Upcoming events

We need prayer and connection more than ever during this time. So every weekday at 8am, we will gather online for a half-hour Zoom of prayer and learning.

The Virtual IKAR Book Club will discuss Olive Days by Jessica McCormick – with a special guest, Jessica McCormick! Join from wherever you are! New members are always welcome. We meet monthly via Zoom (link sent out the morning of) to discuss books with a Jewish connection. If you’re interested in joining email [email protected].

Poetry can often heal, elevate the soul and awaken the heart. Come join IKAR’s Jewish Poetry Circle as we read Jewish poets — the Oneg Shabbos poets of the Warsaw Ghetto, Medieval Sephardic poets, Israeli and Jewish-American poets up to the present—the historical context of their writing, spiritual relationships, personal agonies and joys. The Circle is not an academic writing class but rather an informal experience of a committed group of participants to explore and hopefully bond with Jewish poetic expression and with each other.

We are an intergenerational circle of men who support one another in becoming the men we want to be in the world.

Join us for a literary study of the text of the Torah, aided by the keen eyes of the classical commentators. This class is co-sponsored by IKAR.

*This event is held by JQ, for more information, please reach out to JQ directly* Get ready to shine—Gelty Pleasures is back! Join JQ International for LA’s biggest queer Hanukkah party, featuring drag queens, go-go dancers, themed cocktails, and a dance floor ready to light up. We know we’re celebrating early, but it’s the perfect time to kick off the season together. Grab your tickets now for discounted drinks, light bites, and guaranteed entry! This year has brought so many challenges, and we know the road ahead may not be any easier. It’s been a time of uncertainty and hardship for many, which is why moments of connection, joy, and celebration feel especially important right now. Join us at Gelty Pleasures to honor Hanukkah, strengthen our sense of community, and share in the warmth of the season. Together, let’s create something meaningful and bright. We can’t wait to get GELTY with you!

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).

Wind down and get ready for Shabbat with us! Join our virtual Happy Hour, every Friday at 5pm PST. We are diverse: still working and retired; single, divorced, widowed, and in a relationship; have children, grandchildren, pets, plants, or none of the above; Angelinos and transplants. What we have in common is Ikar, a multitude of experiences, and a desire to spend some of our time enjoying events and experiences with those in our age group. Approximately 60 and above.

Before Services, join fellow TRIBErs for great drinks, conversation and noshing!

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.

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.

((((GONG)))))ing into GONG All Night Gong Sound Immersion Event In the City of Angeles (L.A.) Let’s meet up again for the longest night of the year! Our gifted and skilled gong practitioners will play our large family of gongs to create a holistically resonant soundscape designed to lullaby you into gongland! The continuous tapestry of tone will guide you to that still point within, through the weaving of tones – The gongs, known for their therapeutic effects, have to potential to transport, transform, release tension, balance energy, and elevate your spirit. Whether you seek solace, self-discovery, or simply a night of profound relaxation, this event is designed to cater to all. Create your space, lay back, and allow the ethereal sounds to guide you on a soothing journey of inner exploration promoting a deep sense of peace and harmony within.

We come together to prepare and serve dinner twice a month to residents at PATH, a transitional home for veterans on Cotner in West LA

Join this virtual, interactive circle using the Jewish Studio Process, facilitated by Ross Berman and Ann Bohrer. Explore the power of making process art in community as a tool for personal and collective renewal. All are welcome – no art experience needed. Unlock your creativity.

Join us from near and far to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.  We’ll learn some Hanukkah wisdom, then make the blessings and sing!  Bring your own Hanukkiah, or just bathe in the radiance we will create together.

Come join your fellow Boomers in celebrating Hanukkah on Saturday, December 28th at 6pm. Party will be in a private home in the Pico Robertson neighborhood. We’ll celebrate Havdalah and light candles together. Please bring your menorah. Dinner will be potluck so please sign up on the attached form.

