On a dark and rainy night, we ventured to the depths of Pasadena to visit the aptly-named Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. PJTC bills itself as a Conservative congregation for those of you who like to get your Hebrew on, but we found that even in this Conservative ‘gogue, SoCal’s unique flavor shines through. The rabbi broke out bongo drums mid-service to accompany the guitar-wielding cantor, and Rabbi Pasadena leads a weekly meditation group and an interfaith study session, teaches yoga, and delivered a sermon all about Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s recent visit. We dug his enlightened vibe, and it was cool of him to make small talk with us after the service (although in hindsight, it was probably just because we were possible ‘gogue recruits under the age of 45).
The night we were there, a large group had assembled for a Bat Mitzvah. Unlike the two of us at thirteen, this young lady was not sporting glasses OR braces and seemed to be relatively socially competent. Good for her. For the record, we’d just like to state that it is possible for ugly Bat Mitzvah ducklings to mature into high-functioning, reasonably socially normal human beings by their late 20s. Good for us.
Chai-lights
1. Beautiful stained glass ark with a rad Sephardic Torah
2. Comfy seats
3. Late service (8pm) for those who need a little breather between work and welcoming the Sabbath bride
Kvetches
1. Dearth of young Jewish men for Jessica to date. What else is new?
2. Comfy seats--way too easy to doze off
3. 8pm is a little late for those of us who like to hit the town on a Friday night... or those of us who like to hit the sack by 9pm
Total Bagels:
3.5
On the whole, our experience at Temple Israel of Hollywood was a great, quirky blend of classic weird Hollywood and progressive Reform spirituality. When the cantor who led the service started referencing Buddhist goddesses, it was confirmed that we had definitely ventured outside of our Virginia and Dallas roots. The cantor seemed made for show business, kind of like a singing, Jewish George Clooney. Welcome to Hollywood. It was unclear whether he was Israeli or just really good at pronouncing Hebrew prayers; regardless, he was a great storyteller who rocked some Debbie Friedman tunes on the guitar. Thumbs up for the cantor.
The real highlight of the evening happened when we stood and faced the door to greet the Sabbath bride. A whispered commotion erupted behind us. We thought people must be really into the Shabbat spirit, but no--a rhinestone-collared Chihuahua that was small enough to get lost on a Seder plate had just joined us for services. Its leather-studded, soul-patched owner (we’ll call him Ed Hardy Goes to Shul, or EHGtS) was not far behind. From a distance, we thought he could be Jessica’s first Shabbat suitor, but upon closer inspection, we were not impressed by the embroidered dragon on his vest or his gefilte fish-sized dog. Can’t handle a real dog, can’t handle a real woman.
We should also note that the logistics of entering the temple proved challenging even for two brilliant Jewesses like us. After an easy 15-minute shlep on the Red Line (Go Metro!), we marched through the Hollywood & Highland madness in our Shabbas finery, braving crowds of camera-wielding tourists, rabid shoppers, and an actual red carpet that forced us to cross the street unnecessarily multiple times. Feeling quite relieved to arrive safely at our destination, we approached the regal double doors of TIoH with anticipation and delight. Unfortunately, the doors did not open. After knocking several times to no avail, we made the trek around the block (in HEELS) to the back alley parking lot where a security guard marked the actual entrance to the service. Budget an extra ten minutes into your travel time for navigation.
Chai-lights
1. Friendly, welcoming congregation
2. Good cookies at oneg
3. Teacup chihuahua. I mean, seriously.
Kvetches
1. Why invest in fancy doors if you’re not going to use them?
2. Demographics: the 40-70 crowd was well-represented, but where are all the young folks? You don’t count, Ed Hardy.
3. Buddhist goddesses? Ya killing ya motha.
Total Bagels: Four out of five
