Sunday School Open House
2025-10-26 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Our School Principal, Ross Helford, will discuss the importance, urgency, and value of a secular Jewish education. We will also have an overview of our school, curriculum, philosophy and classes, as well as our bmitsve program, teen/belfer program, and our multigenerational community offerings.
The presentation will be followed by a tour of classes, and then an opportunity for some community building amongst adults.
Sholem Open House
Sunday, September 22
10:00 a.m. Bagels, Juice & Coffee
10:30-11:30 a.m. Program
Help spread the word. Invite friends.
All are welcome!
Questions: ross@sholem.org

Screening & Discussion: “Meet Me at Brooklyn & Soto”
2025-11-16 10:00 - 12:30 | Short Avenue Elementary School, 12814 Maxella Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90066, United States
Screening & Discussion
Sunday, November 16, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
“MEET ME AT BROOKLYN AND SOTO” (1995, 70 min) is a nostalgic celebration of the Jewish community that once thrived within the East L.A. neighborhood of Boyle Heights. The street then named Brooklyn Avenue (now Cesar Chavez Avenue) and its intersection with Soto was the heart of the largest Jewish community west of Chicago from the 1920s to the 1950s.
This documentary film, created by oral historian Ellie Kahn for the Jewish Historical Society of Southern California, began as an oral history project, with Ellie training 25 volunteers to interview 120 former residents of Boyle Hts and City Terrace. Ellie then produced “Meet Me at Brooklyn & Soto,” which utilizes archival film footage, vintage photos and her interviews with dozens of former residents of the neighborhood.
The fascinating, moving and often amusing recollections shared by those who were interviewed make it clear that it was a unique, hamish, active community, rich in Yiddish culture and leftist organizing.
“One of the most heart-warming documentaries you will find.” — the Barrio Boychik
Producer/Director Ellie Kahn will be present for discussion following the film.
>>> To reserve your seat(s),
RSVP to regan@sholem.org <<<
10:00 a.m. Check-in, Bagels & Coffee
10:30 a.m. Screening and Q&A
Short Avenue Elementary School
12814 Maxella Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066

Presented by the Sholem Community and Ellie Kahn/Living Legacies Productions, in cooperation with the SoCal Arbeter Ring/Workers Circle and Kultur Mercado.
All are welcome | Free to attend

L.A. Yiddish Day 2025 (field trip)
2025-11-23 10:00 - 17:00 | Hebrew Union College, 3077 University Avenue, Los Angeles, 90007, United States
This day-long celebration will bring together Yiddishists, cultural enthusiasts, educators, students, and the wider Jewish community for lectures, workshops, performances, and community-building centered on the Yiddish language and its enduring legacy.
Programming will feature sessions for both beginners and advanced speakers, cultural events highlighting Yiddish music and literature, and special presentations to connect audiences with the lived experience of the Holocaust through survivor testimony. LA Yiddish Day aims to reignite Yiddish cultural life in Los Angeles by catering to all levels of interest and creating a platform for intergenerational learning and exchange.
There will be a schoolwide field trip for Sholem students and their families, prioritizing activities for younger children earlier in the day.
Sunday, November 23, 2025
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
at Hebrew Union College – Los Angeles
3077 University Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90007
This will be the first major community-driven Yiddish event in Southern California in nearly a decade, bringing together the many organizations whose work helps to keep Yiddish language, culture, and memory alive in the city.
Doors will open at 9:45 AM for check-in and morning coffee. Light refreshments will be provided throughout the day, and all sessions are open to registered participants.
For tickets go to
https://givebutter.com/layiddish2025

Presented by Kultur Mercado, in partnership with the Sholem Community, Southern California Arbeter Ring Educational Center, Holocaust Museum LA, Der Nister, HUC-Jewish Language Project, and the California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Language (CIYCL).

"The December Dilemma" Group Discussion
2025-12-14 10:30 - 12:00
Beginning at 10:30 a.m., there will be an Adult Activity for Sholem parents and community members.
Longtime Sholem members Laurie Braude and Lois Bostwick will facilitate a community discussion on “The December Dilemma,” which may arise from tension between the celebration of Chanukah and Christmas, especially when the two holidays coincide. This season can be challenging for many interfaith or intercultural families as they navigate the desire to honor their Jewish identity while also participating in the festive spirit of Christmas.

