A Reform Congregation on Sepulveda Boulevard
The desire for a Jewish congregation in Culver City took shape in 1952, when four families gathered in a living room to imagine what one might look like. A second meeting drew twenty-one families who raised $180 through a raffle, and by March 1953, twenty-five families met in the Culver City Council Chambers and chose the name Temple Akiba. The congregation affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism) that September, when its charter was granted and Rabbi Hershel Lymon was engaged to lead the young community.
The first Shabbat services were held on March 27, 1953, in a rented hall, and the Temple's first Bar Mitzvah followed on January 15, 1954. In 1955 the congregation moved three small buildings onto a lot on Sepulveda Boulevard and dedicated its first sanctuary. By the end of the decade the Temple had outgrown those buildings. In 1962 architect Robert Kennard was commissioned to design a new home on the same lot, and sculptor Albert Wein created the twenty-four-foot bronze Akiba figure that still stands as a symbol of light, hope, freedom, and peace. The new sanctuary, built in two hexagonal structures over fifteen months, was dedicated during an eight-day celebration in May 1965.
In 1967 Rabbi Allen S. Maller became the congregation's spiritual leader, introducing monthly family services and a lay choir that have continued ever since. He led Temple Akiba for thirty-nine years before retiring in 2006 as Rabbi Emeritus. Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro was hired after a year-long search and, together with Cantor Lonee Frailich (the congregation's first full-time cantor, who arrived in 2011), has led what the Temple describes as a new era of growth. Today more than 400 member families make Temple Akiba their Jewish home, drawn from Culver City, West Los Angeles, Mar Vista, Venice, Santa Monica, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester, Inglewood, Hawthorne, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, Palms, Mid City, and across the South Bay.
The People in the Pews and at the Bimah
Three clergy share pastoral and educational responsibilities. Rabbi Zachary Shapiro, ordained at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 1997, served as Associate Rabbi at University Synagogue before arriving at Temple Akiba in 2006. A musician and composer of liturgical folk music used around the country, and the author of the children's book "We're All in the Same Boat" (Putnam, 2009), Rabbi Shapiro writes the weekly "A Moment in Time" column for the Jewish Journal. He is a member of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and serves on the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR.
Cantor Lonee Frailich is a second-generation cantor, following her father, Cantor Emeritus Jay Frailich, who served at University Synagogue in Brentwood for forty years. At Temple Akiba she created the Junior Choir, Cantor's Chanters for middle and high schoolers, and the Kabbalat Shabbat band, while tutoring B'nai Mitzvah students and teaching in the Early Childhood Center.
Rabbi Daniel Freedman joined as Rabbi Educator after being ordained at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles in 2020. A native of St. Louis who earned his bachelor's degree in Jewish Studies and Psychology at The Ohio State University, Freedman previously served as a Senior Jewish Educator at Santa Barbara Hillel and Assistant Rabbi and Educator at Temple Sinai in Oakland. He teaches the adult "Turning The Page on Prayer" course and oversees the Religious School.
Rabbi Emeritus Allen Maller, who shaped Temple Akiba for nearly four decades, remains a beloved figure in the community. Executive Director Jeffrey Rips, with more than forty years in Jewish communal service, oversees operations; Randee Bishoff serves as Director of Education; Kathryn Vischjager as Program Director; Leah Penso as Director of Resident Camp and Youth Programs; Robyn Altman as Director of Day Camp; and Michael Rothbart as Director of Music.
Friday Nights at Temple Akiba
Shabbat is the heart of Temple Akiba's week. Every Friday evening the community gathers for services described as "warm and innovative yet traditional," filled with music and spirit. The signature Kabbalat Shabbat service is accompanied by guitars, drums, a harp, and soulful singing, drawing both longtime members and families new to Jewish worship. On some Fridays the service moves to the sanctuary's Torah reading; on others it takes the form of Shabbat Shira, marked by birthday and anniversary blessings, or Garden Prayer in the courtyard beside the Andy Alexander Waterfall. During the summer, Shabbat at the Shore brings the congregation to the Pacific Ocean for a beachside Kabbalat Shabbat with toes in the sand.
Once a month, Shabbat Nefesh - "Shabbat of the Soul" - reimagines the service by weaving traditional prayers with melodies from other regions, popular musicians, pop-culture, and varied music genres. Past favorites have included Broadway Shabbat and Beatles Shabbat. Services are designed for both long-time members and visitors, with a sound-proof "quiet room" inside the sanctuary where young children can be kids while caregivers continue to hear every word of the service.
Friday night services are livestreamed on YouTube, and Saturday mornings include a regular service with Torah reading in addition to a weekly Torah Study from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in person and on Zoom.
The Sanctuary and Courtyard
The Temple's sanctuary seats 285 in a semi-circle that signifies a united congregation sharing vision, sound, and worship. Four Torah scrolls are housed there, and within the sanctuary the Sue and Jerry Urfrig Family Memorial Room offers a place to remember loved ones during Yahrzeit, when small stones are placed beside their names. A 2015 renovation refreshed the sanctuary, offices, conference room, bathrooms, and a welcoming courtyard entryway.
The Social Hall, with a capacity of 200, connects directly to a full-service industrial kitchen and hosts Oneg Shabbat, Bar and Bat Mitzvah receptions, wedding receptions, dances, and casino nights. The Andy Alexander Waterfall anchors a courtyard used for outdoor services, meetings, and play groups. The Temple's multi-purpose facilities are available to rent for simchas and life-cycle moments.
Parking is in the lot behind Centinela Feed & Supplies, accessed from the back alley; the Temple entrance is through the gate there, not from Sepulveda Boulevard. Street parking is available when the lot fills, and congregants are asked to be courteous to the surrounding residential neighborhood.
From Eighteen Months Through Twelfth Grade
Education at Temple Akiba begins in the Early Childhood Center (ECC), a play-based preschool for children ages eighteen months through Transitional Kindergarten. Small class sizes, indoor and outdoor classrooms, weekly Shabbat celebrations with challah making, morning enrichments in music, yoga, gymnastics, and science, and monthly Mishpacha Shabbatot (Beach Shabbat, PJ Shabbat, and more) define the program. A tuition schedule for the 2026-2027 school year lists five-day half-day tuition of $16,110 to $16,790 and full-day tuition of $18,585 to $18,930, depending on age. Families enrolled in the ECC receive a reduced Temple membership rate of $720, along with annual Building Fund and Security fees.
Religious School extends from Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade. TK through third grade meet on Sundays from 9:00 AM to noon, where Judaica is paired with Hebrew Through Movement. Fourth and fifth graders add Tuesday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:30 PM for Hebrew decoding and prayers that prepare them to lead their own B-Mitzvah services. Sixth and seventh graders gather on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 PM with dinner provided; sixth grade focuses on Mussar (Jewish virtues), and seventh grade turns to Jewish history, antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Israel. Eighth through twelfth grade includes Confirmation and the L'Taken social justice seminar in Washington, D.C., where confirmation students lobby members of Congress on topics such as reproductive justice, economic justice, gun violence prevention, and Israel.
The Cantor directs the Junior Choir (grades three through five, singing once a month) and Cantor's Chanters (middle and high schoolers, who sometimes lead services from start to finish and assist during the High Holy Days).
Youth Groups: TASTY
Temple Akiba Senior Temple Youth (TASTY) gathers 4th through 12th graders for monthly events split by grade: TASTY Bites for 4th and 5th graders, TASTY Treats for 6th through 8th, and the high school TASTY Board for 9th through 12th. Activities range from bowling, rock-climbing, go-karting, ice-skating, hiking, beach days, movie nights, and escape rooms to social action projects. TASTY is affiliated with NFTY (the North American Federation for Temple Youth), giving 6th through 12th graders access to weekend events with Jewish peers across Southern California. TASTY Holiday Sessions run over winter and spring break, and One Day Sessions are offered on Veterans Day and Presidents Day.
Two Camps, One Akiba Spirit
Since 1967, Akiba Day Camp has welcomed children entering kindergarten through tenth grade for a Culver City-based summer of swimming, arts and crafts, sports, music, field trips, and Friday Shabbat programming that strengthens Jewish identity. Campers are grouped into Unit 1 (ages 5-7), Unit 2 (ages 8-10), and Teen Camp, which is split into K'Far Noar (ages 11-12) and Avodah (13 and up). A two-year Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program begins the summer before ninth grade. One of the highest staff-to-camper ratios in a day camp setting, full CPR/AED certification, and mandated reporter training for all counselors are noted points of pride.
Akiba Resident Camp is the sleepaway option, drawing campers entering third grade through eleventh grade for an immersive, story-based summer in nature. Activities include archery, zip-lining, animal sanctuary visits, two themed dances, a sleep-under-the-stars night, chugim (choice activities), camper-led Shabbat services, and a talent show. Two years of counselor training precede full counselor eligibility, with backgrounds checks and additional training required.
Each fall, Akiba Family Camp brings together grandparents, parents, and children ages 0 to 12 (with programming for teens if registration allows) for a weekend at Camp Bob Waldorf that includes five meals, Shabbat and Havdallah with the clergy, art, sports, Israeli dancing, and a talent show.
High Holy Days at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium
For the High Holy Days, Temple Akiba moves its largest services to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 4117 Overland Avenue in Culver City, reserving the Temple itself for family programming. Slichot opens the season with study and service; Erev Rosh Hashanah brings both a family service at the Temple and a main service at the Auditorium; Rosh Hashanah morning includes a Junior Congregation for 4th through 6th graders and an afternoon Children's Service at the Temple, followed by Tashlich and Beach Clean Up at Toe's Beach. Yom Kippur includes Kol Nidre, a morning service, Junior Congregation, a free family afternoon service, and the combined Yizkor and Neilah service. Member and non-member childcare, tickets, and the High Holy Day Appeal are all coordinated through dedicated online forms.
