Welcome to Days of Awesome at SIJCC!
Each year, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the days in between invite us to reconnect with what matters most. In Jewish tradition, they are called the Days of Awe. At SIJCC, we call them the Days of Awesome. The Days of Awesome are a community-rooted invitation to show up just as you are. To reconnect with yourself. To recast belonging. To remember that we are part of something imaginative and courageous.
Come with questions, hopes, hurts. Bring your family, your friends, your imagination.
Everybody-friendly. God-optional. Community-created.
Childcare, youth programming, and three communal meals will nourish us along the way.
See options below to decide what’s right for you.
Hold On To What Matters
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah Experience & Lunch
Tuesday, Sept 23
Gather up what matters most: one another, community, LA love, imagination, and sacred symbols of life. Art, music, apples, honey, and the raw, wild call of the shofar. Rooted in ritual, expansive in expression. A sacred, sensory invitation to reconnect with what matters most.
9 am: Check in Begins
9:30 am: Tot Service (free)
9:45 am: Youth Experiences + Childcare Available
10 am: Rosh Hashanah Experience begins
12 pm: Board-Hosted Lunch
Member/Non-Member Pricing:
Adult (18+) - $125 / $175
Teen (6th-12th grade) - $100 / $125
Kid (K-5th) - $60 / $75
Young Child (2-TK) - $40 / $50
Children Under 2 - Free
Add-Ons:
Adult Lunch (18+) - $25 / $30
Youth Lunch (2-18) - $15 / $25
Add childcare (2-TK) - $10 / $20
UnLoose:
Immersive Art Installation
Kol Nidre
Pre-Fast Meal & Kol Nidre Installation
Wed, October 1st
5 pm - 6:19 pm: Pre-Fast Meal
6 pm - 8 pm: Childcare Available
6:19 pm - 8 pm : Installation
A twilight transition to release what is not yours to hold onto. Inspired by the haunting beauty of the Kol Nidre prayer, immerse yourself in letting go. Come for a moment or stay all evening. Come imperfect. Leave unburdened.
This installation is for ages 10 and older. Childcare is available from 6 - 8 pm for children ages 2-10.
Children under 2 may be in the installation with parent.
Member/Non-Member Pricing:
Installation (10+) - Free / $10
Childcare (2-10) - $10 / $15
Adult Pre-Fast Meal (10+) - $30 / $40
Child Pre-Fast Meal (2-10) - $10 / $15
Children 2 and Under - Free
The anonymous form below asks you to share the fears you are carrying. They will be read aloud and witnessed during UnLoose: A Kol Nidre Immersive Art Installation.
You can be present for the reading - or not.
Through music and visual art, our fears will transform. Looser. Lighter. And less alone.
We are more than our fears.
Please email rabbikerry@sijcc.net with any questions.
This experience is part of NuRoots’ Sweet Return festival. Discover the lineup at nuroots.org/sweetreturn.
Please note photography will take place at this event — let us know if you have any questions.
Yom Kippur
Courage in Community
Yom Kippur Experience +
LIGHT Yoga + Soundbath
Thursday, October 2nd
On this holiest day, connect with the courage of open-heartedness - to introspect, to accept, and to act. Gather in community and among the wisdom, words, and melodies of our ancestors, and be renewed.
Our Yom Kippur observance will include Yizkor, a collective remembering of those we’ve lost. You are invited to submit images of loved ones—ancestors, friends, sonograms, even cherished pets—for a community slideshow honoring the fullness of memory and mourning. Please email your photos to babs.gray@sijcc.net by September 26th.
9 am: Check in Begins
9:30 am: Tot Service (free)
9:45 am: Youth Experiences + Childcare Available
10 am: Yom Kippur Experience begins
12 pm: LIGHT Yoga + Sabbath Session Sound Bath
Member/Non-Member Pricing:
Adult (18+) - $125 / $175
Teen (6th-12th grade) - $100 / $125
Kid (K-5th) - $60 / $75
Young Child (2-TK) - $40 / $50
Children Under 2 - Free
Add-Ons:
LIGHT Yoga + Soundbath (18+) - $10 / $15
Childcare (2-TK) - $10 / $20
Yom Kippur Workshop:
LIGHT Yoga & Sabbath Session Sound Bath
This offering by Lea Lion and Craig Wedren is a vehicle to explore inner and outer space through gentle movement, shared breath and sound healing. Yoga + soundbath uses the ancient modalities of movement and sound to harmonize mind, body and spirit. The yoga element invites breath into the body and enables the nervous system to shift into rest, relax, restore. When mind and body are in a state of relaxation, soundbath helps facilitate a deep healing journey through ambient vocal space.
