Holding the Grief, Holding the Promise (10/7 Commemorations)

Saturday, September 21, 12:45pm – Lunch & Learn with Peace Activists Yonatan Zeigen & Arab Aramin

Vivian Silver (founder of Women Wage Peace, lifelong Israeli-Canadian peace activist and beloved friend to many in our community), was murdered by Hamas on October 7th. Since then, her son, Yonatan Zeigen, has dedicated his life to realizing her vision of peace.

Arab Aramin is a Palestinian peace activist whose sister was killed by an Israeli soldier in 2007.

The two are members of the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members in the conflict, and who believe that only together can they achieve a sustained peace. Rabbi Brous will join them in dialogue after Shabbat services. Please join us.

Saturday, September 28, 8:30pm – Los Angeles Jewish Community Selihot Ceremony and Visit to the NOVA Exhibition
Join IKAR and many LA Jewish communities for an evening of reflection and introspection. We will gather together to explore the NOVA Music Festival Exhibition and conclude the evening with a communal Selihot service. Please RSVP here so the communities know how many folks are attending.

Sunday, October 6 – Tashlikh and 10.7 Preparation/Commemoration
This year, Tashlikh with IKAR will include two rituals. In addition to symbolically casting away whatever we don’t want to carry into the new year, we will gather to commemorate the events of October 7th, and the year of heartache that has followed.

Together, we will mourn and remember, weep for and acknowledge the terrible human cost of war, and pray for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can all live in peace and dignity.

West Side Tashlikh, 6pm, Lifeguard Station 26, Santa Monica Beach, accessible via extended beach boardwalk.

East Side Tashlikh, 6pm, Lewis Macadams Riverfront Park (formerly Marsh Park), the LA river is accessible via the concrete bank, though it is a bit steep.

Monday, October 7, 8am PT –  Morning Minyan and 10.7 Commemoration
Join our clergy and virtual Morning Minyan community for a special service and some time to reflect and share.

Thursday, October 24, 7pm – Simhat Torah
As always, we’ll come together to celebrate Simhat Torah, but this holiday will never be the same after last year. We desperately need to tap into celebration and rediscover hope for what might be possible—we’ll work to rediscover our joy, even as we find solace in being together. RSVP forthcoming.

Past Events:

Monday, 9/16, 7pm – A Conversation with Osama Iliwat and Rotem Levin (Co-Sponsored by IKAR)
Palestinian and Israeli peace activists share their powerful stories of hope, resilience, and the path to peace in the face of conflict.

Monday, 9/16, 9am PT, Voices of Determination: The West Bank Behind the Headlines
Join New Israel Fund for a conversation with an incredible line-up of experts: Israel’s leading human rights attorney Michael Sfard, Executive Director of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, Noa Sattath, and Breaking the Silence founder and now Co-Director of OFEK: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs, Yehuda Shaul, and Rabbi Brous will share a few words. Please RSVP here.

Sunday, September 8, 11:30am – NOVA Music Festival Exhibition Visit
The IKAR community is invited to join Rabbi Brous at the NOVA Festival Memorial in Culver City. We will go through the exhibit, and then gather briefly to sing, grieve, and to reflect together. Please purchase your tickets here—we’ll gather out front before our group enters. (Please note: some may prefer to visit the exhibit on September 28 as part of a LA Jewish community gathering, which IKAR is co-sponsoring. See sign up below)