LA MESA, California – Each morning between Passover and Shavuot my twins ask, “what day are we counting?” It’s almost like the saying on long car rides “are we there yet?” I tell what day it is and tell them that it is one day less to wait when we get to celebrate the Torah and eat cheesecake. When they were little, we used to make paper chains and hang them from the ceiling or doorframe in their rooms and each day we would cut one of the circles off the chain to visualize how much closer we were getting to the celebration. Since they are not little and “too cool”, we just talk about it before they head off to school.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Young Israel of San Diego announces its “Parshiot Tazria-Metzora 5785” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 30 on Zoom. In this class, Rabbi Eddie Rosenberg will discuss questions such as: What might a brit mila symbolize? Why does Hashem in His Torah consider a person covered in tzaraat pure? And what is the symbolism of the purification of the metzora? Click here to join the session.
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Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Kol Tefillah band will be performing at 6:15 p.m., Friday, May 2. The band will welcome Shabbat with joy, music, and an awareness of God’s presence. Click here to learn more.
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Ner Tamid Synagogue invites the community to attend its “Yom Ha’atzmaut Kabbalat Shabbat Featuring Guest Cantor Gary Lewis” at 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 2. The evening includes a celebration for Israel, appetizers and services. Click here to register.
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Hadassah San Diego’s Kehilat Kesharim group will meet at 11:30 a.m., Monday, May 5 in the UTC/La Jolla Area. This is a networking group for Jewish business owners in the San Diego area. The event will include networking, the opportunity to learn, grow and have a “safe place” to discuss being a Jew in the current landscape. Click here to register and receive address.
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Congregation Beth Israel’s Adult Education Committee presents “Courageous Conversations Series with Rabbi Elana Ackerman Hirsch and Rachel Wegner” at 5:30 p.m., Thursdays starting May 8 and ending June 5. The committee is looking for a cohort of congregants that are interested in building empathy and having challenging conversations that allow everyone to be seen, heard and valued in the community. Click here to rsvp for the four-session course.
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Temple Emanu-El has scheduled its annual fundraiser “Back to the Future: Celebrating Past, Present and Future” by Thursday, May 1. The Gala will be held at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 10. Attendees are asked to dress in cocktail attire and all proceeds will go to the purchase of a new Torah. Click here to register.
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Anti-Defamation League San Diego announces its “Above and Beyond 2025: Helene and Joseph Sherwood Family Prize Awards for Law Enforcement Combating Hate” at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 21 at Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles. This event will honor law enforcement professionals and agencies dedicated to combating hate and protecting communities. Blanca Casanova, Crime Prevention Specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and Abigail Dillion, Deputy District Attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office will be awarded with Individual Honorees. Click here to rsvp.
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Congregation Beth Am’s Women’s Circle presents “Game Night” at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, May 25 at a private residence. Organizers report that attendees play a different game on each 4th Sunday of the month. Click here to rsvp and receive address.
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To view other events, previously listed in this column, please visit our San Diego Jewish Community Calendar page.
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CHABAD CENTER HAPPENING
East County invites the community to attend its “Community Shabbat Dinner” at 6:45 p.m., Friday, May 9. Click here to rsvp.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
Chabad at La Costa asks its congregation to volunteer to help deliver soup and challah. Click here for more information.
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Ner Tamid Synagogue reports it will be collecting fresh produce for Jewish Family Service’s Hands up Kitchen. Bring donations to services in the evening on Sunday, June 1.
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Congregation Dor Hadash invites participation in its philanthropic campaign “Everyone Counts 2025.” Campaign organizers report the goal of 50% has been reached and are looking forward to reporting 100% of its goal soon. Click here to participate.
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Steinreich Communications reports more than 100 American Orthodox rabbis from across the United States have signed onto a letter calling on the religious Zionist community to vote for Slate 5 – the Orthodox Israel Coalition-Mizrachi – in the ongoing World Zionist Congress elections. The letter, spearheaded by Rabbinical Council of America President Rabbi Zvi Engel, calls on the Orthodox community to vote for OIC-Mizrachi in the World Zionist Congress elections, which close May 4, as a means of strengthening Torah values, the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
The California rabbis who joined the letter include: Rabbi Kalman Topp of Beth Jacob Congregation, Beverly Hills; Rabbi Daniel Reich of Congregation Adat Yeshurun, La Jolla; Rabbi Elazar Muskin of Young Israel of Century City, Los Angeles; Rabbi Gershon Albert of Beth Jacob Congregation, Oakland; and Rabbi Joel Landau of Adath Israel, San Francisco.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant of the San Diego Jewish World.