Available as an add-on for your Days of Awesome Ticket Package or Yom Kippur ticket.
Ritual Leaders & Musicians
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As a ritualist, teacher, and spiritual counselor, Rabbi Kerry Chaplin (yes, that is her real name) practices and preaches an embodied, living spirituality through authentic relationship with one’s own mind, body, and spirit. He believes that sharing this authenticity with others and with the Divine, however you understand the Divine today, deepens connections that help us live better.
Before becoming a rabbi, Rabbi Kerry was a community organizer, living all things justice. In every community where she has served as a rabbi, from Hillel at UCLA and Vassar College, to Lab/Shul, to Beit T’Shuvah, Rabbi Kerry has been committed to helping those at the margins experience connection with themselves, others, and Something Bigger.
She is grateful for her teachers at the Ziegler School, Washington University in St. Louis, her yoga teachers, and so many others known and unknown. She lives and plays with her kiddo Frankie, wife Julia, and kitty and Smudgy.
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Marnina Schon Wirtschafter (she/they) loves co-creating joyful, accessible, and meaningful ritual experiences, from 30+ b'nei mitzvah services, to the SIJCC Days of Awesome. Rooted in a pluralistic Jewish upbringing in Berkeley, Marnina studied at UCLA, organized with Bend the Arc, and explored Yiddishkayt in Germany and Eastern Europe. As a performer, Marnina starred in the Sundance dramedy series Chanshi, sang and fiddled in the musical Once, appeared in series on Netflix & Hulu, and played violin on Dropout TV with the Play It By Ear band!
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Micah O’Konis (they/them) is a musician and comedy writer originally from the Chicago suburbs. Micah leads Jewish music professionally with Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the Silverlake Independent JCC, and Hebrew Helpers, where they have helped to soundtrack the unique and personal family milestones for countless b’nei mitzvah services. Micah also composes and produces music for film scores, commercials, and finds the time to write funny songs whenever possible.
Marnina & Micah are a couple that loves to collaborate! Married earlier this year, they work together to lead religious services and perform together as the musical comedy duo Couplet, most recently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they premiered their original show Honey Honey Moon Moon. It also happened to be their honeymoon! Additionally, they appear monthly at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade comedy theater as a part of Quick & Funny Musicals. They feel honored to return the Days of Awesome for a second year with the SIJCC community!
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Dave Wilder is a Grammy nominated songwriter, film and TV composer, and multi-instrumentalist who has written songs for Macy Gray, De La Soul, and Rod Stewart to name a few. You can hear Dave’s bass playing on albums by Norah Jones, Ziggy Marley, De La Soul, Empire of the Sun, and everywhere in between.
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An uncommonly versatile musician, cellist Maggie Parkins is active as a performer and a teacher. As a member of the Eclipse Quartet, she has commissioned numerous new works for string quartet. Parkins is also a member of the Mojave Piano Trio and Brightwork new music ensemble. She has performed under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein, and Simon Rattle. Her orchestral experience includes the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Pasadena Symphony and the LA Master Chorale. Parkins is heard on the Albany, Tzadik, Bridge, and New World labels. She has performed in festivals all over Europe and North America such as Cadaques, Tacklos, Scarlatti, Victoriaville, Banff and Tanglewood. She taught cello and chamber music at UC Irvine for 19 years before joining the faculty at Pomona College in 2016. Parkins has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Doctorate from SUNY at Stony Brook.
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Davey Chegwidden is a professional percussionist, drummer, producer, and songwriter from the Philadelphia area. Since 1996, he's been based in Los Angeles, working with artists like De La Soul, Harry Styles, and the Black Eyed Peas. He has numerous credits in film, TV, and video games, including Ocean's 13, Captain Phillips, and Red Dead Redemption.
