• Ask
  • Pray
  • Learn
  • Act
  • Meet
  • Join
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Classes
  • Live Services
  • Podcasts
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
  • Weekly Evening Service
  • 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
  • Music
  • Videos
  • Rabbi Recommends
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
  • Sponsor a Meal
  • Ezra Fund
  • Rabbinic Discretionary Fund
  • Horowitz/Weintraub Fund - IKAR's ECC
  • About Membership
  • Membership Contribution Levels
  • IKAR Circles
Search
We are all searching for something. What’s your thing?

Team

Each and every member of our staff and our board is integral to making our community run. From the clergy to our education team to our communications and program heads to our board members—each role is instrumental in making IKAR what it is.

  • Clergy
  • Staff
  • Board
  • Advisory Board
  • Davening Team
Melissa Balaban
Founder/CEO
Elad Dvash-Banks
Chief Advancement Officer
Rebecca Berger
Director of Education
Carrie Bohn
Programs Associate
Kristin Brodsky
Executive Assistant
Susan Brooks
HR and Operations Manager
Ben Cooley
Director of Communications and Content
Andrea Stern Goldberg
Director of Programs
Monica Hirsch
Development Assistant
Sammy Kanter
Rabbinic Intern
Paul Lee
Rabbinic and B'nai Mitzvah Assistant
Gabrielle Romero
ECC Operations & Office Manager
Jane Rosen
Director of Early Childhood Education
Arianna Sikorski
Database and Systems Manager
Justin Rosen Smolen
Director of the Jewish Emergent Network
Jess Solomon
Communications and Content Coordinator
Natasha Newman Tobin
Assistant Director of Limudim
Beth Weisman
Director of Parenting and Admissions, ECC
Brooke Wirtschafter
Director of Community Organizing
Andrea Vega
Community Engagement Coordinator
Sarah Velez
Operations and Social Justice Assistant
Zvi Zobin
Director of Membership & Community Giving
  • What is IKAR?
  • Our story
  • Press
  • Partnerships
  • Careers
  • Who are we?
  • Team
  • Community
  • What if I’m new?
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • First Time Visitor Form

ikar

We can’t wait to see you.

Contact [email protected] & 323-634-1870

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

Office 1737 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Services 910 S. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036

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