Rabbi David Baron of the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills announced his guests for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish new year. They include Oz Davidian, a courageous farmer from Southern Israel who will recount how he was able to save 120 young people from the Hamas terrorist attack on the Nova Music Festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 by driving into the relentless onslaught of gunfire 15 times to transport festival attendees to safety; Yossi Levy and his family, who 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 Oct. 8, 2023, which are still happening now; 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 firsthand 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, will speak about anti-Semitism on college campuses and advancing global advocacy.

Services will commence on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 (5785), the eve of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre) at the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills at 8 p.m., and continue on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 (5785) at 10 a.m., the holiest day of the Jewish New Year.

To make reservations, call the temple at (323) 658-9100 and email Edward Tarango at the temple office at edgar@templeofthearts.org. This year’s Yom Kippur services will be live streamed via the temple’s website, www.bhtota.org, to temple members in good standing who can’t attend the live services. Members of the general public will be welcome to attend Rabbi Baron’s afternoon discussions with his guests on Yom Kippur on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. free of charge, but reservations are required. Please call the temple office to make reservations.

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. Pishevar’s new movie will be screened for the first time during the discussions.