4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Temple Beth Am
1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles

These lectures are free for Kol Ami Members!
Jewish synagogues across greater Los Angeles are joining together in 2016 with
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) to build decent, sustainable 
and affordable homes with hardworking, low-income families and individuals throughout 
Greater Los Angeles! Join us for a build site luncheon.
 
* Experience an active Habitat LA construction site.
 
* Meet our construction team and have your questions answered.
 
* Learn more about how we build and the theology of the hammer!

RSVP by January 27th to [email protected]