Events
Soul Candles: Ner Neshamot & Reclaiming Ancestral Ashkenazi Traditions of Kevermestn
Join Der Nister, Jewitches and Rabbi Janet Madden for a guided ritual in reclaiming the traditions of our Ashkenazi ancestors.
Ner Neshamot (ner neshomes in Yiddish) is an ancient Ashkenazi practice of creating soul candles for the Holiest Day of the year, Yom Kippur. These candles would be made by Feldmesterin, learned women whose title was cemetery measurer, as they would encircle the local cemeteries, winding threads that would become wicks.
These sacred threads connect the living to the Holy Dead who intercede on our behalf with the One on High during this time of Judgement.
Just one of many practices thrown out with the bathwater in the race to modernise Judaism, we gather to unwind, rewind, and reclaim these traditions in a new and profound way.
Tickets are available in a limited amount. Get them here.
Rosh Hashanah Eve
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Rosh Hashanah Day 1
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Rosh Hashanah Day 2
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Tashlikh
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Kol Nidre
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Yom Kippur
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Minchah / Ne’ilah
The new Jewish year is a time of reflection for where we’ve been and where we’re going as people. One dimension of this is personal: what do we regret and how do we change going forward to do better by those we love?
The ever-changing world around us prompts other important questions:
How do we bring our ideas to reality? There is a sense of possibility around us, calling on us to act, but what constitutes action? Must we use the new tools of our time, even though they are, at best, untested?
Join us in exploring our time-tested spiritual technology, thinking deeply before we are released into a new year and the welter of calls to action that the new year will surely bring.
Der Nister’s High Holiday services are filled with traditional song and chant and draw from our deep wells of thought and poetry. Consider it your home for renewal and community.
We can’t wait to see you at Downtown’s Jewish Center.
Register here
Shmueskrayz
The shmueskrayz is back! Get together and speak in Yiddish with your friends and neighbors here in LA. We will be gathering at 7 pm at a new location, a residence in West Hollywood. Write to golden@dernister.org to sign up.
Hasidim and Heretics
Rabbi David Kasher of Hadar and our Rabbi Ye’ela Rosenfeld pit the radical philosophies of Rabbi Tzadok HaCohen, Rebbe Nachman and Rav Kook versus the heretical thought of Baruch Spinoza on the concept of Teshuvah, the repentance we do especially before the High Holidays.
We’ll have a musical break in between the learning by Der Goldener Feygl, led by Chloe Resler!
Sign up here
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch with bagels from our friends at Boichik Bagels.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Shmueskrayz
The shmueskrayz is back! Get together and speak in Yiddish with your friends and neighbors here in LA. We will be gathering at 7 pm at a new location, a residence in West Hollywood. Write to golden@dernister.org to sign up.
Cabaret New Moon — Kheshbon HaNefesh
The Cabaret is back, with the full weight of our soul in tow. We'll sing our hearts out to klezmer and baudy Yiddish song, fill our hearts with wine, enjoy wonderfully weird acts and take in the atmosphere and the company of friends. Join us at Der Nister with our merry crew, Shiri and the Shiribims, host Tirosh Schneider and many more, to celebrate the beginning of the month of Elul.
Doors open at 7 pm, show starts at 7:30 pm. Get tickets here.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Cantor Judith Berkson in Concert
Khazones, the Ashkenazi Jewish cantorial art — a blend of classical opera and traditional folk prayer, is a special part of Jewish heritage and a key ingredient to a Jewish future filled with transcendent art, culture and spirituality. Khazones Underground, a new record label formed by Dr. Jeremiah Lockwood and Cantor Judith Berkson, is the key driver of the movement to revive this powerful music for the 21st century, which aims to bring to life old recordings from the masters and new ones from the singers of today, many of them pushed to the sidelines in modern synagogue life.
We at Der Nister are very proud to present Cantor Berkson in concert as a benefit for the Khazones Underground. Cantor Berkson is a mezzo-soprano who has collaborated on Yiddish and cantorial music with names no less than Frank London and Theodore Bikel. In addition, Khazones Underground is holding a kumzits, a musical gathering, for area singers who want to share their khazones with each other before the concert.
