The Chai Center is an OUTSTANDING organization at the heart of the LA Jewish community. They are…read morerun by the Schwartz family and I've loved going to many of their events - the Dinner for 60 Strangers, the High Holydays services, the business networking lunch classes in Century City. A big thumbs-up for the Chai Center!!!

Progressives are welcome? Not quite. Bait and switch here. What looks harmless and sweet on the…read moreoutside does not predict the backwards and exclusionary agenda on the inside. Just attended their Yom Kippur service today. Oy vey. The "hip" website and WGA location obscured the true purpose for this "free" service. This was a CHABAD organization seeking to proselytize non practicing cultural Jews to undergo an orthodox transformation. It came complete with a curtain separating the men from the women. Nowhere was this obnoxious practice advertised. The rabbi went from insulting women to calling all non Jews "Goyim".. More than once. The Torah on the women's side was a tiny girly replica ( rhinestones, blue velvet and pink accents... REALLY?) being carried by a man. Come to think there was no female participation on bimah. This was orthodoxy dressed as hipster West LA. The rabbi was more interested in hearing himself telling a story about psychiatrist who killed himself because he was soul starved by not practicing Orthodox Judaism. He spoke so long he pushed back the Yizkhor memorial service for the dead which most in the audience had timed according to the schedule. Do not be fooled by the warm and fuzzy website or venue. According to these folks... I'm a bad Jewish mother who would only benefit in their myopic view of Judaism by lighting candles. FEH!

The world at times can seem dark, cold, and cruel, enter Neshuva, with rabbi Naomi Levy at the helm…read morebacked by the Neshuva Band together their divine sparks of Judaism's spirituality and rhythmic mysticism meander into your body and soul in a way which simple words cannot describe... As you enter and settle into your inconspicuous spot off to the side trying to just observe from a distance, you seem to find yourself intrigued by the rabbi's openness and just how genuine and human she is, her words are spoken with meaning yet missing all sense of pontification, soft and pleasant almost like you are a little kid hearing your mother reading a bed time story. You find that you went from an outsider observing to humming along as your soul's barriers simply melt mesmerized by the feeling of nonjudgmental unconditional love, you have not only become receptive allowing the surrounding light to enter, you now are the light and sharing it with others. Nashuva meets for Shabbat services the first Friday of every month and for community service the third Sunday of every month. We are committed to social action and to actively working to heal our world. We seek to engage people of other faiths and hope to move beyond token interfaith programs to true partnership. Edit Remove

Nashuva - what a great experience - think the band from the blues brothers, add a powerful…read morespiritual leader and what even my at-times-orthodox brother admits is a complete Jewish service, snuck into the great tunes.. combine together to make up what I initially though of as a very LA form of Judaism, and you have a once a month, not-to-be-missed event, no dues or fees...yowzah! It's all that and more, but does take a few visits to integrate it all, and not be totally thrown off by how different it is. Enjoy and Exalt. Amazing high holiday services, too; I especially recommend Tashlich at the beach and 2nd day Rosh Hashannah at Temescal. Having moved to Northern California two years ago, my family and I have returned to Nashuva for the high holidays and we try to time our occasional LA mini-vacations to align with Nashuva services. In examining how and why we feel so attached to Nashuva, it's in part because we always come away refreshed, energized and so happy to have attended and participated. How does that happen? It's because we are welcomed, recognized, included, engaged and raised up by Rabbi Naomi, the band, the volunteers and all the members of the community. That's an amazing number of positive elements to blend into a single, quick experience, and it certainly keeps us returning to Nashuva. While past performance is not a perfect predictor of future results, Nashuva has delivered a very high "return on investment" (ROI) of my time over the last 5 years.

I saw Adam Sandler attend this past Rosh Hashana. It was amazing. The synagogue itself was also…read morebeautiful and the service was great.

This post is only about Shabbat on June 22, 2018…read more I travel all of the county for work so when I saw I need to be in the area I called KI to get info. The lady on the phone was so nice and told me where to park, about security ect. I visited last night, the service was beautiful, the sermon was great, from the heart and powerful. Why only two stars you ask.... The congregation is very cold, not warm or welcoming at all. I have visited a lot of congregations in the LA area and this was hands down the coldest ever. Only one person spoke to me at all even when I tried. Next time my job has me in this area on Friday afternoon I will sit in traffic for 2 hours instead of wasting my time at this place.

