• Ask
  • Pray
  • Learn
  • Act
  • Meet
  • Join
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Live Stream
  • Membership
  • Videos
Ask

Are you a synagogue or what? Yes and no and kinda. Words like “synagogue” can feel constraining, and we want to think expansively about what Jewish life can be… so we think of ourselves as a spiritual community, and let the experience define itself.


  • What is IKAR?
  • Our story
  • Press
  • Partnerships
  • Careers
  • Who are we?
  • Team
  • Community
  • What if I’m new?
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • First Time Visitor Form
Pray

“Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods. The liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement, seeking to overthrow the forces that continue to destroy the promise, the hope, the vision.” –Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, “On Prayer”


  • Prayer at IKAR
  • Shabbat
  • High Holy Days
  • Holidays
  • Weekly AM Minyan
  • Mourning
Learn

“To educate means to cultivate the soul.” -Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel


  • Learn at IKAR
  • Parent & Me
  • Early Childhood Center
  • Limudim: Kids’ Learning
  • B’nai Mitzvah
  • Adult Learning
  • On The Go
  • Sermons & Talks
  • Classes
  • Writings
  • Israel
  • Music
  • Videos
Act

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


  • Do Justice:
    Minyan Tzedek
  • Feeding Our Neighbors
  • Green Action
  • IKAR Organizing
  • Global Partnership
  • Educated Activist
  • Strengthen Community
  • Hesed
  • Volunteer
Meet

This community is crawling with good folks — from longtime members to newbies — and there are so many ways to connect.


  • Come Together
  • First Time Visitor
  • Bite Size Shabbes
  • Teens
  • TRIBE (20s/30s)
  • Alta Rockers
  • IKAR Circles
  • Central Europe 2022
Join

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.


  • Join Now
  • About Membership
  • Membership Contribution Levels
  • IKAR Circles
  • IKAR Community Portal
  • Membership FAQ
Donate

“All beginnings require that you unlock new doors. The key is giving and doing. Give tzedakah and do kindness.” – R’ Nachman of Bratslav


  • All Donation Forms
  • General Donations
  • Shabbat Meal Fund
  • Rabbinic Discretionary Fund
  • Ezra Fund
  • About Membership
  • Membership Contribution Levels
  • IKAR Circles
Search
We are all searching for something. What’s your thing?

Rep. Adam Schiff and Rabbi Sharon Brous

March 18th, 2023

Listen: Spotify

Listen: Apple Podcasts

Watch: YouTube

 


Parashat Vaera – Gabriel Menashe

January 21st, 2023 — Parashat Vaera

Gabriel Menashe’s guest drash on January 21, 2023.


Lady Justice – Dahlia Lithwick in conversation with R’ Sharon Brous

January 20th, 2023

Author, lawyer and Slate Senior Editor, Dahlia Lithwick discussed her new book, Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.

Watch: YouTube

Listen: Apple / Spotify

Brief Book Synopsis: “After the sudden shock of Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, many Americans felt lost and uncertain. It was clear he and his administration were going to pursue a series of retrograde, devastating policies. What could be done? Immediately, women lawyers all around the country, independently of each other, sprang into action, and they had a common goal: they weren’t going to stand by in the face of injustice, while Trump, Mitch McConnell, and the Republican party did everything in their power to remake the judiciary in their own conservative image. Over the next four years, the women worked tirelessly to hold the line against the most chaotic and malign presidency in living memory.”


January 6th, One Year Later: Rep. Adam Schiff & Rabbi Sharon Brous Discuss the Democracy Crisis

January 2nd, 2022 — Rabbi Sharon Brous

On the anniversary of the attack on our government by supporters of the former president, a violent, coordinated effort to overthrow the results of the election. Last year, Rabbi Sharon Brous spoke with Congressman Adam Schiff about the meaning of the January 6th Insurrection and what we must do to protect our democracy and root our government in justice and equality.

“I had the opportunity to talk with Congressman Adam Schiff about the meaning of this moment, and what we must do to protect our democracy and root our government in justice and equality. Like many of you, both Rep Schiff and I feel the fierce urgency of now. In the days ahead, we all must do everything we can to pull our nation back from the edge of the abyss.” – R’ Sharon Brous

Listen: Apple + Spotify

Read: Transcript


Out of Our Comfort Zones: Etgar Keret in conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous (The Charles Bronfman Prize Speaker Series)

November 14th, 2021
IKAR Founder and Senior Rabbi Sharon Brous in conversation with acclaimed storyteller and writer, 2016 Charles Bronfman Prize laureate Etgar Keret. Hear from two of our time’s greatest minds on creating and community during this challenging period. The Charles Bronfman Prize Speaker Series, presented by IKAR, is an ongoing virtual conversation series between IKAR’s founder, Rabbi Sharon Brous, and former recipients of The Charles Bronfman Prize: An annual award recognizing a young humanitarian whose work, fueled by their Jewish values, has significantly improved the world. IKAR is a leading edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles that seeks to inspire people across the religious spectrum and is reverberating across the US.

