Grieving Together 🕯️| Shavuot Tikkun and Worship June 1-2 | Sacred Aging featuring Marilyn Stemper 6/11 | Shabbat by the Shore 6/13 | Shabbat Shalom!
05/23/2025 11:49:02 AM
May23
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Sarah Milgrim z”l and Yaron Lischinsky z”l
Dear Friends,
There are no words. The tragic and senseless murder of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, zichronam livraha, was a blatantly antisemitic attack against innocent Jews who were leaving an event hosted at a Washington DC museum dedicated to our Jewish heritage. This is a realtime manifestation of what "Globalizing the Intifada" looks like today and going forward.
We grieve with the families of these two beautiful people, about to become engaged, on their profound and stunning loss.
No doubt, many of our readers are receiving multiple emails from Jewish organizations and synagogues expressing grief, the importance of community, Jewish solidarity, and a resolve not to succumb to terror on any soil. Each message is helpful and reinforces that Sarah and Yaron could have been us, our children, our grandchildren, relatives and neighbors. We all feel vulnerable and are grateful to the dedicated guards, police forces and community volunteers who do their best to keep us secure and try to anticipate escalating hate-based violence directed at Jews.
Tonight we will light our Shabbat candles just as our ancestors have been doing for nearly two thousand years - even in the most dangerous places and historical periods of Jewish history - we invite you to include this poem: A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness written by Rabbi Mordechai Rackover, Editor in Chief of Exploring Judaism, as a way to remember Sarah and Yaron and connect with our worldwide Jewish family in sorrow and hope.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin, Chaplain Fran Chalin and the JCoOC Team
A Prayer for Light in Times of Darkness
יוֹצֵר אוֹר Yotzer Or, Creator of Light, Blessed Holy One, we stand before You, as we kindle the Shabbat Lights.
רַחֲמָן Rahaman, Merciful One, we stand at the end of another week of heartbreak and violence.
שְׁכִינָה Shekhinah, Sacred Presence, we stand surrounded by You, as our enemies seek to harm us.
סּוֹמֵךְ נוֹפְלִים Somekh Noflim, Supporter of the Fallen, we call You to bring comfort to the families of those who were cruelly struck down in a land of freedom. מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים Matir Assurim, Freer of Captives, we call You to bring our family members home.
רוֹפֵא חוֹלִים Rofeh Holim, Healer of the Sick, we call You to repair the bodies and souls of the injured in the ongoing conflict.
אֵל רוֹעִי El Roi, God my Shepherd, protect us and all Your people Israel from danger and those who would lift their hand against us. אֲדֹנָי צִדְקֵנוּ Adonai Tzidkenu, God of Justice, do Your work in Israel and worldwide to raise the weak and bring down the wicked.
נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים Noten Lehem l’Reevim, God who feeds the hungry, end the pain and suffering of the innocent.
שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל Shomer Israel, Guardian of Israel, bring an end to the violence that has consumed our people as we seek to live freely in our land.
עֹשֶׂה שָׁלֹום Oseh Shalom, Maker of Peace, bring lasting peace to Israel so that we may live together with our neighbors in security and hope.
אוֹר קַדְמוֹן Or Kadmon, Primordial Light, as the light of creation pierced the void, we pray that these candles will enlighten our hearts and that their glow will penetrate the souls of those who seek to harm us so that they, too, may live in light and hope.
OC Hillel educator and ALI scholar, Rabbi Daniel Levine, shared a compelling message yesterday with our community
Violins of Hope: Pinchas Zukerman & Friends in Concert | Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:00pm | Purchase tickets
JCoOC PROGRAMS THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 24 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 meetingsclick here
Monday, May 19, 26 and June 2, 2025 9:30 am PT | 12:30 pm ET ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE
What Makes Someone a Jew? with Rabbi Daniel Levine
Session 2: Antisemitism, Assimilation, and Jewish Identity This question in 2025 has deep personal and political consequences with roots in ancient Jewish debates. Rabbi Daniel will trace how ideas of Jewish identity have shifted across time - from biblical categories to the modern crises of belonging. We will explore why there has never been one clear answer to the question of Jewish identity and why the debate itself may be essential to Jewish continuity. Click here for details and to register Watch recordings of past ALI classes
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.