Come Sunday, August 10th (postponed from June) at 5 pm for the kumzits, and 6 pm for the concert, for a Jewish musical experience that will burrow into your soul. Get tickets here.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
CLUE Tisha B'Av
Join CLUE and their Jewish and immigrant partners for our 3rd annual Tisha b'Av gathering, in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, August 3!
This Tisha b'Av, we mourn the destruction perpetrated on our diverse communities by the detention and deportation machine. As Jews and allies, we know that if they come for one of us, they come for us all. Alongside our immigrant neighbors, we will pray with our hearts, lips, and feet in the heart of Los Angeles, accentuating the plight of migrants and refugees while strengthening our solidarity, even as our holy city is besieged by our own government falsely in the name of our safety. Together, we will work to build collective sanctuary!
RSVP at bit.ly/tishabavla
Co-sponsored by @bendthearc, the Boyle Heights Chavurah, @dernisterlosangeles, @ifnotnowla, @weareikar , @jewishpartnership, @kirvapractice, @never_again_action, @picounionproject and @shtibl - more to come!
Not in SoCal? Use this toolkit that they partnered with @Never Again Action to create, to organize an immigration justice Tisha b'Av action wherever you are! bit.ly/TishaBav25-Toolkit
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Kabbalat Shabbat and Philosophy
Philosophy Kabbalat Shabbat is back, Friday, June 25th at 6:30 PM. Rabbi Rosenfeld leads us in discussion on a selected philosopher, Rabbi Golden sings Kabbalat Shabbat and the evening service, and we'll have a catered meal (featuring delicious Moroccan Fish!) through the support of OneTable from Holy Grill. Sign up here.
Barbeque on the Roof
The Der Nister summer tradition is back, Sunday July 20 beginning at 6 pm. We'll have kosher meat and vegetarian alternatives — contact Rabbi Hollander about coming and contributing to the community gathering.
Shabbat Morning at Der Nister
Come join us for traditional davening and pleasant company every Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Rabbi Zach Golden leads the davening and Rabbi Henry Hollander delivers a sermon, followed by a kiddush lunch.
To learn the building code or inquire further, please write to golden@dernister.org.
Read more about the experience of our heimish service here.
Dybbuks, Demons, and Mediums in Early Twentieth-Century Jewish Warsaw
Step into the shadows of prewar Jewish Warsaw, where mysticism, modernity, and the supernatural collided.
Join us for an evening with Professor Samuel Glauber, a leading scholar of Jewish mysticism and modern Polish-Jewish history, as he explores a little-known world where séances, spirit possession, and folklore were not just entertainment — they were windows into deeper anxieties, spiritual resistance, and cultural identity.
From terrifying dybbuk possessions to real-life mediums channeling lost souls, and the surprising role of demonology in Jewish urban life, Professor Glauber will guide us through a time when belief in the otherworldly offered both psychological refuge and political subversion.
Discover how Jewish mysticism took on new meanings in an era of social upheaval, migration, and emerging secularism, all set against the backdrop of one of pre-War Europe’s most vibrant Jewish cities.
This event is put on by Kultur Mercado, and co-sponsored by Der Nister and the Southern California Arbeter Ring Educational Center.
This is part of our running Yiddish witchcraft, mysticism, and the occult series.
Register here
The State of Jewish Representation on Television
Moderated by Allison Josephs, with panelists Cindy Kaplan, Halle Stanford, and Jeremy Powell. Location details will be provided after registration. Co-sponsored by JITC Hollywood Bureau and JEN-LA.
Chaia: Yiddish Electronic
Lose yourself to Yiddish dance.
Internationally touring dance music artist Chaia comes to Los Angeles on a West Coast tour as part of the release of her debut album "Yiddish-Electronic," a unique mix of Yiddish archival samples and club sounds. Der Nister's mystical downtown space will play host to this unforgettable evening of culture, as Chaia invites local performers Shiri Goldsmith, Janice Mautner Markham and Zach Golden to teach traditional dance, get down on the fidl, and sing improvised folk cantorial music. The evening is cosponsored by Der Nister, Kultur Mercado and Chavurah USC.
