Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

The Jewish New Year of 5786 is coming soon.
Do you know where you will be spending the holidays?
Learn how to connect with JCoOC in person or online for a meaningful New Year experience

Learn more about High Holiday programs and registration

Order your lulav and etrog today!
The Golden Dreidel ​​​​​​​- (714) 508-0900

SACRED AGING SERIES
Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00pm - 6:30pm

FAMILY CAREGIVING: Preventing Burnout, Home Safety and When It's Time for a Change

The Ivy Wellington | 24903 Moulton Pkwy in Laguna

Pickleball for a Cause is Back!

December 7th, 2025

September 12, 2025 | 19 Elul, 5785 | Parashat Ki Tavo

Jewels of Elul 5786: Still, I Believe
Click here ​​​​​​​to receive daily words of wisdom to help us prepare for the upcoming season of repentance and renewal

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

JCoOC programs and community service projects
are seeded and grow through
🌱 your generosity 🌱

JCoOC CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

JCoOC PROGRAMS THIS WEEK

• Twelve Steps & Torah | Saturday, September 13 at 2pm PT on Zoom
• Advanced Learning Institute: Breakthrough Theologies: Four Women in Contemporary Jewish Thought by Women Scholars with Leah Hochman, Ph.D. | Mondays, September 15, 22, 29 and October 6 at 9:30am PT | Register here
• Tuesday Online Jewish Bereavement Support Group | Spousal loss | Tuesday, September 16 at 5pm PT
• Family Caregiving: Preventing Burnout, Home Safety and When It's Time for a Change | Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00pm - 6:30pm | The Ivy Wellington - 24903 Moulton Pkwy in Laguna
• In-Person Bereavement Group | Thursday, September 18, 12:30-1:30pm | Merage JCC
• Thursday Online Jewish Bereavement Support Group | Parent & sibling loss | Thursday, September 18 at 5pm PT​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• OC Egal Nightly Minyan at 6pm PT | Sunday-Thursday

HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES, PROGRAMS AND INFORMATION

• JCoOC High Holiday Services | Monday night, September 22 - Thursday, October 2 | 2A Liberty in Aliso Viejo | Learn more here
• Kever Avot Service 5786 at Harbor Lawn - Mount Olive Memorial Park and Mortuary | Sunday, September 28th, 2025 at 10:30am | 1625 Gisler Avenue in Costa Mesa
• Kever Avot Service 5786 at Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary | Sunday, September 28th, 2025 at 1:30pm |
  3500 Pacific View Drive in Corona Del Mar
• Bringing Heaven Down To Earth: Integrating High Holy Day Wisdom into Everyday Life | Sunday, November 16, 9:30-11:30am | Merage JCC - 1 Federation Way in Irvine

UPCOMING JCoOC PROGRAMS​​​​​​​

• Sundays in Silence and Spirit ​​​​​​​with Rabbi K'vod Wieder | Sunday, September 21 at 9:30am | Merage JCC

• Earthrise Climate Action Festival: WUICAN’s culminating interfaith fall festival dedicated to earth stewardship, restoration, justice and healing | Saturday, October 11 from 11- 4pm | Harbor Christian Church - 2401 Irvine Ave in Newport Beach

• Dror Israel: Educating for Hope and Healing in Times of War. Guest presenter SIVAN BAMBERGER | Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 7pm | Hosted at a private residence in Orange | Register here

• OC'S 3rd Annual Kosher Dill Pickleball Tournament - DINK INTO HANUKKAH: Spreading Love and Light in our Community | Sunday, December 7, 2025 1pm-5pm | Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach | Registration is open | Become a sponsor ​​​​​​​

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

• ​​​​Special Book Launch Event at the Golden Dreidel | Sunday, September 14 from 11am - 1pm | The Golden Dreidle - 725 El Camino Real in Tustin
• Share Your Light Chai Celebration | Sunday, September 14
  at 6pm | Merage JCC
• Prep Volunteers Needed for OC Mega Challah Bake / September 14-29 at BJI / Sign up as a volunteer here

• October 7 Commemoration | Sunday, October 5 at 5pm | Merage JCC - 1 Federation Way in Irvine | Register here

• CommUNITY Shabbat - Celebrating OC's Cultural Diversity in the JCC Community Sukkah | Friday, October 10, 5-7pm | Merage JCC | Register here
• Save the Date for OC Mega Challah Bake | Thursday, November 13 | Registration will open soon
• GATHER AND GROW: Kavod v’Nichum’s 2025 Hevra Kadisha Conference | November 9-11, 2025 | Ojai, CA | Learn more and register here

JCoOC PROGRAMS THIS WEEK

Saturday, September 13 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 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.

