(No Friday Night By Candle Light this evening)
The Jewish Collaborative joins Congregation Beth Am in San Diego this evening for Campfire Shabbat. This musical service is led by Rabbi David Kornberg and Ephron Rosenzweig, with guitar and camp-style songs. Click here to join.
Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 PM (PST) TWELVE STEPS AND TORAH
Shabbat afternoon Torah study informed by the wisdom of Twelve Step recovery. With Rabbi Ilan Glazer, founder of "Our Jewish Recovery," Rabbi Marcia Tilchin, and friends.
Join us on Zoom.
Saturday, December 5 at 5:00 PM HARD LOVE / HAVDALAH TOGETHER Havdalah this week will follow a BIMAH presentation of "Hard Love," a play by Motti Lerner. To learn more about this performance click here. Pre-Registration is required. Please register here to join us.
Monday, December 7 at 9:30 AM (PST) ADVANCED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Cheryl Cohen, a member of our ALI cohort, will share some of her personal encounters with well-known personalities she met working in the Jewish Studies Department at Indiana University, including Elie Wiesel and
Tuesday, December 8 at 6:00 PM HOUSING CHAMPIONS ADVOCACY 101
JCoOC is partnering with OCAJC, United to End Homelessness, and others on this important skill-building workshop to learn how to be a powerful voice in our community to help end homelessness across OC.Learn more and register here by Dec. 7th.
Through December 20th BACKPACKS OF LOVE CAMPAIGN
JCoOC is working with City Net to provide hundreds of backpacks to be filled with essential items providing warmth for the winter to OC's homeless. To learn about volunteer opportunities or to donate, click here.
We have reached over half our goal of filling 100 backpacks. Can you help us get there?
We are in the midst of our End-of-Year fundraising drive. As you consider your year-end giving, please help the Collaborative begin 2021 on strong financial footing so that we can continue to grow as a forward-thinking, unifying, compassionate presence in the OC Jewish community and beyond. Thank you!
"Failure of Leadership Close to Home"
“And Jacob heard that [Shekhem] had defiled Dina his daughter. And his sons were with his flock in the field. And Jacob remained silent until they came.” (Genesis 34:5)
This week’s parashah contains one of Torah’s most disturbing narratives, commonly referred to as The Rape of Dinah.
According to the literal meaning of the text, every character in this brutal, complex story operates largely (not exclusively) in their own self-interest, including Shekhem, his father Hamor, and Dinah herself. Jacob, however, appears to be the most irresponsible actor through his silence. Not once does he show any regard for the feelings of his daughter. Though he is still the patriarch, when he hears what has happened, he is unable to take any action without conferring with his sons who are working in the fields some distance away.
Because Jacob takes no leadership initiative, Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, are left to their own limited devices and end up slaughtering an entire village of people who were, at minimum, not hostile, and, at best, looking to embrace the practices of the tiny but much-admired Israelite tribe (Jacob’s family).
To add insult to injury, notice Jacob’s response to the slaughter of innocents exacted by his sons:
“And Jacob said to Simeon and to Levi, 'You have stirred up trouble for me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land…'"(Genesis 34:30)
According to the text, Jacob shows no remorse about the death of hundreds of unsuspecting people. He was totally dismissive about the feelings of Dinah and Shekhem who had already been living together, possibly happily, for some unspecified period of time. He did not care that two of his sons were murders and plunderers. He was only concerned about his reputation among the locals, lest they attack him and take his stuff.
There are countless lessons to be learned from a deep study of this story about Dinah, her father, and her brothers. Those that jump out at me this year are related to failure of leadership - the fallout when leaders do not speak out against injustice and the collective damage toll when a leader is only concerned with his or her own interests above all else, leaving others to take action at will.
Friday, Dec. 25th at 5:30pm Second Annual Shabbat and K'nishmas Celebration
With Jason Feddy and friends Details forthcoming
The Jewish Collaborative of Orange County innovates, supports and collaborates on community programming that enriches the landscape of Jewish life in OC and beyond, encouraging individuals, couples and families to connect their passions and purpose with Judaism.
Jewish Collaborative of Orange County
2200 San Joaquin Hills Rd.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