Get tickets here
Tikkun Leil Shavuot
The Tikkun Leil Shavuot is an experience like none other — an all-night Torah study session to keep us awake for the recitation of the Ten Commandments and the reception of Torah at morning’s light for the festival of Shavuot.
Der Nister and Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock are partnering this year to make this year’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot more sublime than ever before: with talks on interpreting dreams, philosophy, mysticism and communal singing of poetry, a cooking demonstration, a special experimental performance of Der Nister’s epic poem on human consciousness “Der Kadmen” (The Primordium,) and so much more. Stay with us until morning light, with the help of coffee and traditional dairy treats, when we ascend to the Der Nister roof and pray the morning service, celebrating the reception of Torah.
The Tikkun begins at 7:30 pm at Der Nister. Details on parking and access to come; we will send it to you as soon as we have it. Help us out by registering on this form.
Working schedule:
7:30pm-8:00pm - Schmooze
8:00 -8:45 Rabbi Rosenfeld - Rosenzweig
8:45-9- Break
9:00-9:30 Rabbi Weisz - from Shavuot to the High Holidays
9:30- 10:30 Lyna Vuong
10:30 - 10:45 Piyyut break (Mi Pi’el)
10:45 - 11:15 am Henry - Bereshit Rabah (The size of Adam Hakadmon)
11:15 am - 12:00 am - Der Kadmen recital
12:00 am - 12:15 am - Piyyut break (Ashorer Shira)
12:15 am - 1:00 am - Malke Morrell (the Shekhina in Hasidic thought - Piaseczno Rebbe)
1:00 am - 1:15 am - Piyyut break - (Shvues)
1:30 am - 2:15 am - Sasha Troyka - David Hamelech
(more to come)
Zingeray — Yiddish Sing-Along with Cindy Paley
Join Cindy Paley, Dan Cantrell and Janice Markham Mautner for a rich and rousing afternoon of "Yiddish Favorites, Old and New!”(Part 2). Come ready to learn and sing along to the vibrant and colorful songbook of Eastern European Jewry's unique cultural history. The popular Yiddish folk songs are sure to stir your nostalgia and newer melodies by Michael Alpert, Chava Alberstein and Arkady Gendler will remind you that Yiddish is timeless, thriving and meaningful even today. LOMIR ZINGEN! You’ll receive a songbook with lyrics in Yiddish transliteration and English translations. Guitarist/vocalist Cindy Paley will be joined by accordionist Dan Cantrell and violinist Janice Markham Mautner for what has been described as "an exercise in pure joy.”
Cindy Paley has delighted Jewish communities across the country for over 36 years with her rich repertoire of Jewish music, as featured in her timeless audio recordings and dynamic live performances. She has served over 25 years as the cantorial soloist for Lev Eisha and the Valley Beth Shalom Neshama Minyan, two creative Shabbat women's services in Los Angeles. She is also the High Holiday cantorial soloist for Kehillah Chen v'Chesed in Encino. For three summers prior to the pandemic, Cindy toured Poland, performing Yiddish concerts with a Polish klezmer band and presenting Yiddish music workshops at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival. She has been teaching online Yiddish music classes through the NY Workers Circle and also serves as the song leader at Trip to Yiddishland in New York, since 2019. Cindy is also part of The Folk Experience, a trio which performs American folk songs from the 1960s. Cindy's workshops and performances are brimming with a contagious energy that is guaranteed to get everyone singing.
Get tickets here
Immersed in a Sea of Light
Yiddish Essays, Short Stories and Poems Set in Los Angeles
Rabbi Zachary Golden and Rabbi Henry Hollander will present selections from Yiddish essays, short stories and poems set in Los Angeles for Jewish American Heritage Month. Rabbi Hollander will introduce and Rabbi Golden will perform texts in the original Yiddish and English translation.
Rabbi Henry Hollander was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies as well as received a Masters in Education from the School of Education at American Jewish University. He has been a bookseller specializing in books of Jewish interest, with a specialty in Yiddish books, since the pre-internet age.
