If you’re in LA you probably already know about IKAR and Rabbi Sharon Brous the community’s charismatic leader. But for those of you not in the know, IKAR is probably best described as Los Angeles’ leading Jewish independent community. It’s a fantastic blend of worship, social action and (I’m told) as of late, study. Rabbi Brous is according to Newsweek one of America’s top 50 rabbis and IKAR ‘the community’ is (also according to Newsweek) one of the 25 most vibrant Jewish communities in America.
Yup, IKAR is pretty much considered a “super COOL shul community” by most people I know.
Back in 2006/07 when I was preparing to move to Los Angeles, I was pretty sure IKAR was going to be one of the communities Tamara and I would end up belonging to. It was one of the two shuls we attended regularly, when I first arrived in Los Angeles but unfortunately, at the time IKAR didn’t work for me all that well. In theory it should have been a good fit but it just didn’t pan out that way. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with IKAR. In fact it’s quite the opposite. IKAR is IMO an important and special place with great potential. I think it was just a question of differing styles and priorities. For one thing I was never comfortable doing my communal Shabbat davenning (which is far from being my favourite thing at the best of times.) in a JCC community room. I guess I’m just into what I consider to be a more traditional shul space. Also back in 2007 when I arrived in Los Angeles IKAR was IMO very focused on "soulful community prayer" and social action projects. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things but group prayer has never been an aspect of Judaism that gets me very excited and the few things I do connect to in terms of prayer were not unfortunately things that IKAR did as a community. As for the social justice aspect, well I come from a left wing social justice sort of background, so it wasn’t something I felt so compelled to plug into Jewishly. Social justice is something I have been doing for most of my life without Judaism and therefore not a priority in terms of my "Jewish" practice. At the time (and still in many ways today) I was more interested in opportunities for plugging into traditional observance and study. I wanted to learn about subjects like Kashrut, Mussar and Jewish Law. Unfortunately I just didn’t see any serious study/learning happening at IKAR back when we were attending services there.
As a side note: I recently learned from someone (whom I consider to be a very reliable source) that IKAR has a multiyear plan regarding its community building approach. Apparently the first couple of years were about getting the community connected to a deep and soulful davenning. Then from what I understand the second phase was focused on creating a culture of social action/engagement. Now according to my “source” the third phase (which I guess is happening as we speak) revolves around creating a community of study. When it’s laid out like that it does make sense. I guess I just got there a little too early to be able to plug into the study phase which hadn’t begun yet. Bummer! However, knowing what I know now maybe it’s time to start checking IKAR out again.
Anyhow all of that to say that it looks like things have changed a little over at IKAR as of late. Over the past several months IKAR in conjunction with the American Jewish University, has been running an amazing lecture series titled the "IKAR of Judaism”. While I haven’t actually attended any of the lectures in person, I have been listening to recordings of them online and they’re quite impressive.
While IKAR bills itself as an independent community, Rabbi Brous as well as all of the guest lecturers (at least the ones I know of) are associated with this series are either from Ziegler or JTS, two institutions affiliated with the Conservative Movement. What am I getting at? Let me tell you! In some very important ways (based on what I have heard)IKAR is in fact IMO promoting what I see as a very deep, vibrant and relevant form of Conservative Judaism. I don’t mean in terms of institutional affiliation but rather with regard to their theological/philosophical/ethical understanding and orientation. I realize that to some from the independent scene my statement may be seen as inaccurate and maybe even offensive but I mean it as a huge compliment. Honest! That being said, this post is already way too long, so any further explanation will have to wait until I have time to write a separate post on the subject.
I haven’t listened to all of these lectures yet but the ones I have heard are pretty freaking impressive. They cover a variety of subjects including theology, prayer, Shabbat and kashrut.! The subjects are presented in a way that strikes a near-perfect balance between traditional understanding and modern liberal sensibilities. In short this isn’t the kind of stuff you’re gonna hear about from your local Chabad Rabbi and (with all due respect to Chabad,) I mean that in the best way possible.
