(HOLLYWOOD PRESS CORPS) — Beverly Hills, CA — (September 3, 2026) – Rabbi David Baron of the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills announced today his guests for the 2026 Jewish High Holy Days.
Rabbi David Baron said, “In observance and in loving remembrance marking the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists attacks on American soil I have invited Jill Pila, the widow of 9/11 World Trade Center I victim, the late Jim Gartenberg, to appear at the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre on the Eve of Rosh Hashanah, Friday, September 11, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. coinciding with the beginning of Jewish New Year of 5787.”
Jill Pila said, “I am very grateful to Rabbi Baron for reaching out to me and inviting me to speak at the Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. I will share my story of September 11, 2001, when my older daughter was just two and a half years old and I was pregnant with my second daughter. I will speak about my late husband, Jim, and remember the extraordinary person he was – not only as a husband and a father, but as a human being. I will share his selfless and heroic final words to me and to the media, spoken just moments before he was murdered. His courage, love and concern for others in those final moments are a profound part of his legacy. It is so important that we continue to tell these stories and perpetuate the legacies of all 2,983 innocent lives lost on that day 25 years ago. Each person has a story, a family, a community. By remembering them and sharing these stories, we ensure that they are not reduced to a number. Their lives – and the impact they had on those who loved them – continue to live on.”
Rabbi Baron continued, “My Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur High Holy Day Guests exemplify the importance of resilience and faith in uncertain times. We will show a film chronicling the lives of non-Jewish people who saved the lives of Jews in danger during the Holocaust and we will discuss the ongoing fight against anti-Semitism and counterterrorism worldwide. My message in my Living Sermon this year will be coming together as one in peace and unity for the betterment of all mankind.”
On the Eve of Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre, on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 8:00 p.m., and on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, a time for fasting and forgiveness, on Monday, September 21, 1026, Rabbi David Baron’s guests will include:
- Natalie Sanandaji, a 2023 Nova Music Festival Massacre Survivor who will talk about this life-changing moment that led her to become the Public Affairs Officer of the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement.
- Montana Tucker, a Singer, Dancer and Social Media Influencer who will talk about using her large online platform to fight anti-Semitism and educate people about the Holocaust.
- Steve Emerson, a counterterrorism expert who presently serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project in Washington, D.C., who is also an Author and Documentarian who will speak about keeping America safe.
- Jonny Daniels, Founder of the From The Depths Foundation who will talk about his new film, “The Righteous Road Trip,” in which he interviews extraordinary individuals who risked their lives to secretly save Jews during the Holocaust.
- Vanessa Roth, 2008 Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary Short for “Freeheld,” who will talk about her latest new documentary film, “The Righteous Road Trip.”
Service Participants will include: Mary Hart, Leonard Maltin, Julie Hagarty, Dr. Judea Pearl, Daphna Edwards Ziman, Bernard Hiller and Howard Fine.
To make reservations for the High Holy Day Services, please call the temple at 323-658-9100 and E-mail Edgar Tarango at the temple office at edgar@templeofthearts.org This year’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live streamed via the temple’s website, www.bhtota.org by clicking in the upper right-hand corner on Livestream in the drop down menu for temple members in good standing who can’t attend the live services. Members of the general public will be welcome to attend the Rabbi Baron’s afternoon discussions with his guests on Yom Kippur, Monday, September 21, 2026 from 2:00 – 5:30 p.m. free of charge, but reservations are required, as well as a photo IDs, E-mail addresses and clearing security. Please call the temple office to make reservations.
Tickets for Non-Temple Members for both live Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services are available. Discounted Tickets for Young Adults 18 – 35 years of age are also available. And streaming yearlong virtual memberships are also available. Please call the temple office for details. Members of the unions SAG-AFTRA and the WGA West who have experienced financial hardships due the recent pandemic and reduction in production will be admitted to the High Holy Day Services free-of-charge. Please call the temple office for details and to make reservations. Photo IDs, E-mail addresses and clearing security are also required.
