LA MESA, California – What is the first thing you do when you open your eyes in the morning? Hit the snooze button? Check email? Or start to make coffee?
Before doing any of those (well, turning off your alarm first), reciting Modeh Ani is a good way to start the day. It translates to mean “I thank you.”Modeh can mean “thank”, “admit”, or “surrender.
It’s an opportunity to thank G-d for another day and being grateful for what the day may have in store for us. It is another day to figure out why we are here and what we are supposed to be doing here on Earth.
It’s also a chance for admitting to ourselves that we have made mistakes but today is another day; we may not be perfect but today we can possibly break a bad habit or make a small change by accepting responsibility for our actions.
The prayer acknowledges that there is something bigger than us and that G-d gave us life and can easily take it away. It is a time to acknowledge that one day we will not live to see another day and to be grateful for the day we were blessed with.
As translated by the myjewishlearning website, the prayer reads:
Modeh ani l’fanecha, Melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemla, raba emunatecha
I thank you, living and enduring King, for you have graciously returned my soul within. Great in your faithfulness.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Congregation Dor Hadash presents “Havdalah by the Bay” at 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, at Mission Bay. Rabbi Mike will lead services, and participants are encouraged to bring a vegetarian dish to share with serving utensils. Chairs, blankets, reusable water bottles, and lawn games are optional. Organizers will provide beverages and water, plates, utensils, napkins, and cups. Click here to rsvp and receive the location.
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Congregation Beth El announces its “Welcome Back Fair” at 11 a.m., Sunday, September 7. The event will include activities for all ages with bounce houses, a magician, balloon animals, face painting, and music from CBE’s own Vav Band. Organizers say to bring sunscreen and an appetite. Click here to register.
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Israeli American Council San Diego announces its “Hear the Survivors of Swords of Iron: Up Close with a Former Hostage and an Injured IDF Soldier” at 4 p.m., Sunday, September 7, at a private location. Almog Meir Jan was held for eight months in a Hamas-controlled apartment and was rescued through Operation Arnon by the IDF along with Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov. He will share his story and what it means to survive captivity. Ben Ladany was drafted into the IDF’s elite Oketz K-9 unit, serving alongside his combat dog, Jack. Ladany’s unit got ambushed, and he got shot seven times, and his dog got shot and did not survive. He will share his story and the seven lessons he learned from the seven bullets he survived. Click here to register and to receive the address.
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Actress Julianna Margulies, who starred in the television series ER and The Good Wife, will be the featured guest at the inaugural Joan Jacobs Signature Brunch sponsored by Jewish Family Service on Sunday, Oct. 26 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. From 10 a.m. to 11 am. there will be a VIP meet and greet with Margulies and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be lunch and a conversation with Laura Fink. Tickets may be obtained via jfssd.org/brunch2025.
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To view other events previously listed in this column, please visit our San Diego Jewish Community Calendar page.
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CHABAD CENTERS’ HAPPENINGS
University City’s Jewish Women’s Circle presents “Rosh Chodesh Elul: Connect to Your Soul Through Yoga and Meditation” at 8 p.m., Sunday, August 24, at a private residence. Organizers say to bring your own yoga mat if you have one. Click here to rsvp and to receive the address.
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Chabad Hebrew Academy presents “Sivans Kitchen: A Rosh Hashanah Prep Cooking Demo” at 7:30 p.m., Monday, September 15. Sivan will share her favorite recipes, kitchen secrets, and stories behind her viral dishes. Click here to rsvp and to receive the address.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
Chabad at La Costa reports that grandparents Rabbi Yeruchem and Rebbetzin Nechama Eilfort, and parents Rabbi Sholom and Rebbetzin Mushka Eilfort, welcomed the birth of a baby girl, who was called to the Torah and named Shima Fruma Eilfort. Mazel Tov!
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Congregation Beth Israel reports that its deadline for its Yom Kippur Memorial Book submissions are due by Tuesday, August 26. Click here to submit.
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Congregation Dor Hadash reports that its Mitzvah for the Month will be hosting a Backpack Drive for Youth Emergency Shelter (YES) ending Monday, September 1. Suggested donations include pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, glue sticks, kid scissors, rulers, folders, tissues, and snacks. All items are new and fit inside a new backpack.
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Young Israel of San Diego reports that some Skittles candy are certified kosher pareve. To determine if you have a certified product, look at the ink-jetted codes printed on the package. If the production code contains “YRV” in it, or it contains “WAC” and has a best-buy date of June 2026 or later, then those products are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. Eventually, the OU symbol will appear on the packaging.
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OBITUARY NOTICES
Shirley Kobernick, wife of the late Gerald Kobernick, mother of Marc (Anne), Cindy (Frank), Todd (Deena), and Yair (Dina), has died. The funeral and internment were at 2 p.m., Wednesday, August 20, at El Camino Memorial Park with Rabbi Ralph Dalin of the Jewish Federation of San Diego as officiant. Donations in Kobernick’s honor can be made at Jewish Family Service San Diego, Am Israel Mortuary reports.
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Lolly Kurlansky, wife of Michael Kurlansky, mother of Nicole Saloner, Kim Jacobs, Taryn Kurlansky, and Romy Gluck, has died. The funeral will be private, Chabad of Carmel Valley reports.
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Lois Ann Adler-Roussell, wife of Walter Roussell, mother of Gina Jacobs, grandmother of Cecilia Jacobs, has died. The funeral will be at 11 a.m., Monday, September 15, at Miramar National Cemetery, Congregation Beth Israel reports.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.