Rabbi Zach Golden was ordained as a rabbi at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2020. Alongside working at Der Nister, he was the Deputy Yiddish Editor of the Forward (Forverts) where he worked since 2021.
The presentation will take place in Meeting Room A of the Los Angeles Central Library on 630 W. 5th St.
A Taytsh Manifesto: Book Talk with Professor Saul Noam Zaritt
A Taytsh Manifesto offers a fascinating look at the cultural shift in Yiddish drawing upon pulp fiction, the Yiddish monologue, and cultural attitudes of Yiddish as a vulgar tongue in the United States in the early and mid-20th century.
RSVP to this online talk, held in partnership with Kultur Mercado and the SoCal Arbeter Ring.
Four Jewish Women Poets
April is National Poetry Month! No better way to close it out than an evening of poetry at Der Nister.
Poets Genevieve Greinetz (Animals are Shouting Down from the Sky) and Carine Topal (Dear Blood,) had their new poetry collections published by Ben Yehuda Press earlier in 2025. Donna Spruit-Metz's translations from the Dutch of poems by Lukas Hirsch (Wu Weits Eats an Egg) is forthcoming in the summer of 2025. Donna will also be reading from her new book, To Phrase a Prayer for Peace. Julia Knobloch, who has curated and facilitated several poetry salons and readings at Der Nister over the past years, has worked with all three poets as editor of The Jewish Poetry Project of Ben Yehuda Press.
As she is leaving that position and is getting ready for her pulpit at Temple Beth El and Center in San Pedro, she is bringing together these most recent California-based voices in Ben Yehuda's catalogue - and will also be reading from her forthcoming collection Liner Notes (Kelsay Books, 2026).
Enjoy wine, browse books for sale and the evening of poetry. Sunday, April 27th at 6:30 pm. Let us know if you’re coming by signing up here.
Tears, Joy and Hope
During a time when millions of Jews were facing death, music found a way into their lives. They wrote poetry and composed music as they lived, fought and died in the ghettos across Europe.
When Harriet Bennish first came across these rarely performed songs, she made herself a promise that she would do whatever she could to help this music live on not let it be forgotten in the rush of modern life. This promise has become her passion.
She set out to learn all that she could about the songs, the Jewish poets and composers who created them and to share that knowledge. The music tells the story of everyday life in the ghetto. They are performed as they were written in the rich, colorful and complex Yiddish language. Harriet shares historical pictures along with the English translations of the songs projected on a screen. Because of her well-researched history for each song, the audience comes away with a rare insight into ghetto life -- the suffering, the fears, and the hope.
A professional musical ensemble, consisting of accordionist and cellist, accompanies Harriets beautiful voice. The performance creates the mood of a people living in those desperate times.
Join us at Der Nister on Yom HaShoah, April 24th at 7 pm, to listen to this powerful music together.
Get tickets here.
Mimouna
Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Der Nister are excited to host North East LA's 2025 Mimouna Party!
On the last day of Passover, as soon as the sun set and leavened bread was once again permitted, the Jews in Morocco would invite their Muslim neighbors to celebrate the first breaking of bread together. Mimouna, which means luck and good fortune, was celebrated with sweets, music and alcohol.
Join us for our second annual Mimouna party! There will be the live making of Mufletot (Moroccan crepes rolled with butter and honey,) Moroccan sweets, Moroccan music and dance and of course lots of wine. Come dressed in your favorite Kaftan!
The event will take place at Temple Beth Israel on 5711 Monte Vista St. on Sunday April 20 at 7 pm.
Songs of Liberation
Klezmer group Mostly Kosher and singer-songwriter Gidon headline this concert, made in partnership with NuRoots, to celebrate and explore the feelings of liberation and freedom that Pesach inspire.
This experience is part of NuRoots tenth Collective Escape festival. Discover the lineup at nuroots.org/collectiveescape.
Please note photography will take place at this eventlet us know if you have any questions.
Seed of Doubt - Screening & Discussion
What terrors hide between the words of an old Yiddish prayer? How do doubt and fear take root—and what happens when they grow?
