That, of course, is how we read about how the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years; griping and moaning at Moses for their predicament, till eventually Moses did indeed hit a rock to procure water, and as a result was never allowed to enter the land of Israel. And so, our image of the Wandering Jew is definitely one of a ragtag group of people kvetching and whining. So when you hear of an event entitled “The Night of the Wandering Jew” taking place on January 23, you may balk for a moment, but rest assured, this upcoming annual IKAR fundraiser with this moniker is all about eating, drinking, dancing and having fun with a healthy dose of social justice thrown in.
IKAR - a Jewish community founded six years ago that seeks to combine spirituality and social justice – held its first annual Night of the Wandering Jew Fundraiser three years ago. The concept began as a take on New York’s Bnei Jeshurun’s “Night of 100 Dinners.”
The concept is simple, but it goes one step further than a typical fundraising party that asks you to cough up money and then attend a huge party where you may or may not know what the organization is about or what it stands for. By contrast, IKAR asks participants to pay $125 (which goes towards IKAR’s education and social justice programs, and not to cover the overhead of the event itself) and in return you’ll be invited to a dinner at one of a myriad of homes throughout the Los Angeles area. You sit, you eat, you schmooze, you make new friends, reconnect with old ones and learn about what IKAR is, and what their programs are about. Then, after you’ve indulged in both some delicious food and food for thought, you come together with the 250- 300 other people who have all been at other dinners, for a swinging after party, with live music, dancing, drinks, dessert, an online auction and a rollicking good time.
This year the after party will be held at High Profile Productions – a converted warehouse in Culver City, and Night of the Wandering Jew co-chair Andrea Sherman is thrilled that she’s part of the group bringing back the event bigger, better, and badder than ever. “We’ve always want to do something [for the fundraiser] that brings together the community in a different, interesting, way,” she says. “And bringing people together is what IKAR is all about.”
The dinners themselves are paid for by the hosts (this year there are 27 of them), and run the gamut from fancy, catered dinners to casual pizza and beer dinners. Each home hosts anywhere from 10 to 40 people and every participant is assigned a host dinner based on their geographical location and their dietary preference. “We have dinners everywhere from Long Beach and the Valley to Silverlake and Venice,” says Sherman, “and you can choose whether you want to attend a kosher dairy meal, a meat meal, or even a Vegan meal. “The Google doc gets very complicated,” she says, laughing.
In addition to making sure every IKAR member is personally placed at a home, hosts also reach out to their friends outside the community and to people who want to learn more about IKAR in an intimate, relaxed environment. “It’s a great way for people to learn about us, see who we [IKAR] are, meet new friends, have a great dinner and become part of our community,” says Sherman.
The dinners are always held on a Saturday night and start with a Havdallah service. In the first year, there was a conference call Havdallah, led by IKAR’s rabbi – Sharon Brous - where all the satellite dinners listened in and participated. Last year each host received a Havdallah gift kit. This year, says Sherman, the dinners will focus on some of the issues close to IKAR’s heart. “I think we’ll have some interesting discussion topics at the dinners,” she says. “We are focusing on our Minyan Tzedek initiative so we will have something about that.”
Minyan Tzedek is IKAR’s latest initiative that covers six social justice tracks designed to help different communities, and actively encourages every member to become involved in one of the tracks that cover everything from Food Justice, an Interfaith Garden, and Immigration Reform, to Education and Green initiatives.
“We’re not interested in pushing anything down anyone’s throats,” Sherman says, “We just want people to understand what we’re about and what we’re trying to do in the community. We’re based on social action and social justice and IKAR doesn’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk and we look to do outreach in the community in different ways.”
So what can people expect at the after party?
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Well,” says Sherman, breaking into a huge grin, “You can expect a night to remember. We have Vaud and the Villains playing – an 18 piece fabulous band, with a real speakeasy vibe. It’s what you’d expect if Rock and Roll met Gospel, met Rockabilly, complete with dancing girls and a wild good time.”
There’ll also be lots of dancing, drinks available, a dessert cart and what Sherman calls a “no tchachke online auction. No ugly candlesticks stuffed in the back of your closet,” she says. Some of the auction items include two trips to Hawaii, a trip to New York, massages, facials, Clippers tickets, restaurant vouchers, and symphony tickets. “The auction will run a lot like eBay,” says Sherman. “It will open the Sunday before the event and close the Monday after. We’ll also have computers available at the after party where you can see the bids already placed on items and outbid people.”
For Sherman, who has a background in events and fundraising, planning the Night of the Wandering Jew is a labor of love. “Make sure you dress up, come and have a great time,” she says. “This is going to be a great, fun, sexy event. I love the concept of getting people together from all over and connecting,” she says. “We want people to join in and learn that IKAR is a community that cares about its members as well as what is going on in our community. We’re small enough to make sure everyone feels welcome and while we are serious about what we believe in, we also know how to have a really good time.”
The Night of the Wandering Jew will be held on Saturday January 23, starting at 6:30 p.m. To sign up for the event, visit www.ikar-la.org. Click on the Wandering Jew link and you’ll be able to purchase tickets and sign up for a dinner based on your neighborhood and dietary preference. If you can’t make the dinner, you can sign up just for the after party for $75.