On the Afternoon of Yom Kippur, Monday, September 21, 2026 from 2:00 – 5:30 p.m. Rabbi David Baron will lead discussions with his High Holy Day Special Guests. Around 3:15 p.m. there will be a Special Screening of the film, THE RIGHTEOUS ROAD TRIP, written, directed and produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Vanessa Roth, the film depicts a holiday journey across Eastern Europe with Jewish humanitarian Jonny Daniels and his dog, Tyson. Traveling through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in a van filled with Christmas tress and gifts, Jonny set out to visit some of the last of the 60 remaining Righteous Among the Nations – the extraordinary individuals who risked their lives to secretly save Jews during the Holocaust. After the screening of the film Rabbi Baron will be joined by actor and producer Jonny Daniels and writer, director and producer, Vanessa Roth. Here is a link to the trailer of the film, THE RIGHTEOUS ROAD TRIP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhxYDn1ZF3g
The Rosh Hashanah creative services on September 11th and 12th and the Yom Kippur creative services on September 20th and 21st will feature Broadway performer, Cantor Ilysia J. Pierce and renowned cantor and voice teacher, Hazzan Nathan Lam. Service Readers/Performers will include Mary Hart (Former Host of Entertainment Tonight), Leonard Maltin (Renowned Film Historian), Dr. Judea Pearl (Father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl), Daphna Edwards Ziman (President of Cinémoi Television Network), Bernard Hiller (Renowned Acting Teacher and Author), and Howard Fine (Renowned Acting Teacher). Additional services participants will soon be announced.
At the musical helm will be the temple’s Music Director, Grammy Award-winning Composer, Four-Time Emmy Awardâ-nominated Composer, ASCAP Board Member, Member of the Executive Committee of the Music Branches of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science and the Television Academy and Former Vice President of the Alliance of Women Film Composers, Sharon Farber. Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services this year will feature a 12-member choir composed of singers from Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and four instrumentalists. New Choir and Instrumentalists this year will include: Kimberly Switzer, Mezzo-Soprano, Matthew Brown, Tenor, Ben Han-Wei Lan, Bass, Tal Vaknine, Harp and Darren Liou, Clarinet.
High Holy Day services will be held on the Eve of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre) on Sunday, September 20, 2026 starting at 8:00 p.m. and on Monday, September 21, 2026 starting at 10:00 a.m., followed by Rabbi Baron’s Living Sermon at 12 Noon and the visually opulent Yizkor Memorial Service (memorial service for the departed) starting at approximately 12:30 p.m., underscored by inspirational music.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar; it is a day of forgiveness, prayer and fasting for Jewish people around the world. Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Friday evening, September 11, 2026 (5787), the Jewish New Year, is marked by the blowing of the shofar, beginning 10 days of penitence culminating with Yom Kippur, Monday, September 21, 2025 (5787).
The Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills is the largest arts and entertainment synagogue in the United States and owns the historic Saban Theatre located at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
The City of Beverly Hills will waive parking restrictions on both sides of Hamilton Drive, Gale and Tower, between Wilshire Boulevard and Gregory Way, and between Hamilton and La Cienega on the north side of the street. This will also apply to Hamilton, north of Wilshire. High Holy Day guests may not park in red or yellow zones or disabled spaces without the proper placard. Parking Enforcement will waive permit parking restrictions and timed parking restrictions. Metered spaces are not exempt. Additional parking is available at numerous lots and garages in close proximity to the Saban Theatre. Fees vary.
High Holy Day Services will be conducted on the Stephen J. Cloobeck Family Stage with a backdrop tapestry recreation of legendary artist, Marc Chagall’s painting, “The Journey of the People.” The Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre is now celebrating the closing of its 34th Anniversary. October 30, 2026 will mark the historic 96th Anniversary of the historic Saban Theatre. The mission of the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre is to promote religion through music, drama, arts, film and dance. To learn more, please visit the website,www.bhtota.org
Network with us at www.facebook.com/templeofthearts and on Twitter @templeofthearts
About Rabbi David Baron’s Guests:
Jill Pila is a born-and-bred New Yorker who calls Manhattan, New York home. She attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree and earned a Master’s degree in speech/language pathology from Columbia University. Pila has a private practice specializing in Pediatrics, where she finds great meaning in the important work she does with children.
Pila is also a passionate Mahjong instructor. She enjoys the way Mahjong brings people together, creating opportunities for community, laughter, friendship and connection. Jill Pila tragically lost her first husband, Jim Gartenberg, in the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. She is deeply grateful for their two children who continue to carry on his legacy. In 2004, Jill Pila remarried. Her husband brings two additional children to the family as their blended family is filled with love and gratitude.
Natalie Sanandaji serves as a Public Affairs Officer at the Combat anti-Semitism Movement (CAM), where she is deeply involved in global efforts to combat anti-Semitism and fight extremist ideologies. Born and raised in Long Island to an Israeli mother and an Iranian father, Natalie draws on her multicultural background and lived experiences to inform her work and amplify voices that often go unheard.