Davey also ventures into production and songwriting, contributing to Grammy-nominated projects like De La Soul's And the Anonymous Nobody and working with artists such as Aloe Blacc and Raheem DeVaughn. He's served as a musical director for De La Soul, Scion, and XBox/Microsoft.
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Craig Wedren is a sound healer, renowned musician (Shudder to Think) and composer for film and TV (The Kids Are All Right, Wet Hot American Summer, Yellowjackets).
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Tamir Barzilay is an Israeli-born drummer, percussionist, producer, and composer based in Los Angeles, California. He has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Macy Gray, Jason Mraz, Adam Lambert, Larry Carlton, Lady Blackbird, John Carroll Kirby, Natasha Bedingfield, Kate Hudson, The Staves, Yemen Blues and more.
Tamir works from his recording studio in North Hollywood, California, where he composes and records music and film scores for both national and international artists and producers.
In March 2021, Tamir independently released the instrumental album “Home Is Not A Place,” featuring nine tracks that showcase his multifaceted musicianship and compositional skills.
Building on this success, Tamir is set to release his forthcoming instrumental album with Colorfield Records — “Phosphene Journal,” in May 2025. While specific details about the album’s content remain under wraps, fans can anticipate a continuation of Barzilay’s innovative approach to instrumental music, reflecting his diverse influences and experiences.
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Leah has the unique pedigree of being an accomplished musician with impeccable taste and a beloved educator with a true understanding of how children connect to music. Leah has been praised by the LA Times, KPCC and can be heard on countless albums, tv shows and films as a flutist and composer. A native of Buffalo, NY, Leah studied flute performance at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After college Leah moved to Brooklyn where she was active in the indie and new music scenes as well as establishing her own reputation as a composer with a distinct and compelling voice. Leah moved to Los Angeles in 2011 where she began working as an orchestrator in film and television, as well as a studio musician on the flute. Sweet Potato Music was created after the birth of her daughter in 2017 as a way to actively engage children musically. Her children's music is filled with exuberant pop riffs, soaring string arrangements and toe-tapping drum beats. This is children's music you will want to hear on repeat.
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Lea Lion is a yoga teacher at Silverlake Yoga, Still Yoga and the founder of the Temple of the Trees school of yoga.
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Ryan P. Griffin is a visual artist based out of Los Angeles, CA. Griffin uses projected light as a vehicle to activate the environment in a poetic, performative and public way. The artist’s practice incorporates drawing, painting, photography, animation and video, while extending these traditions through contemporary digital media tools to share unique experiences and stories. Griffin graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
His works have been performed and exhibited across the nation as well as internationally. The artist organizes frequent happenings, Projected Visions, using projected light to radically repurpose the environment. Griffin has partnered with cultural institutions for unique public art commissions most recently with NOW Art for Luminex 2.0 and the Elysian Valley Arts Collective for the Illuminate the Night. As well as working during the pandemic with the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission for their Art Happens Anywhere program.
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Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Lily is a JLC teacher at SIJCC. She loves to use Jewish stories, traditions, and shtickiness to build community with incredible kids!
Artist-in-Residence
Debra Disman
Debra Disman is a Los Angeles-based artist known for her work inspired by the book, both as a solo practitioner and in the public sphere of community engagement. Her practice traverses textiles, installation, sculpture and performance to push the familiar into forms that arrest and baffle, while simultaneously offering places of contemplation and solace. As a maker, teaching artist, researcher and writer she creates work and projects which investigate states of being and connectiveness through intensive interactions with materials while attempting to fully explore and exploit their haptic properties.
Her work is widely shown in museums, galleries, art centers, universities and libraries including The Torrance Art Museum; Art Share LA; The Irvine Fine Arts Center; The New Bedford Art Museum; The Brand Library and Art Center; ReflectSpace Gallery in Glendale, CA; Craft Contemporary in LA: The Long Beach Museum of Art; The University of the Arts in Philadelphia; The Cape Cod Museum of Art; and The Charles E. Young Research Library at UCLA, as well as through social practice and community endeavors.