Chanukah Assembly
2025-12-14 12:00 - 13:00
At 12 noon, we will all gather in the auditorium for our annual schoolwide Chanukah/Khanike Assembly.
All of the classes have prepared presentations or performances for this special event.

Sunday School
2026-01-25 10:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-01 10:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-08 10:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-22 10:00 - 12:30
Are you culturally Jewish but not religious?
Would you like your children (or grandchildren) to connect with their Jewish identity?
Do you have an intercultural family?
Sholem’s secular Sunday school engages children 4-17 years old in an exploration of Jewish identity, history, culture and traditions of social justice.
Classes meet 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m most Sunday mornings during the school year.

Click here for more information about our school
All prospective families are welcome to come check out a class.
We offer rolling admissions.
Contact our principal Ross Helford ross@sholem.org, so he may plan to greet you.

Tu Bishvat Assembly
2026-02-01 11:15 - 12:30
Traditionally Tu Bishvat was the New Year of Trees, originally established as a way for Jewish farmers to keep time. In modern times, it has been adapted for the planting and care of trees and as a reminder to be kind to our planet – similar to Earth Day.
11:15 a.m.* – Principal Ross Helford will give a presentation about Tu Bishvat from a secular perspective – adults are welcome!

12 Noon* – Assembly with songs

*Times to be confirmed

Sholem Does Not Meet (President's Day Weekend)
2026-02-15
Sholem will not meet on this Sunday (Feb 15).
Classes resume Feb 22nd.

Annual Purim Carnival
2026-03-01 10:00 - 12:30
All are welcome to our Purim festivities!
We’ll be doing our usual pantomime reading of Sholem’s Super-Colossal Purim Mishmash shpil, adapted from Megiles Ester by Hershl Hartman.
As is our tradition, our Sunday school classes will each be hosting a carnival booth.
Kids (and adults!) are encouraged to wear a costume!

10am – Setup (volunteers needed at this time)

Students: Set-up booths & rehearse pantomime
Adults: Schmoozing, bagels & coffee

11am – Assembly With Megile Reading
The assembly will kick off with the triumphant return of the Sholem klezmer ensemble!

11:30am to 12:30pm – Purim Carnival!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:

Megile (megillah) readers!
Hamantaschen bringers!
Cleaner-uppers!

If you can pitch in, please RSVP to rosshelford@gmail.com

Fundraiser: Here Lies Love at the Mark Taper Forum
2026-03-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Mark Taper Forum, 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Join us for a night at the Mark Taper Forum to see Here Lies Love.
Sholem has reserved a bloc of tickets to the performance on Sunday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. A portion of each ticket purchased will be donated to Sholem. The deadline to order tickets is February 7, 2026. (After that date, any unsold tickets will be released back to the Taper.)
Here Lies Love is a groundbreaking musical about former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her family’s rise to power and subsequent fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution. Witness her journey through “exhilarating songs” (USA Today) and “imaginative spectacle” (The Guardian) over “90 breathless minutes” (The Washington Post).
Featuring music by Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner David Byrne and Grammy Award winner Fatboy Slim, and direction by Center Theatre Group Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai, comes an all-new production (the first since appearing on Broadway in 2023) in a transformative experience combining disco beats and adrenaline-fueled choreography. The show goes beyond Imelda’s near-mythic obsession with shoes to explore true questions of authoritarian rule and responsibility. It is a story fueled by greed, power, and disco that feels as timely today as ever.
For more information and to order tickets, please go to
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sholems-here-lies-love-theater-fundraiser
A portion of your ticket price is tax deductible as a donation to Sholem.

Sholem Model Secular Seder - Passover 2026
2026-03-22 11:00 - 14:30 | Farragut Elementary School, 10820 Farragut Dr., Culver City, CA, 90230, United States
Sholem’s non-religious cultural celebration of Passover acknowledges the holiday’s origins as a spring festival and honors the tradition of “Exodus” as a symbolic tale of freedom.
This popular communal event will feature:

Readings from Sholem’s secular family Hagada
Community potluck luncheon
Singing & musical accompaniment, with plenty of opportunities for children to participate!

PLEASE PURCHASE TICKETS HERE:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sholem-model-seder–2026
Suggested donation is $18 per person. Sholem students and children five and under are free.
No one turned away for lack of funds.
This is event is a potluck – Please sign up to bring a dish, beverage, etc. at the link below.

