Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

Upcoming Meditation and Spirituality Events

January 3-5, 2025
Awakening to Sacred Presence: Jewish Meditation Shabbaton 2025 led by Rabbi K'vod Wieder at AJU’s Brandeis Bardin Campus
​​​​​​​Learn more and register here by December 20th

March 21-22, 2025
A Festival of Jewish Spirituality Weekend
with special guest Professor Daniel Matt 
From Kabbalah to the Big Bang:
Ancient Wisdom and Contemporary Spirituality
Registration opening soon

This weekend | December 13-15, 2024
2nd Annual Hevra Kadisha Shabbaton
dedicated to the memory of Sandy B. Fine
featuring special guest M’tahair Bruce Bloom

Hosted at Beth Jacob Congregation in Irvine

RSVP for the entire weekend or individual events

JCC Cares invites our whole community to participate in meaningful volunteer opportunities throughout the month of December. Register below to show your kindness the J way.

Make and deliver meals, drop-off gift bags to home-bound seniors, donate blood, donate food, assemble and deliver hygiene kits, and deliver holiday cheer to our community heroes and those in need.

December 13, 2024 | 12 Kislev, 5785
Parashat Vayishlach

Register here to receive Torah Sparks: Creative commentaries on the weekly Torah and Haftarah readings written by Conservative Yeshiva faculty

JCoOC CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

PROGRAMS THIS WEEK

• Hevra Kadisha Shabbaton ​​​​​​​with special guest presenter M'tahair Bruce Bloom | December 13-15, 2024 at Beth Jacob Irvine
• Twelve Steps & Torah | Saturday, Dec 14 at 2pm PT on Zoom
• Sundays in Silence and Spirit | Sunday, December 15 | 9:30am at the Merage JCC
• Advanced Learning Institute with Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein: Wine, Bread and Coffee: How Jewish Sacred Texts and Merchant Livelihoods Expanded Food Appreciation throughout History | Monday, December 16 at 9:30am PT
• Tuesday Online Jewish Bereavement Support Group |  Spousal loss | Tuesday, December 17 at 2pm PT
• Thursday Online Jewish Bereavement Support Group | Parent & sibling loss | Thursday, December 19 at 5pm PT
• OC Egal Nightly Minyan at 6pm PT | Sunday-Thursday
• Longest Night Observances in Orange County | Saturday, December 21 | 6pm at St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church in RSM | 7pm at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Laguna Woods

UPCOMING JCoOC PARTNER PROGRAMS​​​​​​​​​​​​

• A Tree of Light: Community Hanukkah Concert and Celebration ​​​​| December 26, 2024 at 6:30pm | Hosted at Temple Beth Shalom in Long Beach. Click here for details ​​​​
• Sábado Argentino & Concert: Community Shabbaton featuring Argentinian Hazzan Jonathan Kohan | December 27-28, 2024 | Hosted at Temple Ner Tamid in Downey
• Awakening to Sacred Presence: Jewish Meditation Shabbaton 2025 led by Rabbi K'vod Wieder | January 3 - 5, 2025 at AJU’s Brandeis Bardin Campus. RSVP no later than December 20th
• Advanced Learning Institute with Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny: Wheels Within Wheels: The Jewish Year through Time and History | Mondays, January 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2025 at 9:00am PT
• Shabbat Rocks: Traditional Friday night services and dinner at a private home in Irvine | January 31, 2025 at 5:10pm RSVP here
• Gender Disparity in the Torah led by Rabbi Tilchin | February 11 at 7pm | Part of the "Shining the Light of Torah in Today's World" series at TBESOC in Aliso Viejo

COMMUNITY EVENTS, RETREATS AND VIRTUAL LEARNING

• JCC Volunteer Opportunities | Throughout December
• Community Cantorial Concert honoring Jenna Sagan ​​​​​​| Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 6:45pm | Congregation B'nai Tzedek
• Kol Tefilla 2025: Illustrating Spiritual Life presented by Temple Beth Am & USCJ | January (9) 10-12, 2025
• Ruach Nashim 2025 ​​​​​​​– A women’s Shabbat retreat for the body, mind, and spirit | March 7 – 9, 2025 | Camp Ramah in Ojai, CA
• Cruise Schmooze with Jewish Together Temecula Valley | Setting sail May 6 - May 11, 2025

JCoOC PROGRAMS THIS WEEK

Saturday, December 14 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

Monday, December 16
9:30 am PT | 12:30 am ET
ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE
Wine, Bread and Coffee: How Jewish Sacred Texts and Merchant Livelihoods Expanded Food Appreciation throughout History
with Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein

For thousands of years, Jews peddled goods throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Our role in introducing new tastes and smells to business partners across boarders and seas cannot be overstated. Please join Rabbi Micah as he takes us on a Jewish journey into the world of bread, wine and coffee.

Click here to register 

December 2nd and 9th class recordings
Watch recordings of all past ALI courses​​​​

Groups led by Chaplain Fran Chalin, BCC/MSW
Click here for more information and to express interest

Tuesdays at 2pm PT | 5pm ET
Dec 3 - Parent & sibling loss
Dec 10 - Open group
Dec 17 - Spousal loss
Dec 24 - Child loss

​​​​​​​Thursdays at 5pm PT | 8pm ET
Dec 5 - Spousal loss
Dec 12 - Child loss
Dec 19 - Parent & sibling loss
Dec 26 - Open gropu

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.

Saturday, December 21 at 7pm
Homeless Persons' Inter-religious Memorial Service
Lutheran Church of the Cross
24231 El Toro Rd, Laguna Woods
Watch the Livestream here

Additional service

Saturday, December 21 | 6:00pm
St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church
30382 Via Con Dios, RSM

Advanced Learning Institute

JCoOC’s Advanced Learning Institute welcomes writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher, Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny to our diverse faculty in 2025.

Register for Wheels Within Wheels | 4 Mondays in January

Upcoming JCoOC and Community Events

Jewish Long Beach in partnership with
JCoOC, Ner Tamid and TBSLB present
A Community Shabbaton
Featuring Argentinian Hazzan Jonathan Kohan
December 27-28

9th Annual Jewish Meditation Retreat at Brandeis Bardin
January 3-5, 2025

Learn more about pricing, scholarship options and registration information at JewishCollaborativeOC.org/spiritualityresources

New in 2025

Inaugural Shabbat Rocks
Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Dinner
January 31 at 5:10pm

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND VIRTUAL LEARNING

This year, Rabbi David Ingber (founder of Romemu) and the Jewish Studio Project join this annual Shabbaton dedicated to fostering musical and spiritual enrichment.

Shining the Light of Torah on Today’s World
Four presentations demonstrating how study can propel us to action

January 21 with Rabbi Daniel Levine
Climate Change

February 11 with Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
Gender Disparity

All sessions begin at 7pm PT

DAYENU: A Jewish Call to Climate Action

Are you concerned about the decimation of our planet?
Join members of OC’s Jewish community committed to working together to speak up, take action and educate others. Dayenu Orange County is waiting for you!

What is a Dayenu Circle and why would I want to be part of it?
Dayenu Circles—small groups of people working on climate action—are a way for you to make powerful, positive change with a Jewish voice. Together with just a few friends, fellow community members, or neighbors you can join or create a Dayenu Circle that can be your homebase for climate action.