Disman was the featured artist for the 2016 Big Read in LA and recipient of an 2016-17 WORD: Artist Grant / Bruce Geller Memorial Prize. She was commissioned by LA’s Craft Contemporary to create the interactive book “Chromatic Interactions” in 2017 and 18th Street Arts Center to create the artists’ book, “Unfolding Possibilities” in 2021. Her book “CONCURRENCIES Charlotte Salomon and Eva Hesse: Genius, Trauma and the Creative Imagination” was published by ReflectSpace Gallery/Glendale Arts and Culture in 2023.
She was a 2018 Studio Resident at the Camera Obscura Art Lab at 1450 Ocean in Santa Monica, and has served as an Artist-in-Residence for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs since 2017, directing the “We Write the Book” project. A Santa Monica Artist Fellow in 2021-22, she has been a local artist in residence at 18th Street Arts Center since 2018.
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Absolutely! We are everybody-friendly and God-optional.
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Children are welcome at all Days of Awesome events, except Break-Fast (21+).
Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur: All ages welcome; childcare available.
Kol Nidre Installation: The Pre-Fast meal is all ages. The immersive installation is recommended for ages 10+; childcare available for younger children.
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A ticket must be purchased for each child over the age of two.
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Unless you are purchasing a ticket package, you must add on meals, childcare, or the Yom Kippur soundbath. You will see this options when you choose your ticket type.
Childcare is included with a children’s ticket for the Kol Nidre pre-fast meal.
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We will have a security checkpoint with professional security personnel. We ask that every adult show a photo ID that matches the name on their ticket. Please arrive early.
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Yes, the Box is wheelchair accessible and accessible bathrooms are available in the ECE building. Please contact us for additional accessible needs at info@sijcc.net.
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Childcare is available for children ages 2 - 5 for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur from 9:45 am to noon.
For the Kol Nidre Installation, childcare is available for children ages 2 - 10 from 6 pm - 8 pm.Please be sure to add childcare onto your ticket when purchasing, it may not be purchased at the door.
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Tot Service is included with ticket purchase. Any child attending tot service must have a parent present.
Tot Service begins at 9:45 am and lasts roughly 10 minutes.
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Whatever feels comfortable! Everything from jeans to suits is fine. Some people wear white on Yom Kippur, but that’s not required. We want you to be able to focus on what’s happening on the inside, not the outside.
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Childcare is only available for attendees of our Days of Awesome services.
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If you need to cancel your tickets, we’ll miss you! Refunds are available up to 7 days before each event. After that, we cannot provide a refund.
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There will be no on-site parking available for these events. Please plan ahead for parking, rideshare, or public transit. The streets surrounding SIJCC have various street parking options.
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Yes! We love to have community members join us for various volunteer roles. Please email us at info@sijcc.net if you’d like to volunteer.
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We don’t have sliding scale tickets - However, we understand that cost may be prohibitive for some. If price is a barrier, please reach out about volunteer opportunities—we’d love to have you with us.
DOA
FAQs
Parking
There will be no on-site parking available for these events. Please plan ahead for parking, rideshare, or public transit. The streets surrounding SIJCC have various street parking options.
Public Transit
We are about a 14 minute walk from the Sunset/Vermont Metro station on the B Line (formerly the Red Line).
The #2 bus also drops off right in front of the center on Sunset.
Plan your trip here: https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/
Ticket Packages
For the first time ever, we're offering ticket packages so you can secure your spot at our cornerstone Days of Awesome events with one easy purchase.
Packages include tickets to three events and two meals including:
Sept 23 – Rosh Hashanah Experience + Communal Meal
Oct 1 – Kol Nidre Meal + Installation
Oct 2 – Yom Kippur Experience
Our new membership program includes discounts on Days of Awesome tickets plus many more perks! Enter your Member ID when prompted to access Member pricing.
Package Member/Non-Member Pricing:
Adult (18+) - $300 / $420
Teen (6th-12th grade) - $225 / $300
Kid (K-5th) - $145 / $190
Young Child (2-TK) - $100 / $140
Children Under 2 - Free
Add childcare to all events (2-TK) - $20 / $40
Please note: Packages do not include the LIGHT Yoga + Soundbath Session or Break-Fast on October 2. These options are available to add on while purchasing.
