Watch, Listen, Learn

Va’era 5786 The people of Iran are begging us to turn towards them, our hearts open to their pain.  They deserve our solidarity and support, our identification with their struggle. Because human life is precious.  And we, who love life, must always be on the side of those who love life.

1.13.26 (Session 7) Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

Parashat Shemot 5786 – A seemingly superfluous sidebar in our grand narrative in fact models what we most need to remember in a time of tyranny: There will emerge a vast moral vacuum. Step into it. Use the power you do have to muck up the machinery of injustice. Lean into faith. And remember that goodness, courage, and integrity are contagious. This is how we push back against the darkness.

1.6.26 (Session 6) Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

VaYechi 5786 – Jacob’s farewell address in Parashat VaYechi features a vision of a snake and a cry for Divine salvation. As our world backslides into fear, anger, violence, and deceit, we nonetheless find hope in self-transformation. By caring for the needy and welcoming the stranger, we preserve the legacy of B’nei Yisrael, and become partners with God in redeeming a broken world.

Hidden within the broader narrative of exodus and redemption is a sub story about how a minority retains its distinctive culture. And the unlikely messengers of this story are… sheep.

After lunch, join us for a special discussion with AFT President Randi Weingarten to discuss her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy. Learn more HERE.

1. We must be exactly who we are, only more so. 2. There is great geographical, ideological, political and religious distance between us. We must remember that we are responsible for one another. And 3. We must dramatically shift our approach to fighting antisemitism.

Join us for a virtual literary study of the text of the Torah, aided by the keen eyes of the classical commentators. Please note that the class will not meet on 11/26/25 or on Jewish holidays. This series is co-sponsored with Hadar.

12.16.25 (Session 5) Keywords for Session 5: Gittin 55b-56b, moral leadership, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, destruction of Jerusalem, Marta bat Baitos, Vespasian Ceasar Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

The seeds of redemption were being planted—we were just too busy to notice.

12.9.25 (Session 4) Keywords for session 4: Gittin 55b, Kamtza Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

Join us on 12/6 around 11:30am PT in person & on YouTube.com/ikarlosangeles for a conversation between Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Rabbi Sharon Brous on faith, identity, leadership, and Buchdahl’s new book, Heart of a Stranger.

Let’s enter Shabbat together with a sweet, spirited Kabbalat Shabbat service. After services, everyone is invited to stay for community dinner at the IKAR Event Space, with a special conversation by Author and The Jewish Theological Seminary’s Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, Dr. David Kraemer.  We never want cost to be a bearer in attendance. If you need assistance, please email [email protected].

12.2.25 (Session 3) Keywords for session 3: Brakhot 5a-b, suffering Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

Vayetzei 5786 When it comes to speaking about the personal experiences we’ve had— or we yearn for— with God, we tend to retreat into self-consciousness and silence. I’d like for that to change. So, here’s my story.

11.25.25 (Session 2) Keywords for session 2: Bava Kamma 117a-b, Rabbi Yohanan Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

Our ancestor, Isaac, repeated the pattern of his father’s failures—an expression of loyalty to the covenant. We, too, may feel trapped by the force of the past, as though we are powerless to the repetition of the worst chapters of our history. But we can—and must—choose agency over inevitability.

11.18.25 (Session 1) Keywords for Session 1: Bava Metzia 84, Resh Lakish, Rabbi Yohanan, hevruta Every Tuesday morning, a new story from the Talmud. Taught by your rabbis in a monthly rotation, we’ll dig into the strange and compelling world of the Talmud, exploring the ways ancient dilemmas speak to modern questions. Join us in-person at the Event Space (coffee and nosh provided) or over Zoom (B.Y.O. nosh) for as many sessions as possible… your Tuesday will thank you.

After lunch, join us in conversation with Clean Shelter, an organization that provides immediate relief to displaced communities in Gaza by offering essential sanitation and shelter solutions, including tents, toilets, community structures, and access to clean water. Learn more at https://www.cleanshelter.org/aboutus

This week’s parashah is the fourth in a row to remind us that Abraham and Sarah are old. Imagine them in Los Angeles, 2025 – how would they age? And how can that help us imagine a new approach to aging for ourselves?

The Rabbis warn of a society defined by its cruelty toward the most vulnerable. We must not become Sodom.

Come together for our tech-free (off-mic) Kabbalat Shabbat Services with a focus on lifting our voices in song as a community. Don’t go to Shalhevet. Rather, enter through our alleyway and down the ramp into our event space. For those with accessibility needs, you can be dropped off and enter through the front door.  After Services, there will be two dinner options following services:  -Everyone is invited to stay for community dinner at the IKAR Event Space.  -TRIBE will gather for Shabbat dinner at the Office Patio for people in their 20s and 30s.  We never want cost to be a barrier in attendance. If you need assistance, please email [email protected].

*Please note, we understand the underlying audio was compromised and that folks may need to turn the volume up. Get Involved with New Israel Fund Join The West Bank at Boiling Point call on 11/10 at 9am PT Bring NIF to Your Network: Contact Joe Goldman at [email protected] to explore bringing NIF to your communities so we can empower our partners on the ground in Israel, as well as follow/share NIF on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit Israel and Palestine With NIF: We invite you to join NIF to stand alongside Jewish and Palestinian activists in their struggle for justice and democracy, an end to the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and the paving of a different path forward: one that guarantees equality, security, and prosperity for Palestinians, Israelis, and everyone who calls this land home. March 8, 2026-March 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026-October 16, 2026. Support NIF:  One-time, monthly, join the NIF Legacy Society, via DAFs, IRA qualified charitable contributions, or even open one’s own DAF at NIF’s Progressive Jewish Fund Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha is a medical doctor with a specialty in internal medicine, currently completing a clinical fellowship in critical care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, combined with a research fellowship at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. Her research focuses on healthcare policy and politics that create inequality in health services and outcomes for underserved communities.  She formerly served as the Health Policy Director at the Task Force for Health Promotion and Equity in the Arab Society at the Israeli Ministry of Health, leading major efforts and interventions to deal with health disparities between Jews and Arabs in Israel. She co-founded two NGOs that promote socio-economic development of the Bedouin community in Israel, while focusing on health, education, women’s employment, housing and community empowerment. She has won several awards, including the 2007 Ramon Award for quality, leadership, and excellence and was chosen to be part of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list. In 2023, she was named one of Israel’s 50 most influential women by Globes Magazine. Yasmeen holds a BSc and MD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.