Dear Friends, As we approach the end of our omer counting and the holiday of Shavuot is upon us, please join us for a meaningful night of learning hosted at Temple Beth El of South Orange County on Sunday night, June 1st beginning at 7:00pm. Sweet and savory dairy foods will be available to enjoy throughout the night. We will welcome the morning with a 7:30am festival service that includes Yizkor. For our readers living outside of "The OC," we hope you will find local or online opportunities to gather and learn as a way to honor and celebrate revelation at Mt. Sinai.
On Thursday night, June 5th, from 6:30 to 8pm, UCI's Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network (WUICAN) is hosting the last of four “Elemental Climate Conversations” focused on global warming's harmful impacts on the planet's four life-sustaining elements: Water, Air, Fire and Earth. This presentation - Earth: An Interfaith Exchange- will take place at Pacifica Institute in Lake Forest. Pacifica promotes interfaith dialogue from a Turkish Muslim perspective.
The Jewish Collaborative is one of several faith-based organizations partnering on this project. Each of the programs in this series has been hosted at a different house of worship throughout Orange County and has included scientific presentations, religious rituals connected to the elements, and information about current programs in our area designed to heal climate-related devastation. Previous host venues include St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, The Jain Center in Buena Park and Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo. We encourage you to watch recordings of our previous events focused on Water, Air and Fire - each creative and inspirational in very different ways.
This earth-centered event will feature an interfaith conversation focused on soil stewardship, urban farming, environmental justice and include a fig tree planting ceremony.
To learn more and register, please visit WUICAN's webpage. We hope you will share this information with your networks and consider joining us for the event!
The holiday of Shavuot begins Sunday night, June 1 Join JCoOC and TBESOC for an all-night Tikkun and first day services that will include Yizkor
Violins of Hope: Pinchas Zukerman & Friends in Concert | Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:00pm | Purchase tickets
JCoOC PROGRAMS THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 31 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
Daniel Levine’s final “What Makes Someone a Jew” class will take place on Monday, June 16 at 9:30am
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.
Tuesdays at 2pm PT | 5pm ET 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
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND VIRTUAL LEARNING
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."
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
