Weekly Emails

The Jewish Collaborative extends its condolences to Jackie Gallant and her family on the passing of their beloved son, uncle and friend Daniel Michael Gallant, z"l. OC Egal Nightly Minyan will host a Zoom Shiva for Jackie and her family on Sunday night,

December 12th at 6:00pm. Click here to join.

Click here to enjoy a community discussion of Parashat Vayigash as part of

JFOC's special series, "סיפורי ראישית": Stories From the Beginning."

Enjoy Torah Sparks - creative commentaries on the weekly Torah and Haftarah readings written by Conservative Yeshiva faculty.

December 10, 2021 / 6 Tevet 5782 / Parashat Vayigash

Healing from Trauma through Time and Art
 
The d’var Torah I shared in context of Parashat Hayei Sarah (October 29/30) dealt with the topic of generational trauma passed down from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob (click here to read “Abraham, Sarah and Generational Pain”). We learn in Parashat Vayigash that, while Jacob’s children are also victims and purveyors of the generational disfunction imparted by Jacob and his wives, there is obvious growth and healing on fundamental levels that poise the Tribe of Israel to blossom into the Nation of Israel over the subsequent 250 years while living in the land of Goshen, Egypt. 
 
Both Joseph and Judah exhibit in word and in deed a recognition that people can heal from trauma and hurt. We can learn from our serious mistakes. Forgiveness can be asked for and granted. Life not only goes on, but, in fact, people who have suffered greatly can still flourish. Rabbis Joe Mendelsohn, Ben Goldstein and I share a dynamic conversation about this topic in this week’s Sipurei Reishit - a weekly Torah commentary offered by the OC Board of Rabbis and Jewish Federation of OC. I hope you enjoy it. 
 
Beginning tomorrow night, December 11 at 6pm, the Jewish Collaborative will be hosting 3 programs within the week that address the topic of generational pain caused by trauma in recent Jewish history. In the State of Israel, there is a specific discipline within the broader field of psychotherapy designed to help Holocaust survivors, their children and grandchildren cope with the psychological aftermath of living through unspeakable horror. A 2019 article published in the Israeli Journal of Psychotherapy titled Psychotherapy of Holocaust Survivors – Integration of Traumatic Experiences outlines this phenomenon in clinical detail.   
 
Our first in-person Havdalah Together program (Saturday, December 11 beginning at 6pm) hosted at Heritage Pointe Senior Living in Mission Viejo will feature local author, Joel Poremba, who recently published a book about the miraculous story of his father, Nathan, who, against all odds, survived on his own as a young boy in the forests of Eastern Europe. Please join us in-person, on Zoom or on Facebook for this special event and book signing. Suffice it to say that Joel was a middle-aged man and father of adult children before he learned any details about his father’s traumatic childhood. Learn more and RSVP here.
 
On Sunday, December 12 at 10am, JCoOC’s Let’s Get Reel series will feature a short documentary by Israeli filmmaker, Yasmin Gorenberg titled 40 Nickels. Co-hosted with the OC Jewish Coalition for Refugees, this touching film depicts the story of Yasmin’s grandfather as a child raised in St. Louis in the 1930s - the son of a mother and grandmother who lost their husband/father and all their sons/brothers during the rash of pogroms in the Ukraine in the early 1920s. We see through the art of filmmaking how their painful story left an indelible imprint on Yasmin’s grandfather and, subsequently her father (well know author Gershom Gorenberg) and herself. 
 
On Saturday night, December 18 at 7pm, in partnership with Chamber Music OC (CMOC) and Violins of Hope Los Angeles, JCoOC will host an intimate chamber music concert titled An Evening of Music, Memory and Promise, featuring the talents of CMOC’s faculty and students performing on string instruments once belonging to victims of the Holocaust. Click here to learn more about the father and son team that created Violins of Hope. This event is a shared fundraiser that will benefit Jewish artistic education and programming for both CMOC and JCoOC. To learn more, make a donation and reserve your tickets, CLICK HERE. 
 
Writing, filmmaking, and music are among the many healing avenues that nurture a measure of reconciliation with the unchangeable, painful truths that shape us. As an adult working alongside Pharaoh in a strange land (Egypt), Joseph comes to understand that his brothers' dislike, rejection, and abuse of him as a boy did not and could not define him.  In next week’s parashah, Vayehi, Joseph’s two Egyptian-born sons – Ephraim and Manasseh - assume their place among the Twelve Tribes of Israel, setting the stage for the creation of a thriving Jewish peoplehood that begins in the Book of Exodus. 
 
Nathan Poremba and Norm Gorenberg did what they needed to do to enable their lives to go on after unspeakable tragedy. It is in the hands of their children and grandchildren and craftsmen like Amnon and Avshi Weinstein to share messages of hope and resilience born of their stories. Please join us. 
 
Shabbat Shalom, 
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin 

Saturday, December 11th at 10:00am (PST)
ZOOM GALI GALI
Join other families with young children us to celebrate Shabbat with Rabbi Aviva Funke who will inspire and entertain you and your children with an hour of interactive, musical Shabbat fun beginning at 10:00am (PST). Click here to register and for additional information.

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. Click here for more information and to RSVP if attending in person.

Or join virtually on Zoom or Facebook.

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. This touching film captures how trauma never leaves a family and how hope and resilience are also passed down to the next generations. We will present the short film on Zoom followed by a conversation with director, Yasmin Goremberg. Read more. Register in advance here.

Monday, December 13th at 9:30am (PST)
ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE
Rabbi David Lazar returns with our series Piety, Politics and Prophecy: The Surprising Book of Daniel, exploring the intertextual references between the books of Daniel and Ezekiel. To learn more and view recordings of previous classes from this series click here. Join on Zoom or Facebook.
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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.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Through Sunday, December 12th
BRIGHT FUTURES ONLINE AUCTION
Bid on travel, Judaica, art, books, electronics and more. Proceeds will support the Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees' work resettling newly arrived Afghan families.

Click here to learn more and view the auction website.

Monday, December 13 at 7:00pm (PST)
PRAYER VIGIL AND CALL TO ACTION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM - TUSTIN
Join us for an in-person Prayer and Call to Action with interfaith leaders from throughout the county. Collective moral voices are calling for a path for citizenship for the millions of immigrants who play an integral role in America's prosperity and capacity as a nation. Click here for address, livestream link, and to view the full size flyer. 

Thursday, December 16th at 6:30pm
INTERFAITH WINTER BLUES
The Laguna Beach Interfaith Council's annual Interfaith Winter Blues service recognizes the struggles that many people face during this season. Join Rabbi Tilchin and Jason Feddy for this moving community worship program
honoring the struggles some of us face at this time of year in a setting of healing and compassion. In-person only at Neighborhood Church in Laguna Beach. Click here to view the full size flyer with details.

The Jewish 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.