SYNAGOGUES' WELCOME MAT OUT.Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer Shabbat Across America, an annual invitation to unaffiliated Jews to attend a Sabbath service, will be held Friday. During Shabbat Across America, sponsored by National Jewish Outreach Program The National Jewish Outreach Program, known as NJOP, is a Jewish adult education and outreach organization that was founded in 1987, by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, a leading rabbi at the Lincoln Square Synagogue New York City. , more than 600 synagogues A list of synagogues around the world. Contents: Top - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
n. 1. A command; an edict. 2. Bible One of the Ten Commandments. commandment Noun a divine command, esp. : Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. ``The goal is to get the unaffiliated Jews to come to a service. It's primarily in English so people don't have to be frightened fright·en v. fright·ened, fright·en·ing, fright·ens v.tr. 1. To fill with fear; alarm. 2. away because they don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. or have forgotten Hebrew,'' said Martin Roberts, a member of Temple Beth Torah in Granada Hills. ``It's a user-friendly service.'' The unique aspect of the outreach program is that participating synagogues will use the same prayer service handout on Friday night. The prayers are explained and transliterated so those who don't read Hebrew can actively participate. ``What's nice is that I can go to any participating temple on March 8 and have a service that I can understand,'' Roberts said. ``I also know I won't be the only new person attending. Some people are shy about coming to a new temple, but they should know they won't be the only strangers there that night.'' Congregation Shir Ami, a Conservative congregation, will join Kol Tikvah, a Reform temple in Woodland Hills, for a Kosher kosher [Heb.,=proper, i.e., fit for use], in Judaism, term used in rabbinic literature to mean what is ritually correct, but most widely applied to food that is in accordance with dietary laws based on Old Testament passages (primarily Lev. 11 and Deut. 14). dinner with the traditional mealtime blessings, followed by a music-filled service. ``There's a saying that the Messiah will come if every Jew in the world celebrates Shabbat two weekends in a row,'' said Rabbi David Vorspan of Congregation Shir Ami. ``We want to expose Jews to one Shabbat service, a Shabbat dinner and make it interesting and delightful. We want to intrigue Intrigue See also Conspiracy. Borgias 15th-century family who stopped at nothing to gain power. [Ital. Hist.: Plumb, 59] Ems dispatch Bismarck’s purposely provocative memo on Spanish succession; sparked Franco-Prussian war (1870). them to learn more.'' There are a variety of reason why Jews don't attend services or observe the Sabbath at home. Roberts believes it's a matter of priorities and interest. Vorspan said that many people feel bewildered by rituals they never learned. Rabbi Harold Schulweis from Valley Beth Shalom Valley Beth Shalom is a Conservative Synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With over 1,800 member families[1] it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the United States. in Encino believes Jews don't know how their life can change for the better when they observe the Sabbath. ``The Sabbath is the center of the Jewish weekly calendar. We rejoice, we study, and we don't work. It's a time away from technology and the commercial worlds. It's a time to turn off the electronics and free yourself from the stresses of the working days,'' Schulweis said. Schulweis said his best Sabbath memories have to do with sitting around a meal with family and friends. ``But don't sit around and talk about your investments. Don't ask your kids about their grades. Ask how they are feeling. Ask them about what's important to them. Shabbat is a time to stop squeezing the Earth,'' Schulweis said. Here are some of the local synagogues participating in Shabbat Across America: --Temple Ramat Zion, 17655 Devonshire St., Northridge. Rabbi Steven Tucker will lead the 6:30 p.m. service followed by a 7:15 p.m. dinner. Cost is $12, $7.50 for children under 12. Reservations must be made by Wednesday. Call (818) 360-1881. Temple Beth Hillel, 12326 Riverside Drive A number of cities around the world have a Riverside Drive. In the United States:
tr.v. pre·paid, pre·pay·ing, pre·pays To pay or pay for beforehand. pre·pay  ment n. reservations are required by Monday. Call (818) 763-9148. --Temple Beth Torah, 16651 Rinaldi St., Granada Hills. Rabbi Sheryl Nosan and Cantor Sharone Rosen will lead the 7:30 p.m. service. Bring your own picnic dinner or order a pizza and salad dinner for $5 per person. Reservations for the pizza dinner required by noon Friday. Call (818) 831-0835. --Temple Kol Tikvah and Congregation Shir Ami, 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. Rabbis David Vorspan and Steven Jacobs Steven Jacobs (b. 1967 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian television presenter and actor. Jacobs started his career in radio, presenting a weekly top 40 countdown. will lead the 8 p.m. service. A Kosher dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m.; $12, $10 for children. Reservations for dinner required by Monday. Call (818) 348-0670. --Valley Beth Shalom Beth Shalom is a Holocaust memorial center in Nottinghamshire in England. External links
CAPTION(S): photo Photo: From left, Anna Marie Heller, executive vice president of Temple Beth Torah in Granada Hills; Cantor Sharone Rosen; Andy Oppenberg; Oppenberg's daughter Alyssa, 6; and Martin Roberts, social action chairman, light candles in the temple Friday. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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