Hi Friends,

I hope you’ll join me this Shabbat afternoon for our next Nosh n Drosh, Part One of “How in the World did Covid-Halacha work?" I’m excited about presenting the thinking behind some of the unprecedented (for us) Covid-era Halachic decisions that we made for our community. I hope that the discussion will be enlightening both with regard to the specific issues at hand, and with regard to the larger methodology of communal Halachic decision-making. In addition, we’ll be laying the Halachic groundwork for some of the Covid-era changes that we will be extending into the post-Covid era as well!! Don’t miss the fun!

Rav Yosef
How in the World did Covid-Halacha work? Part One
June 19th at 5PM
Ablin Home || 8832 S. Pickford St. || Childcare Available On-Site

Rosh HaShanah davening finished in record time in 2020. The ordinary rules and practices around Torah reading were also altered dramatically in light of Covid-spawned health concerns. Ditto for the rules of Mikvah preparation. Join Rav Yosef as we look back and explore how halachic authorities (including our own) set priorities and arrived at decisions during the pandemic, and to gain deeper understanding of halachic process more generally.
***Childcare available for kids, 6 months+, on-site at the Ablin backyard.
UPCOMING NOSH N' DROSH SCHEDULE
Shabbat, June 26

Sharing Privilege: Making Space for Boaz and Ruth
Within our Shul community there exist economic, social, identity and other disparities which in turn affect social and religious access in myriad ways, including in many well-hidden ways. Our community is invited to share and to listen to the stories of community members who are often overlooked, to the end of making our community a more inclusive and participatory space. Just as Boaz opened his field for Ruth to glean, we will together identify ways to enlarge our space for the many Ruths among us. Panelists include Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC and BDJ Members Cindy Kaplan Abrookin, and Rhoda Weisman. If you would like to relate a personal story about an experience when you felt like a "Ruth," please fill out the survey below no later than Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Anonymous submissions are welcome and will be read by a panelist.  
Sunday, July 11

Torah and Mental Health: Processing Trauma and Loss
Rabbi Dr. Saul Haimoff (author of Handbook of Torah and Mental Health) is a clinical psychologist and rabbinic educator who uses Torah texts to elucidate mental health practices, and explores the ways that concepts of modern psychology can illuminate Torah sources as well. In "Processing Trauma and Loss," Rabbi Dr. Haimoff explores the lessons that our religious and national stories can teach us about navigating adversity in all shapes and forms.
 
Shabbat, July 31

Building Bridges: Teens and Parents from Black Churches and an Orthodox Shul
Join the discussion as Black and Jewish parents and teens share their experiences as participants in two dynamic programs over the past year. Parents of teens and young children from BDJ and Faithful Central Bible Church (FCBC) in Inglewood came together in a series of discussion groups, led by Rabbanit Alissa and Pastor Kasey. On a separate track, teens from BDJ and First AME Church participated in a series of meetings to speak frankly and transparently about their experiences of stereotyping and prejudice, under the professional facilitation of Dr. Claudia Shields, Associate Professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Shabbat, August 7

How in the world did Covid-Halacha work?? Part Two
You can (or can’t) do that over Zoom?!?
The pandemic raised all kinds of questions about the relationship between technology and Halacha that will certainly continue to have implications going forward. Rav Yosef will examine many of these questions: How does a minyan work over Zoom? The recitation of kaddish? How were we able to fulfill our obligation of megillah reading? And what about the whole Zoom seder question? What factors are at play and how did the halachic process unfold? And what happens now?