Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

September 30, 2022 | Shabbat Shuvah | 5 Tishrei 5783 Parashat Vayeilech

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

If you encounter any difficulty registering for High Holidays, email Jackie@JewishCollaborativeOC.org. 

Dear Friends,

I hope you enjoyed a meaningful Rosh Hashanah that will serve as a steppingstone toward a lifting Yom Kippur. For those of you who joined the Collaborative for some of our programs, thank you for celebrating the New Year with us.

Today is the midpoint in the Aseret Y'mei Teshuvah - the 10 days of Repentance. Repentance is only possible when thoughts, concerns and feelings are turned into plans of action that elevate awareness and effect change.

This week alone, millions of people the world over are displaced, starving and shelterless due to natural disasters caused by climate change. Our hearts go out to fellow Americans in Florida, Georgia and the Carolina's whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted by Hurricane Ian. We are grateful that disaster preparedness has helped mitigate loss of life to some degree.

The endless cycle of hurricanes and tropical storms that we have come to expect will form in the Atlantic Ocean around this time each year doesn't begin to give us the full picture of how climate change makes devasting marks on millions of lives world over every day. I encourage all of us to visit a website called Global Hazards Weekly Bulletin. This UK based information site lists country by country where the relentless water, wind and fires disasters worldwide are wreaking the most havoc, spreading illness and leaving millions of additional people starving and homeless. I had no idea that 8 million Pakistanis are having to wait for six months for putrid flood waters to recede and, by extension, the toll that this latest natural calamity has had on the poor country's economy:

"Catastrophic rain linked to climate change has submerged large parts of the country, killing nearly 1,500 people and affecting roughly 33 million people. Homes, roads, railways, crops, livestock and livelihoods have been washed away in the extreme weather event." Read more here ...

And that's just in Pakistan. Shall we consider the latest typhoon in the Philippines, the extreme drought in Somalia, the highways-turned-rivers in Spain or the latest Ebola outbreak in Uganda?

Every Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the anniversary of the conception and birth of the world. Recent birthdays have not been very happy, and they will continue to highlight grief and heartbreak as a result of human abuse and negligence for years to come.

We must account for what we have done, but remorse is not enough. This time of year inspires us to renewed calls to action. Today! We are frogs in water that has reached its boiling point. Most people reading this pre-Shabbat / Yom Kippur message will die in a world that feels somewhat akin to the one we were born into. But the global terrain is changing beneath our feet, bringing countless species of precious wildlife to extinction and causing death and suffering to hundreds of millions of people. The magnitude is incomprehensible.

What can we all do in 5783?

• Make sure our awareness about this existential crisis is broadened by learning about the multiple places beyond North America where the impacts of global warming are causing unimaginable pain and suffering in some of the world's poorest regions. Websites like Global Hazards Weekly Bulletin and The Guardian are helpful.
• Give generously to prevention and disaster relief organizations.
• Learn about all the ways you can reduce your personal carbon footprint.
• Become a supporter and volunteer for organizations like  Jewish Earth Alliance, Dayenu, Hazon's Jewish Youth Climate Movement, and as many non-profits as possible that protect wildlife and combat further environmental degradation.

As part of one human family, we have a lot to atone for. Our t'shuvah cannot be gratuitous. We must be heartened to know that healing is a slow and conscious process we CAN affect together. As a united Jewish people, let us continue to serve as an or l'goyim- a light unto all other nations - that unites those of us with personal agency to BE the life-sustaining change we must aggressively move forward NOW.

Shabbat Shuvah Shalom,

Rabbi Marcia Tilchin

Friday, September 30 at 7:00pm
FRIDAY NIGHT BY CANDLELIGHT

Rabbi Marcia Tilchin and cantorial fellow Gabrielle Newman at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton for music-filled Friday night services that are a perfect end to a busy week.
​​​​​​​Join online or at Temple Beth Tikvah in person at 1600 North Acacia Avenue, Fullerton.

Saturday, October 1 at 2pm
TWELVE STEPS AND 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, October 1 5:30 - 8:00pm
NACHUS, NOSHES & HAVDALAH
Join us for an informal, fun community gathering during the High Holiday season. Special guest, Sylvia Conant, is visiting from South Carolina and she'd love to meet you in person. A great way to connect. At a private location in Irvine. RSVP to Beth Krom at bethkrom@gmail.com.

Yom Kippur Day | Wed., Oct 5 at 10am
JCoOC CHILDREN'S SERVICES
Children's services for Yom Kippur day (Wednesday, October 5) will be led by Scott and Avi Spitzer. Services will take place from 10:00 - 11:00am at Temple Isaiah. Childcare will be available from 11am on. Register here.

Saturday, October 15 at 2pm In-person only
GAN LAGUNA - A NEW FAMILY PROGRAM
JCoOC and IKARON are excited to launch a new holiday program geared toward children ages 5 and up with their families. We'll meet at a private home in Laguna Beach for fun, festivities, snacks, story time, and Jewish songs. Read more and RSVP here.

Sunday through Thursday at 6:00pm
OC EGAL NIGHTLY MINYAN
No OC Egal services October 4th and 5th. 

​​​​​​​If you are looking for a place to say Mourner's Kaddish, observe a yahrzeit, or participate in an evening minyan, OC Egal meets online five nights a week. Click here to receive the private Zoom link. All are welcome.

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FALL HIGHLIGHTS

Order your Lulav and Etrog online from the Golden Dreidle in Tustin. Pick up or have shipped directly to you. Click here to place order.

SAVE THE DATE - Sunday, December 4
PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT & LATKEFEST
Join JCoOC for a fun, festive (Kosher Dill) Pickleball Tournament and Latke Festival at the Tennis and Pickleball Club in Newport Beach. December 4th from 12:30 - 4:00pm. More information coming soon. Registration will open on October 1st.

THE ORANGE COUNTY INTERFAITH NETWORK

 INVITES YOU TO 'WELCOMING OUR NEIGHBORS'
Sunday, October 8th, 5:00 - 7:00pm | Pacifica Institute, Irvine
Join the Orange County Interfaith Network for their fall kick-off event featuring a panel of multi-faith experts serving OC's refugee population. The OC Jewish Coalition for Refugees is a proud participant.

Dinner will be catered by Flavors From Afar.

Tickets available here.

THROUGH THE EYES OF REFUGEES BOOK CLUB
Please join us for our second Book Club meeting as we meet and discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen's  The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives

This is the second of 9 Book Club meetings and you can join at any time. Click here to learn more and register.

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.