September 14, 2023
Dear Community,
We are pleased that members of our community and organizations serving the Iranian Jewish community turn to us to give voice to their activities for the welfare of our community.
You need only to view them to find something that interests you. If you find something that may be of interest to others you know, please forward the newsletter to them and ask them to subscribe.
We held a very important event last week to help those who are trying to leave Iran. It was coordinated under the direction of our Vice President Elliott Benjamin, Esq. We reached out to our affiliates, contacted all synagogues, Baha’i Armenian and Zoroastrian Centers to join us. Over 220 people joined us with their questions.
Yet someone called me and asked for information because he did not get a message from us. We need to expand our mailing list in order to be able to serve our community well. Please help us with that task.
I will be giving the D’var Torah at the David Bernstein lecture at Sinai Temple on September 19. The topic is on everyone’s mind: wokism and antisemitism. I hope you can join us by making a reservation through the QR. You point your camera to it and it will lead you to registration (see below).
We remind you once again that if you have not made plans to be at a synagogue for the High Holidays, Hollywood Temple Beth El welcomes you. Rabbi Weinberg is a great scholar and he has made sure to honor those with Sephardic tradition (see below).
Looking forward to participating in the 1000 person unity selichot service that will be held at Nessah Cultural Center on September 21 (see below).
We also bring to your attention the ETTA gala that is honoring our own Farhad (Mark) and Mojgan Haloossim. Mark is an indispensable member of our executive Committee.
Shana Tovah and Shabbat shalom.
M.Elie Alyeshmerni
President
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Dear Friends,
In advance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year – which falls on Shabbat and Sunday – we invite you to explore resources based on the teachings of Rabbi Sacks zt”l.
When Rosh Hashanah approached, Rabbi Sacks would craft short yet profound messages to Jewish communities. Drawing on key moments from the past year, these timeless insights – written during his time as Chief Rabbi and beyond – offered new perspectives for the year ahead. A booklet of these messages can be downloaded and printed here (available in English, Hebrew and Spanish) to add inspiration to your Rosh Hashanah.
We would like to highlight one of the animated videos from the Tha Rabbi Sacks Legacy with a message for the Jewish New Year. Using audio recorded in 2010, Rabbi Sacks shares a powerful idea on Time and the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we think about the year thas passed. Click here to view it.
Wishing you a Shanah Tovah, a happy and healthy New Year,
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
Undoing a wrong and doing the right thing (Teshuva)
Jews examine their lives before the High Holidays and make resolutions. New Year resolutions, so to speak.
There are four steps in righting a wrong:
- Admit. You must first recognize and admit that you have done yourself or others wrong. So often this first step is difficult to recognize. It is either brought to our attention by others or we have an epiphany.
- Rectify. Try to undo the damage caused and make amends.
- Evaluate. Examine what it is that caused you to behave as you did. What were your motives? What drove you? What triggered you? This understanding goes a long way towards more balanced decisions in the future.
- Vow. Promise yourself that you will not do it again. This vow may need a reminder or two over time.
May you have peace and tranquility in your transactions with people.
M. Elie Alyeshmerni
Oslo is dead: A Palestinian state will never exist
HIGH HOLIDAYS AT HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE BETH EL
Rise up on High these High Holy Days with our blend of traditional and contemporary Ashkenazic and Sephardic prayers and melodies, with teachings by Rabbi Norbert Weinberg and Dr Isaac Norman, and chanting by Cantor Issac Boudaie. Our personalized Mahzor, prayerbook, is specially designed with contemporary readings, translations, and transliterations, so that the ancient Hebrew liturgy is accessible and addresses the spiritual search of the contemporary Jew, while we add some Jewish soul music background to the services to elevate the mood.Rosh Hashanah this year begins Friday evening, September 15 and runs through Sunday, September 17. Yom Kippur begins Sunday evening, September 24, and continues through Monday, September 25 . The services will be conducted in the Main Sanctuary. There will be online access through streaming services to enable those who are ill or elderly to be part of our worship.
Fees for in-person seating are $125 per person. Via zoom: $36 per person.
Additional donations are always welcome.Reservation of seats or zoom access can be done online: Click here
or
by mail, c/o Hollywood Temple Beth El, 1317 N Crescent Heights Blvd, W Hollywood, CA 90046.
High Holy Days Schedule
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 1
Saturday, September 16, 2023 10:00 AM
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 2
Sunday, September 17 2023, 10:00 AM
YOM KIPPUR KOL NIDRE
Sunday Evening, September 24, 2023 6:30 PM
YOM KIPPUR and YIZKOR
Monday, September 25 ,2023 10:00 AM
YOM KIPPUR NEILAH
Monday, September 25 6:15 PM
Join this truly historic and uplifting event as we join as one community to share in the spirit of learning, unity and prayer. This monumental 1,000+ person gathering, just a couple of nights before Yom Kippur, a testament to the strength and diversity of the Iranian-American Jewish Community along with other backgrounds.
Prepare to be uplifted by soul-stirring Sephardic melodies, and the powerful sense of connection that only comes when we stand side by side in UNITY. With ancient tunes from Jerusalem, Morroco, Iran and Spain, your spirit is bound to be rejuvenated in soul-uniting vibrations.
Click Here to claim your tickets. 
ETTA’s 30th Anniversary Gala
Thursday, October 26, 2023 @ 7 PM
On Thursday, September 7, 2023, The Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF), in partnership with HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), hosted an informational gathering to provide information and guidance in connection with the process for religious minorities in Iran to participate in the Iranian Lautenberg Program and complete Refugee Information Forms, which for this fiscal year, must be submitted by September 15, 2023. The program was held at Neman Hall of the Iranian American Jewish Center and was open to everyone, particularly members of the communities comprising Iranian religious minorities. After representatives of the IAJF, HIAS and the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles addressed the attendees, there was an extensive question and answer session during which specific questions relating to the Iranian Lautenberg Program were answered.
For more information regarding the U.S. Refugee program for Iranian religious minorities, please e-mail your contact information to iran.program@hias.org and someone at HIAS will contact you.
