Temple of the Arts High Holy Days | Saban Theatre | Beverly Hills

If you are Jewish, in the arts, and live in the vicinity of Beverly Hills, then Temple of the Arts may be a good place to call your religious home. Services are conducted at the historic Saban Theatre, formerly the Fox Wilshire Theatre which was built in 1930. I’ve been there several times for High Holy Days where I’ve met compelling speakers along with several celebrities.

Find things to do and where to stay in Beverly Hills, here.

I’m not what you would call an observant Jew having been transplanted to Orange County temporarily when I was a child and then married to a Polish Catholic man for 23 years. But, as early as I can remember I felt connected to the Jewish faith.

Kol Nidre

Yom Kippur takes place on two nights. The first night is Kol Nidre which is an Aramaic prayer annulling vows made before God, sung by Jewish people at the opening of the Day of Atonement service on the eve of Yom Kippur.

The Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts, under its founding Rabbi, David Baron, combines traditional Jewish tradition with an entertaining bent.

During the evening of Kol Nidre the Ark is opened and the Torah scrolls are displayed and then returned to the Ark. Prayers and readings focus on promises, vows, and other verbal commitments made during the year.

It is a time for silent meditation and to ask for forgiveness for someone who may have hurt us, someone we may have hurt, and to forgive ourselves for causing self-harm.

You don’t have to be Jewish

I have attended High Holy Days several times at the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts and each time Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart was one of the readers. Actors such as Edward James Olmos and George Takei have also attended. Mr. Olmos told me he has Jewish roots and that the services profoundly speak to him.

World-class music

Renown cantor Nathan Lam was cantor at Steven Wise Temple for 45 years and is now officiating at the Theatre of the Arts. Cantor Ilysia J. Pierce has been with the temple for 25 years and has a haunting and mesmerizing voice.

Sharon Farber is the temple’s musical director for the service. She is a Grammy winner and was nominated 4 times for an Emmy.

Speakers at previous High Holy Days who have made a difference

Guests during High Holy Days have included authors, philanthropists, and those with stories about overcoming adversity, helping those in need, or fighting various causes. Most of the speakers I’ve heard have been inspiring while others were almost terrifying. One of the tenets of the Shul is not to discuss politics in any form, which is difficult these days.

One who has impressed me greatly was Moti Kahana.  He is an Israeli businessman and philanthropist who brings lifesaving food and supplies to war zones. He told me he has been involved in 5 wars and is currently delivering aid to the people of Ukraine.

Kahana is known for rescuing the last Jewish family from Aleppo, recovering ancient Jewish artifacts, and providing passports to hundreds of Syrian opposition members and their families.

Jeannie Smith’s mother was a young nursing student in a part of Poland that is now Ukraine during WWII. Her name was Irene Gut Opdyke and as a teen, she saw a Jewish baby get shot by the Nazis like a bird. She dedicated herself to saving the Jews after that traumatic experience.

Irene was forced to work as a housekeeper for a high-level Nazi officer and stole food from the officer’s table to feed 12 Jewish slave laborers working in the laundry room as well as others hiding in the forest. Her position gave her access to important information. She found out the Jews were to be liquidated from the ghetto. When she told her friends in the laundry room what she had heard, they begged her to help them.

Not having a home of her own, she hid them in the basement of the officer’s home. During the day, they helped Irene prepare for the officer’s parties when he was away and slept in the basement at night. One of the women became pregnant and she protected her.

They were eventually discovered by the officer who planned to call the Gestapo. Opdyke negotiated with him to keep them safe until the end of the war by becoming the officer’s mistress. The Jews she rescued later helped save her when she was put into a Russian work camp after the occupation. A book was written about her life that was adapted into an acclaimed Broadway play called Irena’s Vow starring Tova Feldshuh.

Opdyke immigrated to the United States and began a speaking tour. She wrote a memoir called In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. The Israel Medal of Honor was awarded to her in a ceremony at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and she was also given a special commendation by the Vatican.

Watch an interview Opdyke did with Sam Donaldson by clicking here.

Morton A. Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) whose mission is to expose the truth about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel and the West. I asked him to explain to me what Zionism means and admitted that I was uninformed in that matter. He and his wife were both friendly and willing to talk but I found what he said to be extreme.