Sun Dec 29 4-6:30pm PT / 5-7:30 MT /6-8:30 CT / 7-9:30 ET BYOL! (Bring Your Own Latkes!) Zoom Captions will be Enabled. If we need an ASL interpreter, please let me know asap and I’ll do my best to find one! If you ARE or know an ASL interpreter, please let me know because one day we will for sure need one! We’re lighting up our worlds with laughter, singing, and candle lighting! Join us for an all online Chanukah party – a night of good company, lighthearted activities, and bring-your-own delicious treats. What to Wear? Festive flair encouraged – bring your best dreidel swag or cozy Chanukah vibes! Bonus Points for fun screen backgrounds! What to Expect: 🕯️ Candle Lighting – Together, we’ll light our chanukiot (menorahs) and share the blessings 🎲 Games & Trivia – Test your knowledge with some fun Chanukah trivia 🍷 Latkes & L’Chaims – Bring your favorite drinks and snacks   Leave with a little extra light in your life. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Join fellow Valley friends for a Latkes Bake-Off! We will have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize. All items must be vegan or vegetarian and well marked.

We are an intergenerational circle of men who support one another in becoming the men we want to be in the world.

Shalom~ YOU are invited. All beings that can hold sacred and safe space for others to tap into belonging, are invited. All transwomxn, genderqueer, and non-binary people… All grandmas, daughters, mamas, aunties…if YOU are looking to journey in sacred community, then YOU are welcome to this intergenerational ritual. Because we all need a fertile, sacred space to glean wisdom and heal, we gather together monthly in the garden for the newMOON, to pause and turn inward. Rooted in ancient Jewish ritual, we gather when it’s dark to tap into the fertile void. Learn the monthly themes of the Hebrew calendar while we make herbal bath salt. Come unearth soul medicine and set an intention for the month ahead. *ACCESS: We aspire to keep this sacred space accessible to all. Please let us know your access needs. It is our practice to burn herbs during our rituals. Most circles are held outside, please bring a mask if herbal smoke is a concern for you, and let us know in advance when you register and we can diffuse oils. Our newMOON circle is rooted in a lineage that has been gathering for 19 years. WHERE: PRIVATE HOME – address/event details provided upon registration. WHEN: The garden is open for a healthy potluck. Each of us will bring something healthy to share (for example please bring, a hearty garden soup, or stir-fry greens, or a vegan dish, etc). 6:30pm-9:30pm SaltBowl Ritual

Bargello is a needlework art that was popular during the Renaissance. The patterns are created by counting stitches on a canvas, as there is no printed pattern provided. It is very easy to learn and the beginner patterns are simple to create. You only need to be able to use a sewing needle and to count!

For thousands of years our ancient texts have been weaponized against queer people and queer people have felt alienated and rejected from our Jewish communities. But – there is more to the story. In this 4-part series we will explore the texts of our tradition that actually seem to reflect queer experiences and read other Jewish texts through a queer lens. How much more connected can we feel to our tradition when it is more expansive?

Sat Jan 11 4-7 PT / 5-8 MT / 6-9CT / 7-10 ET Virtually Neighbors is having a Watch Party! (with an intermission in the middle and casual discussion after) Our vision is a Virtual Dinner Theater, which means everyone can eat and drink whatever works for them! Yentl is a 1983 American romantic musical drama film directed, co-written, co-produced by, and starring American entertainer Barbra Streisand. It is based on Isaac Bashevis Singer‘s short story “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy”. The film incorporates music to tell the story of an Ashkenazi Jewish woman in Poland in 1904 who decides to disguise herself as a man so that she can receive an education in Talmudic law. The film’s musical score and songs, composed by Michel Legrand, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, include the songs “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” and “The Way He Makes Me Feel”, both sung by Streisand. The film received the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy and Best Director for Streisand, making her the first woman to win Best Director at the Golden Globes. Fun Trivia: Barbra Streisand hand-picked Mandy Patinkin for this movie, and he politely declined several times because he did not like the script. He was eventually invited to Streisand’s house where they could discuss the parts he wanted to change. He then agreed to be in the film. In anticipation, Amy and Liddy are going to continue to listen to and read Barbra Streisand’s 970 page/48 hour (WHAT?) memoir/autobiography My Name is Barbra, published Nov 6, 2023, from the library.

A monthly gathering for IKAR members who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s/ Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease or Stroke facilitated by Yael Wyte, MSW. This group generally meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 10-11. Some exceptions apply to accommodate special occasions. Contact us for further information.