Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

KPCC Archive

Silverlake Independent JCC Blends Old And New Traditions In Yom Kippur Prayer Service

Crowds gathering outside the Siliverlake Indepedent Jewish Community Center before Yom Kippur service.
Crowds gathering outside the Siliverlake Indepedent Jewish Community Center before Yom Kippur service.
(
Courtesy SIJCC
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

October 9 was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Many spent the day fasting, praying and reflecting on the past year - as tradition has it. But in some L.A. synagogues, there’s room for new traditions. 

The fourth annual Yom Kippur service at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center was led by Deanna Neil, the founder of "Pop-Up Shul." It included many of the traditional torah readings and liturgy but shortened and sprinkled with modern twists, like the poetry of Mary Oliver and the music of Leonard Cohen.

"A lot of us have memories from our childhood of services that are really boring, or really not meaningful," said  SIJCC executive director Neil Spears. "We’re trying to take the best nuggets of Jewish wisdom, Jewish tradition, and Jewish text and re-enliven them to make them relevant today."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist