Calabasas congregation marks milestone




Temple Or Ami in Calabasas is marking its 13th anniversary this weekend and plans a congregation-wide bar mitzvah to celebrate the occasion.

A 13th birthday is significant in Judaism.

“When a young man or woman turns 13 they have taken the first steps on the road to adulthood, to coming of age,” said Paul Kipnes, rabbi of the Reform synagogue at 26115 Mureau Road. “Or Ami, at 13 years old, is coming of age.”

In commemoration, Or Ami will host a Friday night Sabbath service tomorrow, March 5, “in the round,” with congregants seated in a circle around the rabbi and cantor in the center.

The service at the temple is open to the public.

Everyone will have a role, Kipnes said. Religious school students will lead prayers they’ve learned. New members may bless the Torah during the reading portion, and the temple band and choir will participate.

A party for adults will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sat., March 6 at the Eretz Cultural Center in Tarzana. Music, dancing and auctions are among the activities planned. A creative review of the temple’s history will take place, Kipnes said. The cost to attend is $136 per person.

Families can celebrate together with games, music and food from noon to 3 p.m. Sun., March 7 at the Agoura/Calabasas Community Center. Cost is $18 for adults, $12 for teens, $10 for kids 6 through 12 and free for children 5 and under.

Kipnes, who became the synagogue’s spiritual leader in 1999, is proud of its development. Or Ami, Hebrew for “Light of My People,” originated in 1997 with 12 members who met in one of their living rooms. Today the congregation numbers 350 families. Kipnes attributes Or Ami’s success to “placing community first.”

“If you walk into the synagogue and really feel warmly welcomed and loved, you might stay to learn and to create relationships and participate in programs,” Kipnes said.

Kipnes likened the Or Ami experience to going to Disneyland.

“Why do people go to Disneyland? It’s not to ride a ride but because they want an experience,” Kipnes said. “It’s like a combination of Starbucks in the good old days when you’d walk in and feel like you’re in your living room. Like the Cheers bar where everyone knows your name.”

The synagogue has earned recognition from its national organization, the Union for Reform Judaism which represents 900 Reform congregations nationwide, for interfaith outreach, creative programming, education and community service.

“All the work we do for social action is a huge draw for many people because they feel that they can make a difference,” said Alice Goldsobel, a past president and current board adviser and a member of the choir, gala and ritual committees.

Among the causes members support are Habitat for Humanity, a local food pantry, Los Angeles County foster care children, elementary school literacy program and special needs children. Congregants also help international projects, including an annual walk to raise funds and awareness of issues in Darfur, Sudan and the Congo.

“Social justice is at the center of what we do because all the prayers and all the Torah study point to one thing, which is transforming the world to places of justice and compassion,” Kipnes said.

Music is an important aspect of services, Kipnes said. He called Doug Cotler, the temple’s cantor and a Grammy-winning composer, a “musical master.”

“He can do everything from traditional Jewish cantorial music to modern pop songs. . . .” Kipnes said. “He takes people on a musical journey that inspires and touches their soul.”

The synagogue plans to diversify and make educational offerings more creative; establish “affinity groups” for congregants to share interests such as bike riding, hiking and reading, and increase social action opportunities, Kipnes said.

“People come to temple because they want an experience with holiness and with community,” Kipnes said. “They want to connect with other people, and they want others to help shoulder their pain.”

Goldsobel and her husband, Donald, have been members for 12 years. They first met Kipnes during a woman’s conversion service in which he was officiating as a junior rabbi at a Sherman Oaks temple. The Goldsobels found the service moving.

“You could really tell that he knew this woman, knew her whole family, had been part of her learning experience,” Alice Goldsobel said. “There was just a magical way that he brought it all together.”

Shortly after, when Kipnes was hired by Or Ami, the Goldsobels attended a summer backyard service at a member’s home. As the sun was setting behind the mountains and the congregation sang, Alice Goldsobel felt a spiritual bond.

“There was this tremendous, instant bond of sharing that connected you to everyone seated around you,” Goldsobel said. “It’s a very unique congregation, like extended family.”

For more information, visit www.orami.org or call (818) 880-4880.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *