Two weeks ago Los Angeles was rocked by a Purim party of Olympic proportions. JConnectLA, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and Atid – the young professional group of Sinai Temple and took over the entire Rodeo Collection on Rodeo drive. Music was provided by Moshav, Ram2, DJ Miles, and one of LA’s top DJ’s DJ Felli Fel.

When the party hit about 1000 people, the Beverly Hills Fire Marshall said enough. Purimpalooza party goers filled Purim baskets that were delivered to the Jewish elderly, and a local bone marrow registry swabbed party goers for bone marrow matches.

Purimpalooza in LA was started by Cheston Mizel, when he began the organization that became JConnectLA. The first event drew about 50-75 people. Purimpalooza has grown from year to year, changing venues and designs.

I just want to give a huge mazal tov to all the organizers, and the participants, for making the dream blossom that started seven years ago – an event to draw together Jews from all backgrounds – to help unify, inspire, and connect young Jewish people in Los Angeles. Shabbat Shalom!

Co-Sponsors: Valley Alliance, LEV Foundation, Jewlicious Festivals, Chai Center
Partners: Jews for Judaism, JAMS (of USC), Sephardic Mizrahi Young Leadership (SMYL), LA Jewish Chamber of Commerce, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters
Media Sponsor: www.LosAngelesBlueprint.com

We are just four days away from a watershed moment in our young organizational history. On January 20, we present A Night Of Unity, featuring music, comedy, magic, games, opulent food, drinks, and a special acoustic performance by Grammy Nominated, Gold Record recording artist MATISYAHU.

This benefit will not only support Jewlicious, Jewlicious Festival, JConnectLA, Shabbat Tent, and other programs, but also introduce what we do to America’s second largest Jewish community in a way we have never done before.

We will be honoring David Suissa, founder of Olam.org, columnist for the Jewish Journal, and one of Jewish LA’s great personalities.

This event is a tikkun on the normal benefit dinner. There will be no rubber chicken, open seating, complimentary bar, casino games, silent auction, food from around the world, and desserts from the finest dessert company in Los Angeles. All our performers, vendors, and organizers are doing this for free or for song – because they know that this is an important fundraiser, and want to support our work.

Even if you cannot make this event – consider making a donation, a tribute, or sponsor someone else to go.

Marcus Freed’s Website Hacked :

My website has been hacked by an incompetent pro-Iranian Anti Semite! http://www.marcusjfreed.com/gigs/ – although he has only hacked two pages on the *old* website that is badly due for a relaunch. I’d like to thank the hacker for thoughtfully keeping with my black-background colour scheme, although I much prefer the… muted green in his palette as opposed to the lurid flourescent 80’s tone. Watch this space – in a few days my web wizard Simon is going to HACK THE HACKER and mash-up the site!!! Look out for pictures of the Ayatollah Kho-Freedy coming soon….

Here is the stuff the Iranian Hackers left on the Jewish Yogi’s site:

Our belligerence is religious and does not own any borders, thus we are here as long as atheism and blasphemy exist. We do know that effrontery of blasphemy to Imam Khomeini is what that only you can do. This is just a warning to your governmental sites!

Marcus is taking it in stride. After all, he is on another world tour, and will be in LA for the Night of Unity, and Jewlicious Festival!

On Wednesday, January 20, at 6:30pm, we will celebrate Jewish unity with music, comedy, and poetry at an unforgettable, delicious, cabaret-style event at LA’s famous El Rey Theater. This Night of Unity is our first ever Gala fundraiser. Please join in our effort to make this a night to remember while helping to raise funds to keep Jewlicious Festival, JConnect and our other projects going.

We are honoring DAVID SUISSA with the Jewish Unity Award. Suissa, an advertising executive and LA Jewish Journal Columnist, is founder of OLAM magazine, Meals4Israel.co, Ads4Israel.com and the newly launched OLAM.org. Suissa speaks up for justice, Jews, and israel, bridging communities and cultures. He embodies Jewish unity in bringing together the many parts of our community to solve problems and provide mutual support.

There will be great entertainment at this cabaret-style event, headlined by a special acoustic performance by Grammy Nominated, Gold Record Recording Artist MATISYAHU.

Our Night of Unity Honorary Dinner Chair is STANLEY GOLD, the outgoing chairman of the board, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles

This is no rubber chicken fundraiser dinner. There will be an speak-easy style Casino, Silent Auction, live music all evening, wine and a wide variety of delicious food. For VIP ticket holders there will be bottle service and complimentary drinks as well.

Special appearances have been confirmed by Craig Taubman, Rhoda Weissman, David Sachs, Adam Weinberg, Marcus Freed and others! It is a snazzy night, so dress code is – Black Tie Optional

You can buy tickets, or make a tribute – tickets and tributes start at $180. We have a few sponsorship opportunities for individuals or companies that would like to participate in this event. Please contact us as soon as possible – we have only a few left.

*$50 of ticket cost is not tax deductible.

HOST COMMITTEE
Tom and Jill Barad Brett Barenholtz Stanley & Joyce Black Michael Borkow Etan and Emily Cohen Brad and Amy Conroy Daniel Eisenstadt Rachel Ephron Yosi and Wendy Finn Noah Flom Selwyn & Glynis Gerber Stephen Grynberg Bob Hale Josh and Stefanie Kaplan Mellissa Lewkowicz James and Debbie Lustig Nick Meyer Tahlia Miller Larry and Carol Mizel Courtney Mizel Maxine Morris Dr. Sharon Musher Gal & Rabbi Elissa Ben Naim Harry & Dorit Nelson Mark and Renee Phillips Sheri Porath Rockwell Roz and Jerry Rothstein David and Judy Sachs Dr. Rami and Sofia Sadeghi Evan Schlessinger Lou Sokolovsky Alan and Lisa Stern Dubby Teichman Sari Tuschman Gary and Dana Wexler Shawn Landres Joshua Avedon

Dear Friends,

On Wednesday, January 20, at 6:30pm, we will celebrate Jewish unity with music, comedy, and poetry at an unforgettable, delicious, cabaret-style event at LA’s famous El Ray Theater. This Night of Unity is our first ever Gala fundraiser. Please join in our effort to make this a night to remember while helping to raise funds to keep Jewlicious Festival, JConnect and our other projects going.

We are honoring DAVID SUISSA with the Jewish Unity Award. Suissa, is an advertising executive and LA Jewish Journal Columnist, is founder of OLAM magazine, Meals4Israel.com and Ads4Israel.com. Suissa speaks up for justice, Jews, and israel, bridging communities and cultures. He embodies Jewish unity in bringing together the many parts of our community to solve problems and provide mutual support.

There will be great entertainment at this cabaret-style event, headlined by a performance by Grammy Nominated, Gold Record Recording Artist MATISYAHU.

Our Night of Unity Honorary Dinner Chair is STANLEY GOLD, the outgoing chairman of the board, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles

This is no rubber chicken fundraiser dinner. There will be an speak-easy style Casino, Silent Auction, live music all evening, wine and a wide variety of delicious food. For VIP ticket holders there will be bottle service and complimentary drinks as well.

Special appearances have been confirmed by Craig Taubman, Rhoda Weissman, David Sachs, Adam Weinberg, Marcus Freed and others! It is a snazzy night, so dress code is – Black Tie Optional

You can buy tickets, or make a tribute online at jconnectla.com/gala/ , and tickets & tributes start at $180. We have a few sponsorship opportunities for individuals or companies that would like to participate in this event. Please contact us as soon as possible – we have only a few left.

HOST COMMITTEE IN FORMATION
Tom Barad Brett Barenholtz Stanley & Joyce Black Michael Borkow Etan and Emily Cohen Brad and Amy Conroy Daniel Eisenstadt Rachel Ephron Yosi and Wendy Finn Noah Flom Selwyn & Glynis Gerber Bob Hale Josh and Stefanie Kaplan Mellissa Lewkowicz James and Debbie Lustig Nick Meyer Tahlia Miller Larry and Carol Mizel Courtney Mizel Maxine Morris Dr. Sharon Musher Gal & Rabbi Elissa Ben Naim Harry & Dorit Nelson Mark and Renee Phillips Sheri Porath Rockwell Roz and Jerry Rothstein David and Judy Sachs Dr. Rami and Sofia Sadeghi Evan Schlessinger Lou Sokolovsky Alan and Lisa Stern Dubby Teichman Sari Tuschman Gary and Dana Wexler

JConnectLA Official Honika Electronica Launch Party

Special Modern Tribe No Limit Texas Dreidel Tournament

Party benefits the ‘Fed Up with Hunger’ Initiative
Doors open @ 9 PM, A Cow Jumped Over the Moon
421 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

$10 presale/$15 @ the door
$5 off door price with 2 cans of kosher food

Sponsored by : Brandeis Collegiate Institute (BCI)
Co-Sponsors: Birthright Israel Next, Chai Center, ModernTribe, Shemspeed, Jewlicious Festival

GIVEAWAYS DRINK & SUSHI SPECIALS ALL NIGHT LONG

BUY TICKETS

Want to get in shape physically and spiritually – but want to do it simultaneously? If you live around LA, I invite you to this series of two back-to-back Bibliyoga workshops with the witty, worldly and wise BibiYogi, educator and performer Marcus J Freed of London.

