Shabbaton | Nov 21 & 22

KABBALAT SHABBAT SERVICES | ONEG & ISRAELI DANCING | TORAH STUDY | SHABBAT MORNING SERVICES | COMMUNAL ART PROJECT | MAKE YOUR OWN GOLEM | KHTY TO KIDDOS | BABKA BAKE-OFF | MOVIES & MIDRASH | HAVDALLAH | MINI FOOD DRIVE TO HELP STOCK LOCAL FOOD BANKS FOR THANKSGIVING

Shabbaton Events November 21 & 22

 

Friday November 21

7pm Kabbalat Shabbat Services, followed by Oneg & Israeli Dancing

Led by Rabbi Allison with a dvar by Paper Midrash Israeli dancing led by Joshua & Shoshana Cohen

Isaac & Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik will share a pop-culture infused visual sermon on Parashat Toldot. Join us to explore the familiar story of sibling rivalry and blessing through midrash, comic books and superheroes. 

 

Saturday November 22

All Day: Pre-Thanksgiving Food Drive Please bring a bag of shelf stable foods to share with local food banks for Thanksgiving.

9:30AM Torah Study & Out of the Box Religious School

11AM Morning Shabbat Services

12:30PM Luncheon (registration required)

11:15-1:30 Communal Art Project with Paper Midrash in Anderson Hall

2-4PM Afternoon Sessions (registration closed)

• Make Your Own Golem (21 & up) with Paper Midrash Space is limited for this hands-on paper-cutting workshop led by our Shabbaton artists-in-residence! Learn the Jewish golem legend + create your own golem, merging traditional Jewish paper-cut crafting with a modern take on materials.

• KHTY to Kiddos (up to 10 years old) REGISTRATION CLOSED Our amazing teens (members of KHTY–Kol HaNeshamah Temple Youth) lead children ages 2–10 in an afternoon filled with joyful play, creativity, and connection.

• Babka Bake-Off   REGISTRATION CLOSED   Roll up your sleeves for a sweet Shabbaton baking adventure filled with fun, friends, and delicious surprises! led by Sasha Rayburn.

• Movie & Midrash Explore a multiverse of Jewish imagination on screen! Watch, reflect, and discuss a classic comic-world hero with Jewish roots. PG movie, all are welcome

4:30PM Havdalah

More About Paper Midrash:

Husband and wife “dynamic duo” Isaac and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik create new pathways into Torah, combining deep Jewish scholarship with comic books and pop culture for a unique take on traditional texts. They are the perfect fit for a community that wants to engage with Torah personally and deeply, with dynamic visual presentations and engaging hands-on workshops. They met at Jewish camp in high school, and have three children.

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik cuts up comic books and reassembles them into papercuts that explore the stories of the Jewish people, connecting popular culture with sacred texts. He has shown his papercuts in galleries across the globe, and has commissions in museums, synagogues, hospitals, and private collections. Isaac regularly speaks and writes about the intersection of art and Judaism, and is on the Executive Board of Jewish Artists Initiative, committed to fostering visual art by Jewish artists and promoting dialogue about Jewish identity and related issues. His work is frequently featured in print and online, including recent articles in The Forward, The L.A. Weekly, Cleveland Jewish News, and KCET’s “Artbound” series.

Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik adapts traditional Jewish concepts to a modern Reform context, and brings that synergy to students of all ages. She is an engaging teacher of Torah, bringing text to life with her unique, modern perspective. She received a Master of Hebrew Letters in 1998 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, and was ordained in 2002 as a member of HUC-JIR’s first Los Angeles class. Shawna is adjunct faculty in the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Los Angeles campus, and is adjunct rabbi at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, California. Before starting Paper Midrash she served as an Associate Rabbi at a Southern California congregation for 15 years. Shawna has been a member of the faculty of URJ Camp Newman since 2008 and was Porter Creek Site Director in the summer of 2019.