Israeli’s Oct. 7 Hero Headlines High Holy Days In American Visit

Oz Davidian, a humble farmer/lawyer who saved over 120 people from Hamas terrorist, will also discuss an upcoming documentary at the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts

By Alex Ben Block

Oz Davidian

In s year that Jews around the world worry about the continued existence of the State of Israel as it faces wars on two fronts, and Anti-Semitism is more rampant in America and worldwide than at any time since the fall of Hitler, religious Jews will gather beginning October 2 for the High Holy Days, the Jewish New Year,  which is the most important religious holiday of their year.

Synagogues worldwide, and throughout America, will gather their congregations for the traditional prayers to welcome in the new year on Rosh Hashanah and then to pray for their ancestors and to be written into the book of life for another year on Yom Kipper, October 10 and 11.

While there are many ways and places to worship, for many in Southern California who are Reform Jews, one of the most welcoming will once again be the Beverly Hills Temple of The Arts services, held in the Saban Theater (once the Wilshire Theater) on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.

As a longtime member,  I look forward to the beautiful and thoughtful sermons of our spiritual leader, Rabbi David Baron, joined by the outstanding Cantors and the fine choir led by Musical Director Sharon Farber. There will also be thoughtful spiritual readings, and some very special guests, many of whom will be part of the Rabbi’s Sermons.

One of those very special guests this year will be Oz Davidian (”Oz”) , an Israeli lawyer and farmer who became very famous at home on October 7, 2023 when deadly terrorists flooded across the border from Gaza, murdering in coldblooded hundreds, many of them young people attending a musical festival.

Oz, as he is known, lives near the Southern border of Israel and on that day put his own life om the line to help save over 120 victims of those bloody, horrible attacks. He  make more than a dozen trips in his 4 by 4 Mitsubishi truck to the scene of the fighting and then about 10 miles back to ferry load after load of unarmed, helpless survivors, many of those young Jews, who had seen so many of their friends slaughters by Hamas merchants of murder.

 Oz was among Israeli police and about a half a dozen others who worked to save survivors, and among those civilians who acted, Oz is the only one who lived to tell his story despite being shot at repeatedly. The Israeli Army that day as tied up protecting the terrorists from entering large cities and metropolitan areas.

Oz, a humble man who has been in the Israel Army, served as a police officer, and recently in addition to being a famer and father, is a liaison between Israel and its peaceful Bedouin tribesman (many of whom were also slaughtered by the Hamas terrorists).

Oz will then stay in L.A. for the U.S. premiere of “The Oz List,” a documentary about his heroic actions that day. It will premiere on Monday, October 21, inside the Steve Tisch Cinema Center at the Saban Theatre (which is the home of the Temple of The Arts). The powerful, realistically frightening documentary made by an Israeli TV producer and others.

“Oz’s List” will receive its World Premiere screening at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on Monday, October 7, 2024.  The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, will recognize Oz Davidian at the screening for his heroic deeds. After that Oz will travel to Los Angeles to participate as a guest of Rabbi Baron in the service on Yom Kippur,

The recently completed documentary does not yet have American or international distribution, and the exposure at the premieres may help it get that well deserved exposure in theaters and/or on cable TV or a streaming service.

Yosi Levy

Yossi Levy and His Family will speak about being one family from among the 80,000 Israelis evacuated from their homes in Northern Israel on the Lebanon border as a result of the Hezbollah rocket attacks on October 8, 2023, which are still happening now.

Rabbi David Baron said:  “My Yom Kippur High Holy Day Guests for this year exemplify faith in action by their heroic and humane acts of kindness in the face of Hamas atrocities, while at the same time reigning in Anti-Semitic expressions.  My guests have incredible stories of courage and perseverance which demonstrate the strength of the human spirit, and can serve as examples to enlighten and encourage all of us.  At this season of repentance and introspection, it is of vital importance to bring awareness globally of these stories.  We can learn important life lessons from these inspirational and motivational messages.”

Rabbi David Baron

As he does every year, Rabbi Baron has also put together an outstanding lineup of other guests for the High. Holy Days. Below are some of the highlights

HERE ARE SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS SUPPLIED BY THE TEMPLE:

Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez, Founder and President of Churches in Action representing 2,300 churches who will speak of his role as a fighter against Anti-Semitism and as an advocate for social justice and Christian Zionism for 40 years; 

Moti Kahna, a philanthropist who has put himself in harm’s way will provide a first-hand account of what is happening in the war-torn zone of Gaza; and Richard S. Hirshhaut, an Emmy Award-winning Television Producer and the Los Angeles Director of the American Jewish Committee since September 2019 who will speak about Anti-Semitism on College Campuses and advancing global advocacy.   

Shervin Kordary Pishevar, an Iranian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, super angel investor and philanthropist, a producer of a new 30-minute documentary film about women being violated by Hamas, entitled, “I Am Iranian,” will be a participant in Rabbi Baron’s Afternoon Yom Kippur Discussions between 2:00 – 5:30 p.m. on October 12th, when Pishevar’s new movie will be screened for the first time.

Sharon Farber

The Yom Kippur creative services on October 11th and 12th will be under the musical direction of Sharon Farber and feature Cantor Ilysia J. Pierce and Hazzan Nathan Lam.  

Service Readers/Performers will include Mary Hart, Dr. Judea Pearl, Stephen Macht, Daphna Edwards Ziman, Bernard Hiller, Golda Zahara and Costa Ronin.  Additional service participants will soon be announced.

 Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services this year will feature a 12-member choir composed of singers from Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and four instrumentalists.  

For more info, go to https://www.bhtota.org/ or call the temple at 323-658-9100 and E-mail Edward Tarango at  edgar@templeofthearts.org  

This year’s Yom Kippur services will once again be live streamed to temple members in good standing who can’t attend the live services via the temple’s website, www.bhtota.org   

Members of the general public will be welcome to attend the Rabbi Baron’s afternoon discussions with his guests on Yom Kippur, Saturday, October 12, 2024 from 2:00 – 5:30 p.m. free of charge, but reservations are required.  Please call the temple office to make reservations.

Media Contact for the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills:Steve Moyer Public Relations @ Work:  818.784.7027; Cell:  818.337.9987; moyerpr@earthlink.net; @stevemoyerpr