Join partner organizations Kultur Mercado and the Arbeter Ring along with us on Sunday, April 6th, 2025, for a special virtual screening of Seed of Doubt (2024), the haunting new Yiddish-language horror film from director Daniel Daniel. Blurring the lines between folklore and modern anxieties, Seed of Doubt digs deep into the shadows of Jewish ritual life, where ancient superstitions and contemporary fears intertwine.
Following the screening, stay with us for an exclusive conversation with Daniel Daniel about the making of the film, the resurgence of Yiddish in unexpected genres, and what it means to craft horror from a diasporic tradition.
Contemporary Jewish Poets: Kabbalat Shabbat & Reading
At this year’s 2025 AWP (Association of Writers and Writers Programs) Conference, Yetzirah will host it’s third “Contemporary Jewish Poets: Kabbalat Shabbat & Offsite Reading” at Der Nister.
After a warm and welcoming Kabbalat Shabbat (open to people of all traditions), we’ll feature readers Rodger Kamenetz, Rachel Kaufman, Julia Knobloch, Jeffrey Levine, Jane Medved, Maya Pindyck, and Marcela Sulak, hosted by Dan Alter and Jessica Jacobs, and followed by an oneg to to nourish your body after all of the delicious poetry.
The Whole Megillah
Celebrate Purim with Hadar and Der Nister in the heart of downtown LA, where you can fulfill all four mitzvot of Purim in one uplifting, community-centered event! Along with a full daytime megillah reading, we will follow the practices of giving to each other (mishloah manot), giving to those in need (matanot l'evyonim), and breaking bread together (seudat Purim). This midday event is open to all ages and a great way to experience the full, fourfold joy and meaning of Purim in one go.
Friday, March 14th at Noon.
Be sure to bring small bills for matanot l’evyonim. Register here: https://forms.gle/1sKBXPEMCe3X39LQ8
Calendar
Selected Past Events
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Cantor Judith Berkson in Concert
A concert of cantorial music and a kumsitz in support of Khazones Underground
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CLUE Tisha B'Av
Along with a broad coalition of partners, we commemorated Tisha B’Av outside of a federal detention center with a service and an awareness-raising of the immigration raids
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Chaia: Yiddish Electronic
An evening of dance at Pico Union Project, cosponsored by Kultur Mercado and Chavurah USC
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Shavuot
Immersive celebration of learning and the arts — philosophical explorations, culinary demonstration and experimental reading of Der Nister’s epic poem “Der Kadmen”
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Cindy Paley: Yiddish Sing-a-Long
Cindy Paley, Janice Mautner Markham and Dan Cantrell led a Yiddish sing-a-long
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Immersed in a Sea of Light
Rabbis Golden and Hollander gave their annual talk at the Central Library, this time on Yiddish fiction set in Los Angeles
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Four Jewish Women Poets
Four poets, recently or about to be published by Ben Yehuda Press, read selections of their poetry
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Yom HaShoah Concert
Harriet Bennish performed songs and poems written during the Holocaust in the ghettos
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Mimouna at TBI
We celebrated Mimouna at Temple Beth Israel, with the help of a DJ and amazing North African food
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Passover Concert
Event sponsored by NuRoots, featuring Gidon and Mostly Kosher
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Yetzirah Reading
Poets from Yetzirah read their works at this convention offsite event/ Kabbalat Shabbat.
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Megillah Reading
Hadar’s Rabbi David Kasher led our Megillah reading on Purim morning, which included a seudah, mishloakh manit and matanot l’evyonim.
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Volunteering at LA Food Bank
A group of Der Nister community members got to together at the food bank in Vernon.
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Songs of the Priestess
An evening of Yiddish poetry from women writers, hosted by Malka Morrell.
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Tu Bishvat Tea Party
This year’s edition featured tea, old-time klezmer fusion, and talks about the Jewish relationship with nature.
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Hanukkah Cabaret
An exciting evening of klezmer and comedy.
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Thanksgiving Torah
BINA, a social change organization and secular yeshiva from Israel, presented a tie between the American holiday and the parshah.
