Torah Marks Growth on La Cienega

By COLlive reporter

Chabad Sola (South La Cienega) in Los Angeles, CA, celebrated its 10th anniversary Sunday, September 17th with a new Torah dedication.

The beautiful Torah and silver crown were donated by Ryan and Brynn Efune, in honor of their new baby daughter, Shira Rivkah.

“My father dedicated Torah scrolls for myself and each one of my siblings. I could not think of a more beautiful tradition to carry forward,” said Brynn who was joined by his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.

“What greater way to show our long-term victory over the Nazis than by proudly showcasing our Jewish continuity, anchored by our holy Torah tradition,” Brynn Efune commented.

“There is no shortage of synagogues in Los Angeles. But I could not think of a more deserving one than Chabad Sola. With its diverse denomination, it epitomizes Jewish unity in its finest form. That is where I want my child’s Torah to be read every week.”

Chabad Sola started ten years ago with humble beginnings, in a small trailer with a handful of young couples. Today, it services hundreds of people every week, from all walks of life. This is thanks in no small part to its dynamic Rabbi, Avraham Zajac and his wife Stery.

With Rabbi Zajac’s boundless energy and enthusiasm for Torah learning and classes, visitors to Sola can’t help but get caught up in its motivational atmosphere.

“It is the only shul that I am aware of, that you can walk in and see Chabad Jews in kapatahs, Persian Jews, Moroccan Jews, French Jews, South American Jews, all sitting together in unison,” said Jeremie Braun, a Chabad Sola member.

“The sefardic contingency got so large that the Rabbi provides us with our own minyan on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and then we all join together afterwards for the Shabbat Kiddush. It’s a beautiful sight to see.”

In recognition of the needs of the growing community, Chabad Sola recently embarked on an ambitious mission called “The Eiden Project.” It purchased a large property that will house and expand the current Jewish Montessori pre-school, as well as a men and women’s mikvah and a much larger synagogue and Bais Hamedrash.

The project is currently underway and a special committee has been appointed to be in charge of the project oversight and fundraising. The Jewish Montessori is currently being built, estimated completion of this phase is in 3 months.

Learn more about theeidenproject.org