Rabbi's Blog

Dear Haverim,

Well-known author Anne Lamott’s quote: “Laughter is carbonated holiness” describes the joy that we will all experience this Friday evening at  “Synaplex Shabbat.” 

It will be a night of “Eat, Pray, Laugh” as we celebrate Shabbat with a delicious Shabbat dinner at 6:00 p.m., “Shabbat Alive” jazz and pop services with our band at 7:00 p.m. and the humorous reflections of Annie Korzen, sharing with us her newest book, “The Book of Annie: Humor, Heart And Chutzpah From An Accidental influencer” at 8:00 p.m.  (We’ll also celebrate January birthdays and anniversaries.)

We are all living through a painful time in America, Israel and around the world and we all need a break!  Even for just one evening!  So, let’s be together to share each other’s company, to meet old friends and make new ones, to be uplifted by beautiful music and to laugh at the witty and wry humor of comedian, author, storyteller, actress and screenwriter, Annie Korzen.

Well-known to Seinfeld viewers, Annie has over 10 million likes on TikTok and she has found a completely new fan base of all ages representing a variety of demographic groups.

Annie, a graduate of Bard College, has been an off-Broadway actress and has appeared in various TV shows as well as movies, such as Tootsie, Stardust Memories, Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and Nobody’s Perfect, which she co-wrote.  She has performed two solo shows “Yenta Unplugged” and “The Yenta Cometh,” and she is Artist-In-Residence at the Braid Theater Company.  Annie is also a speaker on the lecture circuit with her talk on “The Good Yenta: A Humorous Celebration of Jewish Women” and she has been interviewed on many TV shows, including Oprah, NPR’s Morning Edition and Dr. Phil. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Jewish Journal of LA.  Her most recent book, “The Book of Annie,” has been described as hilarious and thoughtful. 

Called “convincing and poignant” by the New York Times, “a born storyteller” by the Associated Press, and “life-affirming and entertaining, a real charmer” by the LA Times, this is an evening with a humorist that you don’t want to miss!

This Shabbat on the Jewish calendar is “Shabbat Shira”/The Sabbath of Song, so please be with us for a joyous evening of music and laughter.  (Click here to RSVP now for our Shabbat dinner and to attend services in person.)

Shavua Tov/Have a song-filled week of laughter and joy,

Rabbi Arnie Rachlis