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The Primordium
Panui and Der Nister discussed the recent translation of the Der Nister’s (the writer) epic poem.
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Simchat Torah
Der Nister and Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park united to cebelate this holiday.
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Nothing New — a Sukkot Experience
An evening of poetry, theater and celebration of Sukkot on the roof, based on a theme of Ecclesiates.
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Tashlich
We came to together at Echo Park Lake for this pre-Yom Kippur ritual.
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October 7th Commemoration
We gathered at Temple Israel of Highland Park to remember those lost on October 7th.
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Kleztronica
Chaia performed at the Arbeter Ring in partnership with Der Nister.
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JewFace Play Reading
New plays on Jewish themes were read and performed.
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Release Your Dybbuk
Artist Julie Weitz led a movement-based workshop on the Jewish spirit world and her work in Poland.
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Tisha B'Av
A night of poetry and chanting of Eikha.
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Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Learning all night, celebrating Torah.
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Yiddish Sing-Along
Cindy Paley and Daniel Avidon led us in new and old Yiddish song.
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Jewish History of Downtown LA
Rabbis Hollander and Golden traced Jewish settlement in the area at the Central Library.
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A Freudian Cabaret
A Cabaret in celebration of the Jewish psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
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Mimouna
The Moroccan Jewish post-Passover celebration.
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Love and Redemption Poetry Salon
Julia Knobloch and Rabbi David Kasher led a night Torah study and poetry dedicated to Passover.
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Songs of Freedom
Shep Rosenman, Duvid Swirsky, Chloe Pourmorady, and Gidon Shikler took turns singing orignal songs and covers.
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Cabaret New Moon Purim
We celebrate Purim with a ventriloquist and more delightful acts.
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Jordan Wax
A debut performance of a new album of contemporary songs in Yiddish.
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IPF Atid Bookclub
Book club for discussion on issues around Israel.
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Kabbalat Shabbat & Martin Buber
We hosted a Kabbalat Shabbat service with dinner and discussio about the ideas of Martin Buber.
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The Braid: Force of Habit
A set of plays about the power of Jewish ritual.
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Mitzvah or Shandah
The comedy game show about the right or wrong Jewish thing to do, hosted by Danielle Brody.
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Golden Ages
Jeremiah Lockwood presented his book and he and Judith Berkson gave a concert.
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Cabaret New Moon Adar
Comedy and circus punctuated this cabaret.
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Tu BiShvat Tea Party
This holiday celebration featured tea, kleztronica, and our favorite trees.
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Creative Siddur
A performance of a workshopped artistic approach to a line of prayer.
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The Golem of Brooklyn
Author Adam Mansbach delivered a talk about his new book.
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Nitl Nakht
Rabbi Pinchas Giller spoke about this Jewish anti-holiday.
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Cabaret New Moon Tevet
This Cabaret celebrated Chanukkah and was themed around light.
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Jewish Language Project: Past/Present/Future
The Jewish Language Project presented their work reviving Jewish languages
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Yiddish Dance Party
Chaia’s Kleztronica afterparty introduced Yiddish electronica to LA
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Cabaret New Moon Kislev
We celebrated a night dedicated to Franz Kafka.
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JewFace Short Play Reading Lab
Short Play Lab premiered 3 new plays by writers Shira Gorelick, Matt Gottlieb, and Lauren Schaffel.
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Experiential Listening Night : Slichos Nakht
A night of listening to recorded cantorial music in the comfort of the back room.
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Jeremiah Lockwood and Judith Berkson — Voices from the Khazones Underground
Judith Berkson and Jeremiah Lockwood performed 20th century cantorial tradition.
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Cabaret New Moon Elul
Cabaret New Moon revives the tradition of the Berlin cabarets that boldly disturbed the high culture of Imperial Germany; it is the theater show of the working class.
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Yiddish Tribute to Bossa Nova
Brazilian singer Nicole Borger and Gustavo Bulgach and his band Klezmer Juice combined for an evening of Yiddish-Brazilian fusion.
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Vital Matters: Doikayt is Hereness
The Fowler Museum, cosponsored by Der Nister, hosted visual artist Jules Weitz for a presentation on her art and its relationship with Jewish culture and memory.