This is another nice synagog me and my girlfriend had the pleasure of attending a month ago. Rabbi…read moreis nice here, and the congregation. We made some new friends, and met new people as we did at all the other congragations. I always feel spiritually lifted and encouraged when leaving the buildings.

Great friendly and welcoming folks…read more They invited me in for Rosh 2017 and did not ask for anything. Rabbi Weinberg is also a Lawyer, and Rabbi Rosenberg is a very experienced Rabbi from New York which is always a good sign. The Cantor Brice Megdal was excellent--what a great voice and energy. And Dr. Sarah Sela, a Gastro. Probably the friendliest leadership you will find and very different than most of the Temples in LA that have elitist attitude and not very welcoming, especially if you are single. You will feel very comfortable here Single, Couple, or Family. Everyone is down to earth. What they are looking for are congregants that willing to be a participant as opposed to just paying dues--although they can certainly use dues. Instead of "build it and they will come," here you will help build it and participate. And they are open to all kinds of suggestions if you want to be a leader, a friendly open leader. Like a start-up. People come here from far away because of the comfortable atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation. All ages are represented from Teens to Seniors. If you email Rabbi Weinberg, get ready for a quick response from him--he is very "hands on." I personally had the opportunity to talk with him for the first time before services and immediately you will enjoy his company. He is not only well versed in religious rituals but experienced in law and life and very approachable. It's not easy to find someone like that in a temple in LA or really anywhere. The only thing is that at the Rosh services--too much Hebrew for me--I just don't have that skill, but I am eternally grateful that they invited me when no one else in LA would. If you can read and understand Hebrew--you will be right at home. BTW: If you have any social networking skills--they can use an update to their website as well as promotion to new members on Facebook. Facebook needs to be a key part of the growth of this institution IMHO. No problem parking on Crescent Heights--just watch for cleaning day. They also have their own parking lot. Nice building, great area.

This Chabad was where a truly great man taught me the importance of being Jewish, may he rest in…read morepeace Rabbi Levitansky OB"M. He had to stand on a stepladder to help me put on my Tefilin headpiece, but he was a great man, far beyond his stature.

I can not say enough good things about Rabbi Teleschefsky. Incredibly, wise, kind, knowledgeable,…read morehumble, peaceful, and generous. Love this environment and community.

We attended Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock during Passover. My girlfriend is…read morefamiliar and have visited many of these location synagogs. She also has family and friends here that attend this location. I was happy to break bread and pray with the congregation. I am studying the Hebrew language now, and I eventually will be learning to pray and sing the Bibilical Torah scripts. The people were nice and welcoming here as well as all of the others I have visited. Its just nice to know that I will soon be fully part of the community, and that I can attend any Synagogs around the world.

Amazing leadership and staff. Very friendly and supportive congregation! You'll really feel…read morewelcomed there.

I was raised Catholic and have lived a mostly secular adult life. However, a friend of mine invited…read moreme to come along with him to their Shabbat service that included an "After Shul" concert. I came along with the mentality of having open eyes and an open heart. Change can be a good thing, and I was certainly curious to see how service was conducted in a Jewish Synagogue. I arrived a few minutes early with my friend and coffee/tea was being served amongst the chatting congregation. It wasn't long until I found a very charming and sweet woman talking to me about my day. She was one of the most genuine people I'd ever met. I felt very welcome here. The service was amazing and filled with wonderful music. For me, it was a big change from Catholic church where there can be prolonged periods of sermon-ing. I immediately felt a strong connection with Rabbi Lisa Edwards as she spoke during the service. It was the feeling of, "If I ever get married, this is the person I want performing my ceremony." I haven't been a religious person for a long time, but I wouldn't mind returning to this place of worship. Thank you, BCC.

I should have written this review a long time ago but never got a chance. We had my son's Bris…read morehere. My husband and I were looking for a reform temple that wouldn't charge arms and legs for their event room and would also be open to outside catering. After talking to Ruth I instantly decided that this temple was the one. Ruth was so easygoing, helpful and the price she quoted was amazing. My catering went over to the venue and kosherized the kitchen. They had their own tables, chairs and table cloths. Set up and cleaning was also included. Overall great experience having our event there and would definitely recommend it.

I go there for Minyan. The Rabbi is the best! And everyone is nice too.read more

Elie Levitansky is the best. He welcomes you in with open arms and will go WAY out of his way to…read morehelp out. Hey just cam to my new office and helped put up mezuzot on all the doors and gave an awesome d'var torah. Thanks!