I know an Orthodox rabbi who refers to non-Orthodox Judaism as "Judaism lite" and while I respect this rabbi and his opinion, this series goes a long way in disproving any such notion. I have no doubt in my mind that these lectures can provide listeners with a serious framework for engaging with an authentic and relevant Jewish observance. Having listened to several audios now, there seems to be an underlying theme suggesting that we have an opportunity (and in fact a responsibility) as Jews to engage with ritual and observance, not merely for the sake of tradition but because they are an incredible (and I might add distinctively Jewish) vehicle for spiritual, social and world transformation.
Maybe I’m projecting a little here but this series has really been spot on, in so many ways and more importantly, I think it manages to arouse a sense of curiosity, excitement and responsibility for owning ones Jewish Journey.
Have a listen and let me know if you agree!
In closing I’d like to say, Yasher Koach to the folks at IKAR for making these lectures freely available to the general public. They are an incredible resource to all but especially to those who live outside of the major Jewish centers and have limited access to similar learning opportunities.
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From their website.
We believe that serious, passionate, and authentic engagement with Torah is an enduring response to the deepest cry of the human heart.
We believe that prayer and learning in a kehillah kedoshah, a holy community, can be soulful, inspiring, and profoundly impactful.
We believe that matters of the spirit are intimately linked to matters of the world, and that the Jewish community has a distinct responsibility to participate in social justice and tikkun, healing.
At the heart of everything we do is a sense that human relationships are the foundation for all personal and societal transformation.
Our programs are designed to foster a sense of community and create opportunities for learning, social action and fun.
In any city, especially one the size of Los Angeles, a sense of community can be hard to find and even harder to sustain. Our community transcends geographical limitations and focuses on building meaningful connections between individuals through Torah, Tefillah and Tikkun.
The Ikar of Judaism Series
The Holidays: Overview Part One (from 11/10/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousThe Holidays: Overview Part Two (from 11/10/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousShabbat: The Laws (from 11/17/09)
Rabbi Aaron AlexandarTefillah: The Words Part One (from 11/24/09)
Rabbi Ed FeinsteinTefillah: The Words Part Two (from 11/24/09)
Rabbi Ed FeinsteinTefillah: Modalities Part One (from 12/1/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousTefillah: Modalities Part Two (from 12/1/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousLet The World Take Your Breath Away – Praying Like You Mean It Part One (from 12/8/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousLet The World Take Your Breath Away – Praying Like You Mean It Part Two (from 12/8/09)
Rabbi Sharon BrousTheology Part One (from 1/5/10)
Rabbi Bradley Shavit ArtsonTheology Part Two (from 1/5/10)
Rabbi Bradley Shavit ArtsonMusic and Shul Rituals Part One (from 1/12/10)
Hillel Tigay and Rabbi Sharon BrousMusic and Shul Rituals Part Two (from 1/12/10)
Hillel Tigay and Rabbi Sharon BrousTanakh (from 1/19/10)
Dr. Rabbi Avi HaviviKashrut: Theory and Practice (from 1/26/10)
Rabbi Sharon BrousKashrut: An Ethical System Part One (from 2/2/10)
Rabbi Chaim Seidler FellerKashrut: An Ethical System Part Two (from 2/2/10)
Rabbi Chaim Seidler FellerThe God Dilemma Part One (from 2/9/10)
Rabbis Brad Artson and Sharon BrousThe God Dilemma Part Two (from 2/9/10)
Rabbis Brad Artson and Sharon BrousLife and Death: The Cycle Part One (from 2/16/10)
Rabbi Ed FeinsteinLife and Death: The Cycle Part Two (from 2/16/10)
Rabbi Ed Feinstein
I’m really excited about these lectures, especially seeing that Rabbi Artson is talking about theology. I listened to a podcast of his on “Process Theology” and I thought to myself that he could have saved me decades of being unsure of how I could understand God in a way that really made sense to me. A lot of what he said was very close to my own ideas of God that I had only finally come to on my own in my 40′s. I had been trying to make sense of it since at least my teens which is when I had come to reject Christianity because I could not accept Christian concepts of God and aspects of that worldview including damnation.