June 3 - Parent & sibling loss June 10 - Open group June 17 - Spousal loss June 24 - Child loss
Thursdays at 5pm PT | 8pm ET June 5- Spousal loss June 12 - Child loss June 19 - Parent & sibling loss June 26 - Open group
CLIMATE ACTION | DAYENU CIRCLE OC
Bringing Music to Climate Action: Songleading Training & Songbook Launch Thursday, May 29, 2025 | 5pm PT | 8pm ET Music is a bedrock of Jewish practice and culture - long used in justice movements to mobilize, inspire, and agitate for a just and livable future. Join Dayenu to learn songs from the newly launched 2nd Edition of their Jewish Climate Movement Songbook, explore and hone your song-leading skills, and connect with Jewish climate music community! This workshop is a space for music-loving climate leaders of all ages, aspiring and experienced song-leaders who want to bring (more) music to climate work. All are welcome! Please share this event with friends.
Scroll down for sponsorship opportunities and information
For the past decade, Urban Voices Project has empowered individuals affected by homelessness through making music, offering connection, healing, and a path toward stability.
The work of UVP has created a ripple effect of transformation across Los Angeles and beyond.
Sponsorship packages include promotional opportunities, ticket bundles to the event, engagement opportunities with our Skid Row choir and visibility before an engaged audience of community leaders, advocates, and arts patrons.
For more information about sponsorship or patron opprtunities, please contact Kate Richards Geller, Executive Director (917) 514-1891 | kate@urbanvoicesproject.org
Violins of Hope events with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County Saturday, May 31 - Tuesday, June 10
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is honored to present Violins of Hope: Concerts, Educational programs and community engagements featuring a collection of over 60 string instruments owned by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust.
Father and son luthiers, Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, have lovingly restored these instruments, preserving the incredible stories they tell. Amnon Weinstein passed away on March 4, 2024, but his extraordinary legacy lives on through this collection, ensuring that the memories and music of those who suffered are never forgotten.
Each instrument echos the voice of its owner: "Remember me, remember us. Life is a blessing. Celebrate it for those who perished, for those who survived. For all people."
OPENING EVENT: Saturday, May 31, 2025, 2pm Hilbert Museum of California Art
Featuring a discussion with Violins of Hope co-founder Avshi Weinstein (Amnon’s son), Violins of Hope author James Grymes and include a short performance by violinist Niv Ashkenazi.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 7:00pm Musco Center for the Arts - One University Dr, Orange, CA 92866
An unforgettable evening featuring an all-star lineup of luminary artists, including Pinchas Zukerman, Arnaud Sussmann, Matthew Lipman, Amanda Forsyth, and Michael Stephen Brown.
Musical selections will highlight the journeys and powerful histories kept alive through these historic instruments that each tell a unique story of resilience, hope, and remembrance.
Select instruments from the Violins of Hope collection will be on display in the lobby before and after the concert. Purchase tickets
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.
Mondays
9:30 am PT | 12:30 am ET
June 30 | July 7, 14, 21 and 28 | August 4, 11, 18 and Register here
Over the past two centuries, the Jewish people have undergone unprecedented change—politically, socially, and spiritually. This 8-week course explores how Jews have confronted the challenges and opportunities of modernity and how leading thinkers have responded with innovation, resistance, reinterpretation, and renewal
Weekly presentations with Jews United for Democracy and Justice
Grounded in the Jewish prophetic value of Pikuach Nefesh, JQ offers free virtual monthly and drop-in support groups for LGBTQ+ Jews and allies. Learn more
ExploringJudaism.org is about embracing the beauty and complexity of Judaism and our personal search for meaning and learning. No matter who you are or your experience in Judaism there is something to learn and explore.
Each challah is an edible work of art, baked fresh and hand-braided especially for you! Choose from raisin, traditional, sesame seed and poppy seed. For more information, visit theblessedbraid.com.
JCoOC is an exempt organization in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code EIN: 36-4844121
