Join us at Temple Judea Sunday, June 1 at 5pm for a meaningful Shavuot service

This week, we step into summer with deep gratitude for the people who make Temple Judea the vibrant, multigenerational Jewish home that it is: you. This is also the time that we invite you to renew your annual commitment — not just to your synagogue, but to your community: a place where toddlers sing Shabbat songs, teens lead with heart, adults keep learning, and elders gather as lifelong friends.

This weekend, Temple Judea invites the entire community to join in a powerful experience of recognition, gratitude, and action.

Once a year, we gather as a sacred community to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. This year's Annual Congregational Meeting, on Wednesday, May 14 @ 7pm, it's a meaningful opportunity to hear directly from lay and professional leadership, and help shape our shared future by voting on the proposed 2025-2026 budget and electing an incoming Board of Directors.

This week marks the launch of the final phase of our Play Yard Project — and your support is needed to bring this special space to life.

Passover has just ended, but the heart of the Jewish calendar remains full. As we emerge from the story of liberation, we enter a sacred stretch of time known as the “three Yoms”—a season that calls us to remember, to honor, and to celebrate the resilience of our people and the spirit of our homeland.

We hope your Passover began with a meaningful and joyful seder, filled with good food, deep conversation, and the warmth of family and community. During this week of Passover, as we crunch on matzah, we continue to reflect on the fact that true freedom isn't just something we celebrate—it’s something we live.

This Saturday, families across the San Fernando Valley and beyond will come together at Passover seder tables, united by the time-honored traditions of wine, Haggadot, matzah, charoset, and—of course—the four questions. For over 3,000 years, we’ve gathered to retell the story of our people’s escape from bondage, a powerful reminder that “each person, in every generation, must see themselves as if they personally left Egypt.” While traditions and recipes may differ, the heart of Passover remains unchanged: it’s a celebration of resilience and freedom. This timeless message inspires us, year after year, to confront personal challenges, injustice, oppression, and antisemitism with courage and determination. Whether your seder embraces tradition or takes a modern twist, Temple Judea wishes you a Chag Pesach Sameach—a joyful, meaningful Passover for you and your loved ones!

The year’s emotional highlight came at the HaZamir International Festival in New York, where nearly 400 Jewish teens from 33 chapters across the U.S. and Israel gathered. On March 23, they performed at Carnegie Hall, sharing moving renditions of familiar prayers and songs.

We all know what to expect from our usual Passover Seder: Kiddush, matzah and maror, the symbols on the Seder plate, and of course, eating the Passover meal. We also know there is much more of the Seder that - let's face it - we don't always get to.  There's more meaning, more stories, more culture, more songs, more wine, more prayers, and even more eating! So this year, your Temple Judea clergy team will be sharing some of the magic that happens AFTER the meal.  We're calling it "The B-Side," like the great songs on the other side of your old 45s that you often didn't get to.