I too wish to study Conservative Jewish thought from a serious perspective. Many people dismiss CJ because a large percentage of the people who self-identify as C Jews are not very observant or Jewishly knowledgeable. But they miss the fact that CJ is not just about being more lenient about Jewish law (and in a very few cases it can actually be more strict than Orthodoxy). I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts from the Mechon Hadar website (http://www.mechonhadar.org/online-learning), which although attempting to cast themselves as separate from CJ, really does have a CJ outlook even if not a part of institutional CJ and more traditional. It reaches far enough over in the MO direction that it can have some YCT (very liberal MO rabbinical school) rabbis speak.
I tried listening to the Shabbat lecture (maybe I started with the wrong one), but it was aimed at an audience with very little knowledge of Jewish ritual. These lectures might be good for people new to Judaism or from rather non-observant Jewish families (the case for many members of the actual live audience, I think). Avi, you can let me know if there are other lectures i might like beter.
I might have been able to find some interesting insights embedded in it, but it was just too excruciating to listen to the speaker define every single basic Hebrew word, its literal meaning and what it refers to in practice. I tried to listen to the lectures a second time after I got impatient the first time. But when the speaker started to define “kiddush”, I couldn’t take it any more.
I suspect that IKAR is too non-traditional for my tastes what with the drums and amplification on Shabbat.
The Mechon Hadar lectures are more my speed even if I don’t understand most of the Hebrew and rely on the English translations.
Hi there Debbie,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you with this reply but I got sidetracked. One of the less thrilling parts of running this site, is that I spend way too much time on the back end tinkerin.
Anyhow, enough with my excuses let’s get on to the reply.
I think you’re right in terms of the level and overall depth of this series. It’s definitely more geared to the novice/beginner. From what I understand (and as I’ve mentioned in the post) IKAR is just beginning to get into community study, so it only makes sense that things would start off at a more basic and introductory level. Also, you’re kind of a power Jew and probably more knowledgeable than a lot of people out there. No big surprise that some of this stuff seems remedial to you. That being said I definitely think that there’s some good stuff up on the website. Anything by Rabbi Ed Feinstein is always going to be entertaining and insightful but what I really (personally) have enjoyed is the Rabbi Brous’ lecture on kashrut. Part one is a little the introductory side of things but the second part, in my opinion frames things in an interesting way. She talks about traditional kashrut in a way that ties it into ethical and environmental issues. You might want to give those a listen. I think they are a great example of what I would call a “transcend and include” approach to Judaism.
As for IKAR, while it has been quite a while since I’ve since spent Shabbat there, from I recall it’s a very traditional davening that takes place there. It’s not a drum circle it’s one drum, which btw one can make a strong argument for using from a halachic point of view. The diving is pretty much all Hebrew using Sim Shalom. They do kind of have their own meditative spin on the Shema but besides that, I’d say it’s much more traditional service then you going to find in the average American conservative shul. It’s a highly participatory and I’m told that a lot of people from an Orthodox background really enjoy davening there.
Oh also, I’m not sure about the microphone usage but I don’t remember it when I was there. However the place has been growing in leaps and bounds, so maybe they just for practical reasons now need to use amplification so that everyone can actually hear what’s being said. Like I said though, I don’t remember ever seeing a microphone there.
Downloading the Ikar series, will give you my take on it.
Me, a “power Jew”? LOL. Well, thanks for the compliment. I guess it is all relative. In my minyanim, my skills and knowledge and observance levels are below average. And the other JBC are as knowledgeable as the JBB: one has a BA in Jewish Studies; one is a Jewish educator who has been the director of the a few different Hebrew schools in her career; one did the Rishon Torah reading every Shabbat one year and has read tons of Jacob Milgrom. I love the way that my Jewish communities inspire me to grow as a Jew. It may be surprising, but despite the high typical level of knowledge, they are quite welcoming of less knowledgeable Jews and very accepting of less than impressive davening, leyning, and D’vrei Torah, so people are encouraged and do learn new skills.
I might try these IKAR lectures again, but I’ve been catching up on the latest Mechon Hadar lectures on Jewish Law. And I really liked the lectures by the Orthodox rabbi on Halachic process. (I’ll write my comments on that forum post.) Plus I’ve liked the some of the JTS lectures. So I’ve had plenty of other stuff to listen to.
Loved the lecture on “praying like you mean it”