Weeklong Festival Will Honor King Legacy

Faith communities and corporate sponsors throughout Southern California will observe “King Week Festival 2001--Redeem the Dream,” Sunday through Jan. 15.

The observance is sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles and the Martin Luther King Legacy Assn. At the same time, leaders in the Jewish community are seeking to reaffirm relations between the two communities.

For details on all events, call (323) 290-4100.

KING WEEK EVENTS

Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, will speak on “Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community” on Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. Reservations recommended. (310) 440-4667.

* On Monday at 8 a.m., Schneier and Martin Luther King III will appear at Jordan High School, 2265 E. 103rd St., Los Angeles, to launch an educational program on black/Jewish relations, based in part on Schneier’s book, “Shared Dreams: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community.” The Los Angeles program will involve more than 2,300 students from Milken Community High School and Jordan High School.

* The annual Martin Luther King Jr. interfaith prayer breakfast will be held Wednesday from 8 to 10 a.m. at Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. The speaker will be Bishop John R. Bryant, presiding prelate of the Fifth District (Western states) of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. There will also be diverse ethnic and religious musical performances and readings. $20. Reservations required. (213) 250-8787.

* A King Week Gospel Fest, sponsored by the Rosa Parks Sexual Assault Crisis Center, will be held next Saturday at St. Brigid Church, 5214 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. Free.

EVENTS

“America, Jews and anti-Semitism: What Challenges are Left?” will be the subject of a lecture by David A. Lehrer, director of the Pacific Southwest region of the Anti-Defamation League, on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Temple Beth Ohr, 15721 Rosecrans Ave., La Mirada. Free. (714) 521-6765 or (562) 691-2551.

* A teaching series by Rabbi Benay Lappe of Milken Community High School on the Talmud, sponsored by “The Queer Jewish Think Tank,” will begin Monday at 7 p.m. at Beth Chayim Chadashim, the first gay and lesbian synagogue. Topics, to be covered on succeeding Monday nights at 7 p.m., include “Ethical Dilemmas from the Talmud for Kids and Adults” and “Male Homosexuality and the Jewish Law.” $60 for synagogue members, $90 for nonmembers. The synagogue is at 6000 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 931-7023.

* “Power for Your New Year’s Resolution” and how God can help you keep it will be the topic covered by the Rev. W. Terry Van Hook during services at 9 and 10:45 a.m. Thursday at Culver-Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Free. (310) 390-7717.

* “What Killed Goliath?” will be the subject of a talk at Shabbat services by Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, principal of Leo Baeck College in London, at 8 p.m. Friday at Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. (310) 476-2861.

* A blood drive will be held Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Call Maggie Howard to schedule an appointment. (310) 476-2861.

* The “Alpha Course” on basic Christianity, which has been held in various denominations around the world, will be offered beginning Wednesday at Culver-Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. (310) 390-7717.

* “Ethics: Environmental, Medical, and Business” will be the subject of an annual tea and Torah series sponsored by Temple Ner Tamid Sisterhoods and Jewish Women International, beginning Wednesday and continuing on Jan. 17 and 24 at 10 a.m. Cynthia Gordon, a retired college professor, will lead the talks. The temple is at 10629 Lakewood Blvd., Downey. $10 members, $15 nonmembers. Men welcome. (562) 861-9276.

* William Donat, whose late father, Alexander Donat, wrote “The Holocaust Kingdom,” will speak at noon Wednesday at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual book-and-author luncheon, to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, 300 S. Doheney Drive, Beverly Hills. Reservations required. $100. (310) 556-3222.

MUSIC

“Blow Gabriel Blow,” a concert series dedicated to Louis Armstrong, Ziggy Elman and Mannie Klein and starring an all-star band and singer Herb Jeffries, who for many years starred with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, will be held at 8:30 p.m. today, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday and at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel Air. Tickets $25-$30. (310) 476-9777, Ext. 203.

* The Camerata of Los Angeles Orchestra and Chorus, which has appeared twice at Carnegie Hall, will perform works by Brahms, Schubert, Haydn and others at three churches. The first concert will be at 10:30 a.m. today at White Memorial Church, 401 N. State St., Los Angeles. Freewill offering. (323) 264-2170. The second will be at 3:30 p.m. today at Vallejo Drive Seventh-day Adventist Church, 300 Vallejo Dr., Glendale. The third will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Claremont United Church of Christ, 233 W. Harrison Ave., Claremont. Freewill offering. (909) 626-1201.

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Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; faxed to Southern California File at (213) 237-2358; or e-mailed to religion@latimes.com. Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time. Because of the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee publication.