WHEN:
10:00 am – 11:00 am: Setup
11:00 am: Doors Open
11:30 am – 2:00 pm: Program
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Cleanup
Volunteers who can arrive early for setup or stay after for cleanup are greatly appreciated!

WHERE:
Farragut Elementary School
10820 Farragut Dr, Culver City, CA 90230

POTLUCK SIGN UP
Please sign up for one item per each adult and one item for every 1-3 children in your group.
Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054DA5AB2DA0FD0-61879120-2026

Sholem Field Trip to Skirball Center
2026-03-29
All Sholem classes will participate in a field trip to the Skirball Center.
Sholem families – Please check your email for details.

Spring Break - No Classes
2026-04-05
Sholem will not meet on this Sunday (April 5).
Classes resume April 12th.

Milo, Clara, & Olivia Bar/Bas Mitsve Ceremony
2026-05-09 14:00 - 19:00
The families of Milo Groseclose and Clara Perez Howe and Olivia Perez Howe invite the Sholem Community to join in celebrating their children becoming Bar/Bas Mitsves.

Milo’s topic will be:
Jews, Comics, and Superheroes

Clara’s topic will be:
Secular Jewish Influence on Rock Music

Olivia’s topic will be:
A Comparison of Yiddish Dance and Flamenco

Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 2:00pm in Van Nuys
(address to be provided upon RSVP)

There will be a light Kiddush reception at about 5:00pm following the ceremony.

Kindly RSVP by Friday, May 1
by emailing rachel.braude@gmail.com

About Sholem’s secular Bar/Bas Mitsve program…The bar/bas mitsve candidate chooses a topic for in-depth research and/or significant thought. Then, working with their advisor, the student prepares an approximately 20-minute presentation on this topic and how it reflects the aspects of Jewish heritage and identity that are most meaningful to them at this point in their life.To learn more, click here.

Year End Assembly
2026-05-17
This will be our final meeting at Short Avenue for the current school year. Classes will meet as usual, beginning at 10:00 AM. Please come early for coffee, bagels and schmoozing.
Following classes, we will be having a year end assembly to wrap up the academic year.

Virtual Open House
2026-08-16 17:00 - 18:00
Register here!
Can’t attend? We will send out a recording of the Virtual Open House to all registrants.
Agenda
5pm: Opening song
5:10-5:30pm: Overview of Sholem Sunday School
5:30pm: Q&A
Read more information about the Sunday school.
Read more about the teachers and staff.

First Day of Class: 2026/27 School Year
2026-09-13 10:00 - 12:30
If you are interested in enrollment or learning more about Sholem, please contact our principal, Ross Helford – Email Link.

Jewish Sunday School | Secular Jewish Education for Kids Ages 4-17
Join Sholem’s secular Jewish Sunday school serving families throughout Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Westwood, Venice, Culver City, Beverly Hills, and the greater West Side.
Next Session: Sunday, September 20th at 10:00am Location: Sholem Community
Why Choose Sholem’s Jewish Sunday School Alternative?
Sholem’s secular Jewish education program offers an engaging curriculum for children ages 4-17, focusing on Jewish identity, history, culture, and social justice traditions – perfect for families seeking non-religious Jewish education in Los Angeles.
Our inclusive approach welcomes:

Interfaith families from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills
Parents seeking cultural Jewish learning without religious doctrine
Families looking for progressive Jewish education in West LA
Children interested in Jewish history and traditions

What to Expect at Our Jewish Sunday School
10:00am: Classes begin with bagels and community time
12:15pm: Weekly assembly brings all ages together
12:30pm: Dismissal
Try Before You Commit: Families are welcome to visit any Sunday to experience our secular Jewish community firsthand.
Serving Jewish Families Throughout Los Angeles:

Los Angeles
Santa Monica families
Brentwood and Westwood communities
Venice and Culver City residents
Beverly Hills area families
Mid-City and Hollywood families welcome

Registration Information
Online registration opening soon – or attend any Sunday and register in person. No family turned away.
Questions? Contact our principal, Ross Helford, to learn more about our Jewish cultural education program.
Perfect for families seeking:

Alternative to traditional Hebrew school
Jewish education for interfaith families
Secular Jewish community in Los Angeles
Progressive Jewish values and social justice education
Jewish Sunday school that welcomes all backgrounds

Learn more about our amazing community by following us on Facebook or Instagram.