JEWISH BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT NETWORK

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

Tuesdays at 2pm PT | 5pm ET
Sept 2 - Parent & sibling loss
Sept 9 -  Open group

Sept 16 - Spousal loss
Sept 23 - Rosh Hashana (no group)

​​​​​​​Thursdays at 5pm PT | 8pm ET
Sept 4 -  Spousal loss
Sept 11 - Child loss
Sept 18 - Parent & sibling loss
Sept 25 - Open group

Bereavement Support Groups will not meet on Thursday, October 2, Tuesday, October 7, and Tuesday, October 14

In-Person Jewish Bereavement Support Group
Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the Merage JCC
September dates: 11,18 and 25

HIGH HOLIDAY INFORMATION AND PROGRAMS

Register for High Holidays 5786

UPCOMING JCOOC EVENTS

GATHER & GROW

The Kavod V'Nichum 2025 Conference
November 9-11, 2025 | Ojai, CA

Enjoy a 10% discount on registration as part of OC’s Hesed Shel Emet Group Code: GROWINGTOGETHER

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Special Book Launch Event
Sunday, September 14 from 11am - 1pm

The Golden Dreidle | 725 El Camino Real in Tustin

Ilana Rogel Wieder will premier her new children’s book Shira the Singing Puppy. Activities, story time, surprises and a chance for families to meet the author.

Save the date for OC’s 11th annual Mega Hallah Bake
November 13, 2025

Volunteers are needed to help prepare personal kits. Join the fun at a time that works for you Sept 14-Sept 29

The Children of October 7th
with Montana Tucker

Sunday, September 28 ay 8pm on Zoom

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, join Momentum Boost and Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism for a powerful community-wide commemorative webinar marking two painful years since October 7.

This program features Montana Tucker sharing a moving excerpt from her new documentary, The Children of October 7, and Adrienne Gold Davis speaking on resilience, remembrance, and hope.

This is a special opportunity for Jews around the world to come together. May the memories of all who died so tragically inspire us to live our most sacred Jewish values.

Heroes Commemoration Concert 

Sunday, October 5 at 5pm

Merage JCC | 1 Federation Way in Irvine

Heroes Commemoration Concert promises to be a memorable evening honoring those who lost their lives on October 7 while saving others. Each story exemplifies a unique aspect of Jewish heroism.

A multimedia stage experience blending live music, and video with impactful documentary scenes, complemented by state-of-the-art video artwork, visual effects, and lighting.
We hope you can join us!

CommUNITY Shabbat
Friday, October 10, 5-7pm
Celebrating Orange County's Cultural Diversity
People of all faith traditions are welcome to join
 
We will share the diversity of harvest traditions and welcome in Shabbat with blessings, a Kosher dinner, crafts and fun activities for kids.
Spread the word and bring a friend!

Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network (WUICAN)
in partnership with Harbor Christian Church in Newport Beach
invite you to:

EARTHRISE CLIMATE ACTION FESTIVAL

A fall festival dedicated to earth stewardship, restoration, justice and healing.

Saturday, October 11 from 11am - 4:30pm

PROPHETIC FUTURES

An evening program featuring conversations with nationally known authors Dr. Christena Cleveland and Victor Villaseñor
(5pm - 8pm)

Dinner will be available for purchase during this program

VIRTUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Enrich your summer with Jewish learning
Visit the websites below to access current and past course and special program schedules:

• AJU Whizin Center for Open Learning: AJU online learning offers classes for adults seeking to build Jewish skills and knowledge and hosts lectures by internationally acclaimed scholars, artists, authors and geo-political experts. Something for everyone!
• Jewish Theological Seminary of America | Podcast | Torah Commentary | Lifelong Learning
  JTS offers online classes that create live, interactive opportunities for study with top-caliber scholars. Encounter compelling Jewish scholarship that brings the texts and wisdom of our tradition to bear on contemporary dilemmas. Courses delve deeply into specific areas of Jewish text, history, philosophy, religion, arts, and literature.
• HUC Connect: HUC Connect invites you to join participants from 55 countries to discover something new about Judaism and about yourself through webinars, courses and podcasts.
• Shalom Hartman Institute: Online courses, podcasts and programs that courageously address some of the most pressing issues of our time.
• Orange County Community Scholars Program: A colorful array of podcasts and videos of current and past lectures spanning 2001-2025. Jewish scholarship at its finest.