May this cease fire be the beginning of the end…

…an end to the agony of the hostages and the torturous uncertainty of their families.

…an end to the devastation and suffering of the people of Gaza.

…an end to the heartache and sorrow of Israelis and Palestinians, and all who love them.

…an end to the corruption and callousness that prioritizes messianic fantasies over human life.

…an end to the lie that we can do no better than endless war.

And may it be the beginning… of a time of healing and sacred reunion, the beginning of a future of safety, dignity, justice, and PEACE, for all who call that holy land home.

-Rabbi Sharon Brous

Full statement
Holding Our Community Amidst the Fires

We are holding our whole community with love– and especially thinking of our beloveds who have been evacuated and those who have lost their homes. Our community is here to support you all as we navigate this difficult time.

Check out our resources.

Resources
5785 Adult Learning Series

Welcome to IKAR’s Adult Learning Line-up for 5785. We’ve got something for everyone. Let’s learn, grow, and connect together.

Upcoming Classes
Welcome to our new website

This carousel features timely events and media. We invite you to move around and explore. Check out “This week at IKAR” to see what we’re up to! We hope you find something meaningful.

Upcoming Events
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Event
Today • 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Volunteer Appreciation Happy Hour (Before Services)
Join us for Happy Hour before services to celebrate our amazing volunteers!   Let’s enter Shabbat together with a sweet, spirited Kabbalat Shabbat service. Daven with us in person or on YouTube, our website, and Zoom. RSVP for our kosher, vegetarian community dinner (suggested donation $25).
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Event
Today • 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Volunteer Appreciation Kabbalat Shabbat Services & Dinner
Let’s enter Shabbat together with a sweet, spirited Kabbalat Shabbat service. Daven with us in person or on YouTube, our website, and Zoom. RSVP for our kosher, vegetarian community dinner (suggested donation $25).
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Register
Shabbat
Saturdays • 9 am
Before Services: Guided Mindful Meditation
A little intentional silence can go a long way.  Join Devorah Brous and Dr. Barry Goldstein on Shabbat morning before services, 9-9:30 am for a guided mindful meditation. Location: Shalhevet Rooftop. Grab your coffee and ready your soul with the sacred sound of communal silence.
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SHABBAT
Saturdays • 9:30 am
Shabbat Morning Services
We welcome everyone to our Shabbat morning services, no matter their level of observance, experience, or familiarity with Hebrew. Daven with us in person at Shalhevet, or join us virtually on YouTube or Zoom. Childcare is available during Services for kids ages 2-5. Stay afterward for our kosher, vegetarian community lunch. Upcoming B’nai Mitzvahs 1/18/2025 Micah Zev Applebaum 1/25/2025 Henry Held 2/1/2025 Talia Tarason 2/8/2025 Mikhail Shaphir 2/15/2025 Fox Gendell 2/22/2025 Dominic Ferretti
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TRIBE
Tuesday, Jan 21 • 7:30 pm to 9 pm
TRIBE (20’s-30’s) Singing Circle (Lay-Led)
Sing your heart out to your favorite Hebrew chant with us! Whether you are an expert or a first-timer, we welcome you! Lay led by Antonia Lassar. Light snacks are provided. For more information, please contact [email protected] *This event is fully indoors*
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Watch & Listen: Latest Sermons & Talks
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Sermon
1 week ago • Jan 11, 2025
Reflections on HOME, From Amidst the Fire
Even as the fires burn, let us hold on another, give voice to what we have lost, and turn toward what remains.
By: Rabbi Sharon Brous
Watch now
Sermon
2 weeks ago • Jan 4, 2025
The Names We Carry
How did Joseph, a man hardened by one life experience after the next, soften his heart to forgive his brothers?  A remarkable midrash imagines a conversation between Joseph and Benjamin that changes everything.  Ten names and all the worlds of meaning, of missing, of memory they contain.
By: Rabbi Morris Panitz
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Sermon
3 weeks ago • Dec 28, 2024
Treachery or Truth?
What is Joseph’s legacy? And what can we learn from the character with the most costume changes in all of the Torah?
By: Rabbi Deborah Silver
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Sermon
1 month ago • Dec 14, 2024
We Cannot Escape One Another
Jacob tried to flee from his estranged brother. Did he fear more the battle, or the potential reconciliation? What happens when victimhood is built into our self-definition? What do we lose when we stay at the table, and what might we gain? What will it take for us to understand that there is no future until we see one another?
By: Rabbi Sharon Brous
Watch now
Sermon
1 month ago • Dec 7, 2024
The Mouth of the Well
There is a teaching in Pirkei Avot that says that the mouth of the well was made during the first Shabbat of creation. We have long accepted it to be Miriam’s well, but what if it’s the well from this week’s parsha – the one Jacob encounters after his dream, and where he meets Rachel for the first time? If it’s that well, then maybe we, like Jacob, have to find the well, roll off the stone, and discover what exists underneath.
By: Rabbi Hannah Jensen
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Sermon
1 month ago • Nov 30, 2024
Bound and Unbound
Who is Isaac?  The man perpetually trapped by his father’s story, still bound to the altar, forever defined by the core trauma of his life.  What will it take to break free?  For the once bound to become unbound?
By: Rabbi Morris Panitz
Watch now
IKAR’s mission is to reanimate Jewish life and develop a spiritual and moral foundation for a just and equitable society.

Fusing piety and hutzpah, obligation, and inspiration, IKAR is a dynamic, multi-generational community that fosters a yearning for personal, purposeful, creative engagement in Jewish life, particularly among young and disaffected Jews. Rooted in Los Angeles and reaching globally, we strive to actively and intentionally celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the Jewish people.

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Justice

“Love your neighbor, and love yourself. That is the whole Torah. All the rest is commentary” — Hillel

We believe that the active pursuit of justice and dignity for all is a core expression of our Jewish spiritual and religious selves, and we integrate that belief into everything we do at IKAR. Minyan Tzedek is how we harness the organizing power of our entire community to work toward the world as it ought to be. Our goal is 100% community participation through one of our four paths: Feeding Our Neighbors, Green Action, IKAR Community Organizing, and Global Partnership.

Minyan Tzedek
IKAR is fueled by the love, talent, and creative investment of each of our community members.

Our membership is an expression of individual commitments and a way for each person to expand their Jewish horizons through learning and spiritual growth.

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A Land for All
Responding to the Crisis in Israel and Gaza
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IKAR’s mission is to reanimate Jewish life and develop a spiritual and moral foundation for a just and equitable society.

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