“Can We Talk About Israel?: A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted” A Conversation with author and IKARite Daniel Sokatch + Rabbi Sharon Brous

October 28th, 2021

At last, a primer for the Israel/Palestine situation, one of the most complicated conflicts on earth. Can We Talk About Israel?: A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted, raises the Israel questions that Jews ask and are asked all the time. Daniel Sokatch, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and activists in the country, approaches the subject in a fair-minded, accessible manner, with illustrations from IKAR’s beloved Christopher Noxon to inspire along the way.


The Heart of George Floyd (z”l) Memorial Square – Rabbi Michael Adam Latz

April 24th, 2021 — Shabbat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5781

Last May, in the place where we witnessed the worst of humanity choke the life out of Mr. Floyd (z”l), this past Tuesday night we saw a glimpse of the best of human give us life: A brilliant multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-generational sea of humanity gathered together, weeping, praising, praying, challenging, supporting, loving each other, fiercely.

 

Click here to learn more about Rabbi Michael Adam Latz.


Rabbi Brous in conversation with Dr. Jessica Beckerman and Dr. Ari Johnson of Muso Health

February 9th, 2021 — How does the injustice of delay play a part in the inequities of care? What would it look like to imagine a world where no child died from curable disease? These are some of the questions Rabbi Brous discussed with Drs. Jessica Beckerman and Ari Johnson of Muso Health, 2021 recipients of The Charles Bronfman Prize, in this riveting and deeply spiritual conversation.

 


Rabbi Miriyam Glazer – Night 8

December 17th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


Nick Weiss – Night 6

December 15th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


Flora Woo – Night 5

December 14th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


Enshea Daniel – Night 4

December 13th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


Diana Phillips – Night 3

December 12th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


Karim Abay – Night 2

December 11th, 2020 — Hanukkah 5781

These times are feeling dark. And yet Hanukkah reminds us every year that even in the longest, darkest night, we can create and spread light. So this year, we come together to radiate hope, and reaffirm connection from the safety of our own homes. Each evening as we light the hanukkiah together one of our beloved community members will tell a story on the theme – Let There Be Light.


George Gascón at IKAR’s Shabbat Services

July 18th, 2020 — Shabbat Matot-Masei

LA District Attorney candidate George Gascón spoke about his vision for the administration of justice in LA County. (IKAR invited all serious candidates for LA District Attorney to speak, Gascón was the only one to accept our invitation)


Know Your Reps with CA State Senator Holly Mitchell

July 10th, 2020

Senator Holly Mitchell joins IKAR for a “Know Your Reps” conversation about how California will respond to the crises we are facing.


DAWN – You Can’t Love God While Trampling God’s Image – Rabbi Sharon Brous, Bishop Gene Robinson & Lisa Sharon Harper

July 7th, 2020

Rabbi Sharon Brous (IKAR) in conversation with Bishop Gene Robinson and Lisa Sharon Harper (Freedom Road). This session was a part of DAWN, an all-night cultural arts festival celebrating Shavuot, presented by Reboot in association with the Jewish Emergent Network.


DAWN: The Most Sacred of Times: Sabbath in the Crossroads of Corona with Rabbi Sharon Brous & Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie

July 7th, 2020

Rabbi Sharon Brous (IKAR) and Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (Lab/Shul) dive deep into the fourth Commandment – “remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” This session was a part of DAWN, an all-night cultural arts festival celebrating Shavuot, presented by Reboot in association with the Jewish Emergent Network.


DAWN: Stealing Hearts and Minds: Tales of Deception with Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum & Rabbi Ronit Tsadok

July 7th, 2020

Stealing Hearts and Minds: Tales of Deception with Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum & Rabbi Ronit Tsadok. This session was a part of DAWN, an all-night cultural arts festival celebrating Shavuot, presented by Reboot in association with the Jewish Emergent Network.


DAWN: The End of Desire: The Tenth and Most Difficult Commandment with Rabbi David Kasher & Rabbi David Ingber

July 7th, 2020

Rabbi David Kasher (IKAR) & Rabbi David Ingber (Romemu) come together to discuss the 10th Commandment. This session was a part of DAWN, an all-night cultural arts festival celebrating Shavuot, presented by Reboot in association with the Jewish Emergent Network.


ikar

We can’t wait to see you.

General Inquires: [email protected] & 323-634-1870

Rabbinic Emergencies: [email protected] & 323-634-1870 x 118

Office: 1737 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Services: 910 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Event Space: 1729 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

IKAR© 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy

Site by Loyal Design

Want to keep in touch?
Click here to get our emails.