Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

October 21, 2022 | 26 Tishrei 5783 | Parashat Bereshit

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

Register here to participate in this community-wide pre-Hanukkah celebration. All are welcome! Have fun, learn to play America's fastest growing sport, and help support the Jewish Collaborative's robust Tzedakah campaigns and Creative Arts initiatives. Catering by Blueberry Hill. Entertainment by Creative Parties for Kids and Mostly Kosher.

Don't miss it!

Dear Friends,

Fall is a time for beginnings. With the Days of Awe and the Fall Holidays still sweet in our memories, the cycles of nature are already hard at work getting ready for next year's harvest. We are so grateful for the gift of rain showered upon us last week during Sukkot. These rains are helping to prepare and nurture the ground to replenish tree roots and enable the soil to receive seed during planting season next spring that will produce healthy crops and ample fruit to sustain all living creatures.

The land / rain partnership can be seen as an allegory for the human / Godly relationship. If we are open to receiving holy and sacred inspiration that can inform the choices we make on a daily basis, it promises to elevate our interactions and decisions in surprising ways. In the turbulent and divisive times we live in, each of us must invest extra effort to turn chronic tension and fear into understanding and empathy. This is one way we can each do our part to grow healthier, more productive communities. 

This coming Monday, October 24, the Advanced Learning Institute will be featuring the introductory lesson to a 5-unit series called "Mahloket Matters: How to Disagree Constructively." This powerful curriculum, developed in 2018 through the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, provides tools for participants to courageously and open-heartedly engage with those whom we actively disagree. The texts we will use as the basis for our learning are drawn from biblical, rabbinic and post-rabbinic sources.  

Early rabbinic sages reinforce what we find less explicitly throughout  TaNaKh - that no two human beings process information and experiences the same way. Talmudic discourse enriches and broadens everyone's horizons, because the sharing of ideas in a respectful way is the foundation for a healthy civil society that thrives on diversity.

As America prepares for another game-changing election on November 8, the Jewish Collaborative encourages everyone to educate themselves about the complex measures and propositions on the ballot, and be sure to VOTE, either by mail or in-person. It is so important!! The future of our fragile democracy is at stake, dear friends. We cannot overstate the importance of this election.

The League of Women Voters has prepared an EASY VOTER GUIDE that may be a helpful resource as you fill out your ballots. To learn more about how all of OC's local candidates weigh in on environmental issues and climate-healthy policies, read the OC Climate Voting Guide that provides information city by city.

Because we live in a democracy, we must accept and work with what the majority of voters will. That may be very painful and the long-term ramifications too hard to fathom. All we can do is make sure that we show up to make our individual voices heard and gain tools to communicate effectively and listen with great sensitivity. We hope you will be able to join us for our Mahloket Matters series. After the introductory session on October 24, the first unit, Meet or Refuse to Meet? From Korah and Moses to Political Adversaries Today will be taught on Monday, December 19.  Dates for Units 2 through 5 will be announced soon. All classes will take place on Monday mornings from 9:30-10:45 am and will be available to watch on the Jewish Collaborative's Facebook page.

Wishing you all a meaningful year of self-discovery through Torah study.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Marcia Tilchin

Friday, October 21 at Temple Beth Tikvah
Dinner & Family Service at TBT.
5:15pm - Community Dinner, no charge but please RSVP to 714-871-3535.
6:00pm - Friday night services led by Rabbi Marcia Tilchin, Rabbi Miriam Van Raalte, Rachel White and Friends.
Join the Livestream or in person at

1600 N. Acacia Street in Fullerton.

Saturday, October 22 at Temple Beth Tikvah
9:00am Weekly Torah Study in the Asa Center.
10:00am Services in the sanctuary. Rabbi Marcia Tilchin joins the TBT community for Shabbat Bereishit followed by a kiddush luncheon at noon. Join the livestream or in person at 1600 N. Acacia Street in Fullerton.

Saturday, October 22 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.

Monday, October 24 at 9:30am
ADVANCED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Mahloket Matters: How To Disagree Constructively. Rabbinic Judaism places great value on grappling with multiple opinions. In today's world, listening and learning from one another appears to be a lost art. Join Rabbi Tilchin for the first of six sessions (one per month) exploring how to regain this skill.

Learn more and register here.

Monday, October 24 at 5:30pm
PATHWAYS INTO JUDAISM
A Survey of Jewish History - Class 1 of 10, only on Zoom. Rabbis Daniel Levine and Marcia Tilchin will lead participants through 4000 years of Jewish history, beginning with Abraham and Sarah and concluding with the creation of the modern State of Israel. Join anytime. All classes will be recorded and available for viewing. Register here.
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Tuesday, October 25 at 4:45pm
REALIZE ROSH HODESH
JCoOC and Miriam's Circle Sisterhood join Realize Paradise founder, Kohennet Rachel Kann, for a guided writing journey under the new moon. Through writing or the artistic medium of choice, participants will take a creative journey into the month of (Mar) Heshvan. Open to all. Join us on Zoom.

Monday, October 31 at 9:30am 
ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE
Jewish Music and Migration in Europe 1550-1650: Class 1 | Germany. The era of Shakespeare, Galileo, and Newton was also one of great migration and musical growth for Jewish communities across the Mediterranean. This class will uncover the little told history of diverse Jewish musical cultures which form the foundation of Jewish soundscapes today. Join us on this musical journey taught by Cantor Matt Austerklein. Read more and register here.
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Sunday through Thursday at 6:00pm
OC EGAL NIGHTLY MINYAN

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.

UPCOMING JCoOC and COMMUNITY EVENTS

Thursday, November 3 at 8pm
ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC IN OC
There are still tickets left to hear the Israeli Philharmonic perform at the Segerstrom Center on November 3rd. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

OC CLIMATE CHANGE VOTER GUIDE
Climate change is the existential issue of our time. If you would like to learn how our local candidates understand and plan to address this issue, click here to access the OC Climate Voter Guide with city by city information. Election day is Tuesday, November 8th.

Tuesday, November 8 at 7pm
KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION
The Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education and the Fish Interfaith Center present an annual student-led Interfaith Service of Remembrance in commemoration of Kristallnacht on November 9-10,1938 and the unspeakable events that followed. Click here for details.

Saturday, November 19 at 7:30
FLOWERS AREN'T ENOUGH
Flowers Aren’t Enough tells the story of Michal, a young woman who falls into an abusive relationship. The monologue breaks the common myth that domestic violence is only the plight of the poor. Ms. Ackerman weaves the voices of women from different cultures and backgrounds into a performance that encourages social change. Hosted by Temple Beth Tikvah and the Jewish Collaborative.  Click here for more details and to RSVP.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR JCoOC's
PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT & LATKEFEST
Sunday, December 4th 12:30 - 4:30pm
Join JCoOC for a fun, festive (Kosher Dill) Pickleball Tournament and Latke Festival at the Tennis and Pickleball Club in Newport Beach. Registration is now open.

All are invited to join OCJCR's monthly Book Club series at any time.

On Friday, November 11 at 1:00pm on Zoom facilitator Sam Kolodezh will lead us in a conversation about author Dina Nayeri's auto-biographical account of her family's escape from Iran to the US as told in The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You.
​​​​​​​Read more and register here.

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.