Zionism is a Jewish nationalist movement that helped create the Jewish national state in Palestine and works to secure its borders. The organization believes that, according to the Torah, Israel is the land of milk and honey and is the ancient homeland of the Jews.

I won’t go into detail about what he told me regarding the Palestinians in Gaza, because I don’t want to get into a political discussion, but, to me, his view is one-sided and frightening.

I had a similar experience with Bridget Gabriel who was a guest from a previous year. Her views are extreme as well in my opinion.

Rabbi David Baron’s message at a recent High Holy Days was something that applies to all, no matter what your religion or belief.

“This time of year, when we look within to heal relationships and to forgive others, is a time I’d like to see all Americans, whatever their political perspective, come together and find common ground. It’s so important for our nation and people to live together in peace and harmony even if they disagree on certain issues. We are all Americans essentially. And we are still a people of faith who share common values.  That’s what I’d like to see us emphasize.”

96-year-old Aron Bell (Bielski), is a Polish American Jew and former member of the Bielski Brigade. He and his late brothers fought against the Nazis. They lived in the depths of the forest from 1942 – 1944 in Western Belorussia and managed to save 1200 Jews by sneaking them out of the ghettos. There are now 40,000 descendants of those survivors.

During that time, they built a school, hospital, and even a Turkish bath in their forest compound which was an amazing accomplishment.

Jonny Daniels is the founder of an organization called FromtheDepths.org. He has traveled extensively to poor Eastern European villages including in Ukraine to bring people food, and medical supplies, and to preserve artifacts. One of those artifacts is a 300-year-old Torah that survived WWII but needed extensive repairs. He has also helped Jews escape from areas where antisemitism is an issue.

During the Writer’s Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the temple invited members from both guilds to attend High Holy Days for free. Barry Gordon, who was a former President of SAG-AFTRA, and a former cantor for the temple, was on hand to lead a discussion about a 10-minute short film that delved into casting a film about Anne Frank.

The short film “Anne”, which was Academy Award-nominated, was directed by Adi Eshman. It is controversial because it is about a white actress and a black actress vying for the role of Anne. The discussion between Barry Gordon and Rabbi Baron along with questions from the congregation was passionate but unresolved.  Some people were adamantly opposed to casting a person of color in the role, including the rabbi but others were able to rationalize it.

The white actress in the film asked the black actress if she could envision her playing Rosa Parks.  Beverly Todd, a prominent black actress who read during the service, was opposed to casting a black actress in the role as she felt it would be inauthentic.

Gordon was more open to making a diverse casting choice. But, in the end, it all came down to a matter of how the project was to be produced. Would it be stylized or scripted as a metaphor like Hamilton or Bridgerton or was it intended to be historically accurate?

The short film purposely did not answer the question so consensus was never reached, but it made for a lively and emotionally charged discussion.

Before the conversation, a group of ethnically diverse young actors from Arts for Change performed a series of vignettes from a touring play called “Survivors.” The play portrays 10 Holocaust survivors who teach the audience about Holocaust history and tolerance. The production was directed by Wendy Kout.

Each vignette emphasized how antisemitism and authoritarianism are on the rise. It is not targeted only toward Jews as prejudice impacts immigrants, blacks, and people of non-Judeo-Christian religions.

A meme that was projected during the performance stood out to me.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually, they will believe it.”

This quote was written by Adolph Hitler but is the playbook for authoritarians today. Most importantly, we can’t let something like this happen ever again. Never again is now.

Restoring the Saban Theatre

The beautiful Art Deco-style Temple rotunda and lobby of the Saban Theatre will be undergoing extensive restoration and remodeling to bring it back to its 1930s splendor. This will include its original Art Deco chandelier. The theatre will also be enhanced with state-of-the-art sound and lighting as the venue is often used for concerts and other events. Space will also be added to the lobby to accommodate parties and celebrations.

Temple of the Arts was founded in 1992 and is a home to many creatives in the Los Angeles Jewish community.

Other events such as concerts with top-name entertainers are held at the Saban Theatre. View its calendar of events here. If you get a chance to visit, you will be impressed by its extraordinary beauty.

The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211