Tonight begins a two-day Rosh Hodesh celebration ushering in the month of Tevet, the tenth month on the Jewish calendar. In synagogue tomorrow, three Torahs will be taken out of the ark and read. It is a rare and awesome sight. Rosh Hodesh Tevet always coincides with days 6 and 7 of Hanukkah and gives me pause because I am reminded that Hanukkah will soon be over, leaving me with a tinge of sadness and displacement as I come to terms with the hybrid life I lead as an American Jew. It also coincides with the cycle of Joseph stories found at the end of the book of Genesis and I often wonder if Joseph, the 11th son of our patriarch, Jacob, was the prototype of someone who navigates the tension that so many of us feel, particularly at this time of year. I was touched by this short drash offered by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, in which he touches upon this reality in a personal way. Rabbi Jacobs was raised in, of all places, Tustin.
Joseph lives his entire adult life not as an Israelite, but as an Egyptian and a successful one at that. He wears Egyptian garb, takes on an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife and fathers Egyptian children. And yet, when he reunites with his brothers, he is reminded at a most fundamental level who he truly is – the son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Though we may look and act like everyone around us, when each of us lights the hanukkiah and places it in the windowsill of our homes, we remind ourselves and announce to the world who we truly are. For an in-depth exploration of Joseph and his dual identity, I invite you to watch this edition of Sipurei Reishit with Rabbis Nico Socolovsky, David N. Young and me discussing Parashat Miketz.
December will be JCoOC’s busiest month in 2021, with two in-person Friday night celebrations (December 3 and 24), four Havdalah Together programs, two “Let’s Get Reel” film events along with our regular ongoing learning, recovery and grief programs, daily minyanim and more. One of this month’s highlights will be the concert we are hosting on Saturday night, December 18 with Chamber Music OC titled An Evening of Memory, Music and Promise. The performance will feature the Violins of Hope currently touring through southern California. I attended the opening night gala at the Theatre Raymond Kabbaz featuring the extraordinary group Delirium Musicum, whose current artistic director, Etienne Gara, is the grandson of Holocaust survivors. Click here to read about Violins of Hope Los Angeles and its passionate director, Susanne Reyto, in the December 2 issue of Beverly Hills Weekly, featured on the cover and page 7.
Susanne will be speaking at Orange County performances on December 17 at University Synagogue, December 18 at JCoOC’s event in Lake Forest, and January 13 in Santa Ana. Click here to learn more about the upcoming performances and programs in OC and LA featuring these precious instruments that will remain in California until the end of January.
As we prepare to enter 2022, I am grateful that the Collaborative is a part of your life. I hope some of our programs brought you joy in 2021 and pray that we can do so even more in 2022.
Hag Urim Sameah, Hodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
Friday, December 3 at 6:00pm (PST)
SHABBAT & HANUKKAH BY THE SHORE WITH TEMPLE ISAIAH JCoOC joins Temple Isaiah for a Shabbat potluck dinner and to celebrate Hanukkah in Newport Beach. Services will begin at 6:00pm led by Rabbi Marcia Tilchin and Scott Spitzer, followed by a vegetarian/dairy potluck dinner. Register hereto attend in person. Join us virtually on Zoomor Facebook.
Saturday, December 4 at 10:00am (PST) SHABBAT WITH TEMPLE BETH SHALOM Join Rabbi Tilchin at Temple Beth Shalom in Long Beach. TBSLB is located at 3635 Elm Avenue in Long Beach for those who would like to attend in person. To watch the livestreamed services, click here.
Saturday, December 4 at 2:00pm (PST) TWELVE STEPS & TORAH Shabbat afternoon Torah study informed by the wisdom of Twelve Step recovery. Join us on Zoom. For more information and to be added to the Twelve Steps & Torah email list, click here.
Saturday, December 4th at 6:30pm (PST) NEW MOON UNION December's New Moon Union program with Kohenet Rachel Kann of Realize Paradise falls on Saturday evening in conjunction with Havdalah Together. This month special guest Kohenet Kezirah Lesser joins. Learn more and find the Zoom link here.
Monday, December 6th at 9:30am (PST) ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE Join us for part four, the final class with Matt Austerklein. "Innovative Disruptions in Jewish Music" offered in partnership with the Cantors Assembly and Ivrim: Jews Without Borders. To learn more and view recordings of previous week's classes click here.
Saturday, December 11 at 6:00pm (PST) HAVDALAH TOGETHER Author, Joel Poremba joins us at Heritage Pointe to speak about his new book, My Name is Staszek Surdel: The Improbable Holocaust Survival of Nathan Poremba, the Last Jew of Wieliczka. Join us in person or virtually. Click here for more information and Zoom link. Click here to RSVP if you will attend in person.
Sunday, December 12 at 10am (PST) LET'S GET REEL PRESENTS 40 NICKELS Our next Let's Get Reel program - in partnership with the OC Jewish Coalition for Refugees, features 40 Nickels. Still on the film festival circuit, this movie has not yet been released to most audiences. We will present the short film on Zoom followed by a conversation with Director, Yasmin Goremberg. Read more.Register in advance here.
Saturday, December 18 at 7:00pm MUSIC, MEMORY & PROMISE CONCERT JCoOC, in partnership with Chamber Music OC and Violins of Hope LA presents An Evening of Music, Memory, and Promise. Proceeds from the performance will benefit JCoOC's Jewish community arts partnerships and initiatives and CMOC's Irv Weinstein Scholarship Memorial Fund. To learn more and reserve tickets, please click here. The performance can also be enjoyed virtually.
TheJewish Collaborative of Orange County is a creative, collaborative, and compassionate community mosaic dedicated to innovating and supporting local and national programming that enriches the landscape of Jewish life and encouraging individuals and families to connect their passions and purpose with Judaism.
Jewish Collaborative of Orange County 2200 San Joaquin Hills Rd. Newport Beach, CA 92660