Mitzvah Day and Tikkun Olam
Temple Akiba's annual Mitzvah Day, now in its nineteenth year, draws nearly three hundred participants to support twenty non-profit organizations. The morning begins with bagels and registration, a brief service, and then more than twenty projects: making sandwiches and lunches for St. Joseph's Center, Upward Bound House, Grace Diner, Safe Sleep, and A Safe Place for Youth; preparing Shabbat kits for seniors; painting flower pots for residents of affordable housing; knitting hats for PATH and Santa Monica/UCLA Hospital; assembling bone marrow registry kits; writing postcards to elected officials; sorting clothing for the Culver Closet; singing at Playa del Rey Care Center with Cantor Frailich and Music Director Michael Rothbart; and CPR training, among many others.
Beyond Mitzvah Day, the Tikkun Olam Committee partners with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-CA), HIAS, the Venice Family Clinic, Project Chicken Soup, Jewish World Watch, and Shoes for the Homeless. The SOVA Community Food & Resource Program maintains a donation bin at the Temple's entry. Recent congregational action has included letters supporting California Assembly Bill 1853 to keep hate out of voter guides, and postcard-writing drives to support voter turnout in communities facing barriers to the polls.
Adult Learning
Adults gather for Torah Study on Saturday mornings, "Coffee with the Clergy" on Wednesdays at 11:00 AM (in person and on Zoom), and a Wednesday afternoon Adult Hebrew / B'nai Mitzvah class that runs from 6:00 to 6:45 PM on Zoom and culminates in an Adult B'nai Mitzvah ceremony for Temple members. "Turning The Page on Prayer," a Wednesday course with Rabbi Freedman at 12:30 PM, traces how Jewish liturgy developed from spontaneous petitions into the structured prayer of today's siddur. An "Intro to Judaism" class meets on select Sunday mornings beginning in November, exploring Jewish history, theology, Shabbat and holidays, prayer, ethics, Israel, and peoplehood.
Sisterhood, Men's Group, and the Brotherhood of Volunteers
Sisterhood, with its own board and Co-Presidents, supports Religious and Nursery School children with gifts at Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and Tu B'Shevat, gives prayer books to Hebrew School students and kiddush cups to B'nai Mitzvah, funds Torah Commentories for Confirmation students, and co-sponsors Oneg Shabbats and a Meal of Condolence Service. Annual programs include a Sisterhood Havdalah service led with the Cantor, a membership dinner with a renowned speaker, latkes for Chanukah, the Sisterhood Giftshop, a Purim Bake Sale, and two Mah Jongg tournaments. Sisterhood's social action work has included Project Chicken Soup, Hats for Life, and Cooking with Kids at the Venice Family Clinic.
The Men's Group, a cornerstone of Temple Akiba since its founding and open to both men and women, hosts musical performances, cinematic events, lectures, and book discussions throughout the year. Recent gatherings have included discussions with Steve Zipperstein on the legal case for Palestine, a Yom HaShoah tour of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Auschwitz exhibit, and a conversation with Israeli-American baseball pitcher Joey Wagman about Team Israel's journey through the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Trustee Michael Hudson leads the group.
Volunteers keep the congregation running. Opportunities include blood drives, the Caring Committee, greeters and ushers for the High Holy Days, hospitality, room helpers in the ECC and Religious School, Purim Shpiel production, and committee service on Facilities, Safety, Finance, Membership, Religious Practices, Tikkun Olam, Mitzvah Day, and Marketing.
Life Cycle, Bereavement, and Belonging
Temple Akiba accompanies members through baby namings, B'nai Mitzvah, Confirmation, weddings, conversion, and bereavement. Rabbi Shapiro meets one-on-one with engaged couples, officiating both on and off site, and the Temple's campus has hosted many engagement and wedding receptions. Rabbi Shapiro also officiates at funerals, leads shivah minyanim at family homes, and conducts unveilings; the Bereavement and Life Transitions Group offers a confidential space to share feelings around grief and major life changes.
The Temple's commitment to belonging is explicit. Membership welcomes interfaith families, LGBTQ+ families, single-parent households, and families of all backgrounds, and no one is turned away because membership dues fall outside a household budget - financial assistance is available through the Financial Secretary. Membership categories for 2026-2027 include Married Couple/Family at $3,130, Single/Single Parent at $1,565, ECC family at $720, Associate at $800, and a Honeymoon Special at $1,300, with grandfathered senior rates for long-time members. A mandatory $200 Building Fund and tiered Security Fees apply.
An Akiba-Sized Calendar
Beyond weekly Shabbat and holidays, the congregation's calendar fills with concerts (the annual Mah Tovu concert with Rabbis Ken Chasen and Yoshi Zweiback has become a fixture), author talks, theater outings, Israeli dancing, the Friendship Celebration Gala (which in 2026 honored Rabbi Shapiro and Cantor Frailich's twenty years of partnership), and a congregational Israel trip led by the senior rabbi and cantor. The Young Adults group in their twenties and thirties gathers at local bars and restaurants, plays on the Akiba Angels softball team in the Synagogue Softball League, and organizes community service days. Havurot (small groups), LGBTQ+ programming, Interfaith programs, and the Leadership Development Program round out a calendar that has something for nearly every age and stage of Jewish life.