Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

A unique opportunity with JCoOC in Downtown Santa Ana
Thursday, May 18, 2023  |  9:30 am to 11:30 am
"Hidden Histories and Why They're Hidden:
The Case of SanTana in OC"
A JCFOC Weissman Arts program with Shirel Horovitz and   Gustavo Arellano, author of A People's Guide to Orange County
Click here to learn more

New cohort begins MONDAY, May 15, 2023
This 18-week Pathways Into Judaism course is for anyone looking to explore and/or enrich their knowledge about what Judaism has to offer as a spiritual path, evolving culture, and sacred way of life. 
Instructors: Rabbis Daniel Levine and Marcia Tilchin

Monday evenings on Zoom.
5:30-7:00pm PT | 8:30-10:00pm ET

May 5, 2023 | 14 Iyyar 5783 | Parashat Emor | Pesach Sheni
29th Day of the Omer

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

JEWISH LIFE ON THE SILK ROAD 

Please join the OC multifaith community for the annual Silk Road Unity Festival sponsored by the Muckenthaler Museum that will take place this Sunday, May 7, at the Brookhurst Community Center - 2271 West Crescent Avenue in Anaheim from noon to 4pm. Admission is Free. Click here for details.
 
Although the Silk Road evokes images of places and peoples linked by the exchange of exotic goods and fabled treasures, it is neither an actual road nor a single route. The term refers to a network of routes used by traders for more than 1,500 years, from when the Han dynasty of China opened trade in 130 B.C.E. until 1453 C.E., when the Ottoman Empire closed off trade with the West. This limited notion of commerce overshadows the fact that the Silk Road - as a network of trade routes - also spread religious ideas and beliefs. Communities of faith interacted, co-existed, competed, and influenced each other over long periods of time. The Silk Road served as a meeting point between far eastern religions (i.e. Zoroastrianism, Buddhism) and Judaism.  
 
In 559 B.C.E., just 27 years after the First Temple was destroyed and most Jews were exiled to Babylonia, the Sasanian ruler Cyrus freed the Jewish population. Some returned to Israel, but many chose to stay in what is now Iran and created a thriving Jewish life in the diaspora. Jewish merchants from this region created settlements along the Silk Road, including in the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. In his book  Pepper, Silk and Ivory, Rabbi Marvin Tokayer points out that there were well appointed "Inns" located every 7 days walk on the Silk Road, established to accommodate the many Jewish merchants over the centuries who needed a place to rest and dine on the Sabbath.  
 
There is renewed interest in this topic. Two weeks ago, Ha’aretz published an article titled The ‘Jewish Silk Road’ is Coming Back to Life, highlighting a new initiative centered in Israel led by an Israeli-American NGO called World Jewish Travel, headed by Jack Gottlieb. “The Jewish Silk Road” is an effort to locate, collect and make accessible Jewish sites, museums, monuments, synagogues and graveyards along the routes stretching from Italy to China, with side routes to India and other countries. Five countries have been added to the project’s website for the first stage – Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan and India. Soon, Singapore and other countries along the Silk Road are to be added. This effort is forged in the spirit of opening a window into this vibrant, precious and little-known segment of Jewish history and culture. 
 
We hope to see you on May 7th at the Silk Road Unity Festival.
Shabbat Shalom. 

Rabbi Marcia Tilchin

Friday, May 5 at 6:30pm
PRIDE RECOVERY SHABBAT
JCoOC collaborative partners JQ International and Beit T'Shuvah come together for a memorable Shabbat experience leading up to Pride month. All are invited to attend. The event is free and worth the drive from Orange County.
Location: 8847 Venice Blvd in Los Angeles.
No RSVP required.

Saturday, May 6 at 2pm PT
TWELVE STEPS AND TORAH
JCoOC partners with Our Jewish Recovery(OJR) every Shabbat afternoon for 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.
For a full menu of OJR programs and meetings click here.

Sunday, May 7 - No Class
Sunday, May 14 - Class Resumes
"Camp David, the Israel-Egypt Peace Agreement & the Lebanon War"
5-6:30pm PT | 8-9:30pm ET
Scott Spitzer, Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, Fullerton, is presenting his course on the Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, exploring
the multiple and oftentimes conflicting narratives of major inflection points in Israel’s relationships with her surrounding neighbors and with the Palestinians.
March 12 - June 11. All sessions are recorded. Register here. To see recordings of previous classes, click here.

Monday, May 8 at 9:30am PT 
ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE

THE POP CULTURE OF PRAYER
with Cantor Matt Austerklein
Experience the sacred nerdiness of the rabbis! Our sages constructed the texts of the siddur almost entirely out of cultural references to scenes from their favorite stories from the Torah! Examining our most well-known prayer texts, we will explore how the stories behind the prayers broaden our opportunity to connect to God and the siddur. This week's topic: Baruch She’amar - Sung & Spoken Creation  Register here.​​​​ 

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.

Click here to learn about ongoing support groups led by Chaplain Fran Chalin M.S.W./M.J.C.S. and to express interest in participation. Weekly meetings will address issues associated with specific types of loss.

Co-sponsored by the Jewish Collaborative of OC and House of Ruach.

May dates:
4 (spousal loss), 11 (child loss), 18 (parent / sibling loss)

PROGRAMS FOR YOUTHS AND TEENS

Saturday, April 22 from 3-5pm 
GAN LAGUNA
A SHAVUOT CELEBRATION
Join JCoOC friends for Gan Laguna, a monthly program for families with children ages 0-5 and their siblings. We meet at a private home in Laguna Beach to enjoy music, crafts, play and nosh. Contact host (Sarah) here.
RSVP here.

SUMMER THEATRE OPPORTUNITY FOR TEENS

Learn more and apply here

COMMUNITY EVENTS, CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

SILK ROAD UNITY FESTIVAL
Sunday, May 7 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Brookhurst Community Center
2271 Crescent Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801
Click here to learn more about this special community event

HESED SHEL EMET
The Jewish Collaborative of Orange County is convening people from every corner of the community interested in building Orange County's first pluralistic Hevra Kadisha (burial society).
Local trainings and workshops will begin in August of 2023, but we encourage all interested parties to register for Kavod V'Nichum's annual online conference. Scholarships are available. Sessions will be recorded.
Click here to learn more and register.

The 21st Annual Kavod V'Nichum Conference will take place virtually June 12-14, 2023. Last year over 220 people from across 26 US states and 4 Canadian provinces joined us to learn and network. This year we hope to gather over 400 people! 

This conference connects people from pluralistic backgrounds seeking to honor Jewish end-of-life rituals and practices through the lens of various denominations and perspectives. 

Tentative educators and workshops include:

• Rebecca Soffer, CEO and Author of Modern Loss
• ​​​​​​​Rabbi Rachel Timoner, Congregation Beth Elohim
• Rabbi Simcha Raphael: Transcending Trauma, Healing Grief: Mythic Dimensions of the Book of Ruth
• Rabbi Adina Lewittes: Exploring Shifting Paradigms about God 
• Taharah 101 *and* Advanced Taharah 

And so much more! 

Learn more and register here

Join JCoOC's Monthly Giving Circle
in support of our unique mission, programs and partnerships

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.