Bibliyoga is soulfood for the body that offers a physical-spiritual uplift through powerful yoga, Jewish wisdom and Kabbalah. Yoga for Ecstatic Living: Bibliyoga for the Body & Soul workshops are each one hour vinyasa flow sessions for all levels of yoga from beginner to advanced. Both workshops will be followed by a salon discussion at a nearby café.

WHEN: Two consecutive nights!
Tues., Nov 10, at 8:00 p.m. Part I – “Finding Joy, Peace and Healing”
Wed., Nov 11, at 8:00 p.m. Part II – “Becoming Strength, Light and Happiness”

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY FOR THESE CLASSES!

WHERE: L.A.’s premier dance studio – Mimoda Studio Theatre (www.mimodastudio.com)
5774 W. Pico Blvd (two blocks East of Fairfax) Los Angeles CA 90019
Entrance is on Ogden side, back of the building.

COST: The one hour classes are $15 each and are limited to 50 students each night

HOW: Pre-pay at www.JConnectLA.com/register-now

Wear loose clothes and bring a yoga mat or some will be available for purchase.

More about Yoga for Ecstatic Living Workshop Series on this Facebook Event.

ABOUT BIBLIYOGI MARCUS J FREED
Marcus J Freed followed a path toward becoming the Bibliyogi ….
through his journeys as an actor, writer and educator. His spiritual development included 12 months at a spiritual retreat in the mountains of Efrat, Israel, at Yeshivat HaMivtar. It was there that he studied enlightenment texts with three great Talmudic masters, Rabbis Chaim Brovender, Dovid Ebner and Shlomo Riskin. Marcus gained degrees from the Universities of Birmingham and London, but he met his next teacher at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts, where yoga guru Edward Clark was teaching acting and movement. Marcus entered into a spiritual and yogic pupilage with these teachers which continues today. Bibliyoga is concerned with extreme innovation while being connected to the Jewish tradition that stretches back 5000 years. In the past 12 months, Bibliyoga has been taught in 8 different countries.

Tu B’Av is an ancient day of Jewish romance and celebrating the love in our lives on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Av. It’s older than St. Valentine’s Day and Sadie Hawkins Day by a few thousand years. We dusted off this gem of a Holyday which had seen little activity here in LA, and together with JconnectLA created LoveFest last. Over 300 people jammed into the event last year, so we realized that we were intoan annual event, and we had to take this one higher than ever before.

Enter the totally cool and hip vibe at Bungalow Club, on Melrose, Los Angeles’s hipster road. Add some of the best Jewish music in the country: Moshav, Rav Shmuel, Dov Rosenblatt (Blue Fringe), DJ Eric Rosen, DJ Cajami. We have a vendor fair with interesting swag, delicious ala carte dining, special Love Fest drinks at recession prices, and HurryDate®. HurryDate® speed dating is a great way to meet lots of new people in a quick, fun, no-pressure environment. They hold speed dating parties for Jewish singles in cities all across the US each week.

JconnectLA presents a LoveFest of cosmic proportions this year on WED. AUG 5, 8PM. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Hosted by The Bungalow Club, and sponsors Jdate and HurryDate®, LeDoVaDor, JewC, Modern Tribe and Cool Jew.
Make sure to buy your tickets soon for LoveFest – it’ a mini-Jewlicious Festival in the middle of LA, with a full bar.

As great as it all was…

It wasn’ t Rabbi Yonah and Rachel Bookstein’s Instant Matchmaking, hot kosha buffet or the chocolate Fun-Jew.

It wasn’t the rad goodie bags from Modern Tribe and Jewcy.

It wasn’t the fabu Heebster shuk vendors, including Threaded Heritage, Dove Above, Rabbi’s Daughter’s, Hebrew School Drop-Out and more.

It wasn’t the on-site coverage from Lara Bearman and Jewish TV Network.

It wasn’t even 8th Day, the outrageously funny Smooth-E, the sneak preview of Cool Jew or headliner Moshav that made the night so right.

It was the more than 320 Yidden & Friends, including the fab duo Aron and Garron, who rocked the house and made Love Fest 2008 truly unforgettable!