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Lecture on "What is Yiddish"
Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh, CEO of Yiddishland California, spoke about the history of Yiddish and its relevance today,
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"Ab-normal" Yiddish Cards Against Humanity Game Night
We played Cards Against Humanity in Yiddish.
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Yiddish Books in the Los Angeles Public Library Collection
Rabbi Zach Golden and Mr. Henry Hollander will present selections from the Yiddish collection in the Los Angeles Public Library Collection.
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Los Angeles New Moon Circle: Rosh Chodesh Iyar
At the Well held a women’s reflection group.
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Words Create Worlds
An Open Mic night in celebration of Erez Safer’s third book of Torah commentaries.
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Songs of the Jewish Ukrainian Heartland
Three world-class klezmorim, Michael alpert, Craig Judelman and Sasha Lurje performed at Der Nister as part of their West Coast tour.
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Spinoza's Solitude
Casey Adler directed Colin Greer’s new play as a reading in late 2022 about the life and trials of Baruch Spinoza.
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Downtown Diwan
Poet and rabbinical student Julia Knobloch has organized two poetry and music open mic nights, and a poetry workshop on the roof.
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Marx in Soho
Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho was performed in 2 runs in late 2022, with Gera Hermann starring as Marx and Ye’ela Rosenfeld as the director as part of the Social Stage theater company.
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Rosh Chodesh Barbeque on the Roof
During the summer months, the community comes together for a barbeque and a great view.
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Hedgehog
Ye’ela Rosenfeld’s short film Hedgehog is a psychologically intense exploration, asking the question of how to deal with those who have done great evil years later. We screened the film twice in 2022, which were followed by discussions.
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Jeremiah Lockwood plays "A Great Miracle"
Guitarist and music scholar Jeremiah Lockwood played his Chanukkah album at a Chanukkah party in 2021, sponsored by Reboot.
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Deborah Stokol plays "Bard"
Deborah’s mythology based album was debuted at Der Nister in 2021, where she performed on a variety of themes and instruments.
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High Holiday Services
We hold High Holiday Services annually. Contact us for more details.
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Saturday Morning Services
Ongoing weekly. Contact us for more details.
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Double Consciousness of Two Prayers
Readers of our newsletter may be familiar with Joelle Milman, our poet-in-residence this year. Each week, she writes a poem in response to the weekly haftarah (prophetic) portion as an ongoing epic. In these poems, she transports us to a surreal world where the character she creates struggles with, for, and against God in direct thematic conversation with the language and story of the weeks’ reading. She presented one of her poems and talked about it over Zoom.
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The Jews of Mexico
Josh Kogan, author of The Jews of Mexico, took us on a tour of Mexican Jewish history over Zoom. Spanning five centuries, Mexican Jewish history stretches from Jews escaping the Inquisition, joining the conquest of Cortes, to the establishment of four different Jewish communities, who had to learn to unite.
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Spiritually-Rooted Justice
Yvonne Winer taught us over Zoom about the spiritual visions of justice in three completely different religions traditions that she immersed herself in: Mahayana Buddhism in China, Shamanism in the Amazon of Colombia, and Kabbalistic Midrashot in Israel. Each of these traditions, in their own ways, stands firmly against the normal conceptions of Western thought.
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Solomon ibn Gabirol
Rabbi Zach Golden discussed over Zoom the medieval Andalusian poet and philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol, and how he took the intellectual speculation of the cosmos and made it become a spiritual discipline.
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Albert Memmi
Leon Kraiem taught us over Zoom about the life and work of the late Tunisian-Jewish philosopher Albert Memmi, and what he has to say about the discourse surrounding oppression through colonization, and where the Jews are in all of it.
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Saba
Rabbi Brett Kopin teaches us over Zoom about Saba, Rabbi Yisroel Dov Ber Odesser, who took the relatively unknown teachings of Rabbi Nachman and popularized them the world over.
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Yiddish Conversation Circle
Yehoshua Kahane, a writer for the Forverts, held an online conversation group in Yiddish for Der Nister.