In October 2023, Sanandaji was visiting Israel when she narrowly survived the Nova Music Festival massacre, a traumatic and life-changing moment that shifted the entire trajectory of her life. In the aftermath, she dedicated herself fully to advocacy, turning her personal experience into a mission to raise awareness and fight hate in all its forms.
Montana Tucker is a singer, dancer and social media influencer who uses her large online platform to fight anti-Semitism and educate people about the Holocaust. Tucker is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. In June 2022 Montana Tucker initially launched TikTok and Instagram reels of a Holocaust remembrance project titled, “How To: Never Forget,” a 10-episode digital docu-series, in which Montana and her mother, Michelle, follow her journey retracing her grandmother’s, Lilly Schmidmayer’s, and grandfather’s Michael Schidmayer’s footsteps through Auschwitz where they were imprisoned, before the project was compiled and released as a full documentary on YouTube in January 2023. Later Tucker made a follow-up documentary entitled, “The Children of October 7.”
Steven Emerson, a distinguished figure in counterterrorism, serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), a nonprofit research organization he founded in 1995. With over three decades of dedicated investigation into the phenomenon of terrorism, particularly concerning the Middle East, Emerson has established IPT as the world’s most comprehensive data center on radical Islamic terrorist groups.
Emerson was the first person to testify about the Muslim Brotherhood MB) back in 1996 before Congress and since then has authored hundreds of articles on the MB alone including front groups for Hamas like CAIR and other MB. Before he founded the IPT, Emerson worked as an investigative reporter for the New Republic, U.S News & World Report, the New York Times Magazine and as a correspondent for CNN. He has authored hundreds of articles for national and international media.
Jonny Daniels is Founder of www.FromTheDepths.org Daniels travels extensively to poor Eastern European villages, seeking out Holocaust survivors and rescuers, preserving their acts of heroism and bring them food and medical supplies. Daniels also led the effort in saving a Torah scroll from the flames of the Shoah, inviting survivors to write letters to complete its restoration. A Jewish humanitarian, Daniels’ most recent project is starring in the new film, “The Righteous Road Trip,” in which he interviews extraordinary individuals who risked their lives to secretly save Jews during the Holocaust.
Vanessa Roth won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for film, “Freeheld.” Her current project, the documentary film, “The Righteous Road Trip,” follows Jewish humanitarian Jonny Daniels and dog, Tyson. Traveling through Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary in a van filled with Christmas trees and gifts, Jonny sets out to visit some of the last of the 60 remaining Righteous Among the Nations—the extraordinary individuals who risked their lives to secretly save Jews during the Holocaust.
Roth’s other awards include: an Emmy Honors Award for Social Impact and a IDA Nomination for best doc series for her Netflix series, “Daughters of Destiny;” an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for “Taken In: The Lives of America’s Foster Children;” Impact Doc Awards for Outstanding Achievement in filmmaking for “The Girl and The Picture;” two Sundance Special Jury Prizes; two Cine Golden Eagles; two Casey Medals; and a MacArthur Grant. She directed Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” (2021).
Roth’s films include “Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses,” “The Girl and the Picture,” “Freeheld,” “Close to Home,” “Aging Out,” “The Third Monday in October,” “9/11’s Toxic Dust,” “No Tomorrow,” “The Other Side,” “American Teacher,” and “The Texas Promise.” Roth served as the Executive Producer, Writer, and Director of “Daughters of Destiny: The Journey of Shanti Bhavan,” – a four-part Netflix original documentary series released in 2017. Roth earned a Masters degree social work with a minor in family law from Columbia University. She is the daughter of screenwriter
Eric Roth and archeologist Linda Roth.
Rosh Hashanah services will be held on Friday, September 11th at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, September 12th at 10:00 a.m. Children’s Services (ages 6 – 11), led by Karen Abrams, will be held on Rosh Hashanah, Friday,September 11th at 10:30 a.m. and on Yom Kippur, Thursday, October 2nd at10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room on the second floor. Simultaneously there will be Toddler’s Care (ages 2 – 5) led by the Temple of the Arts Pre-School instructors on Rosh Hashanah, Friday, September 11th at 10:30 a.m. and on Yom Kippur, Monday, September 21st at 10:30 a.m. in the Founder’s Room on the first floor of the temple. For details please call the temple’s office at 323-658-9100.
