photo courtesy of BHTOTA
Masih Alinejad, left, and Mona Golabek will be the special guests at the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts’ services on Yom Kippur. (photos courtesy of BHTOTA)

Rabbi David Baron, of Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre, has announced guests for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. In-person services will commence at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15, for the Eve of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre), and continue at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16.

Guests will include Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-american journalist, television presenter, women’s rights activist and best-selling author, and Mona Golabek, a Grammy Award nominee, recording artist, concert pianist and creator of “The Pianist of Willesden Lane.”

“My guests have incredible stories of perseverance and resilience,” Baron said. “Each of their stories exemplifies the strength of the human spirit, which can serve as examples to enlighten all of us. At this season of repentance and introspection, it is of vital importance to bring awareness globally. We can learn important life lessons from these inspirational and motivational messages.”

The temple’s’ Yom Kippur services will feature Broadway performers Ilysia J. Pierce and Jordan Bennett, who will serve as cantors, led by the temple’s Music Director Sharon Farber. Instrumentalists for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur will include Murray Middleman, Sasha Kalamn, Dimitry Olevsky, Garik Terzian and Liesle Erman.

High Holy Day services will include a Yizkor Memorial Service (a memorial service for the departed) starting at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 16. From 2-5 p.m. on Sept. 16, the rabbi will screen a special film and lead discussions with the guests.

Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts is also celebrating Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Monday, Sept. 6. Known as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah is marked by the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn), which begins 10 days of penitence culminating with Yom Kippur.

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10:00 a.m., Richard Weitz, a partner at William Morris Endeavor and co-head of its scripted development department, will join his daughter Demi Weitz for a discussion on how they created “Quarantunes” online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program has raised $26 million for charities.

High Holy Days tickets start at $400. The Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (323)658-9100, or visit bhtota.org.