Looking for a Jewish home away from your own Jewish home? Adat Ari El welcomes visitors and members into its haimish (Yiddish for friendly - you have to ask?) environment.

The first Conservative Jewish synagogue in the San Fernando Valley, Adat Ari El is a full-service community center, with religious services, member organizations, religious and secular events, and schools. Rabbi Moshe J. Rothblum, Assistant Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard, and Cantor Ira S. Bigeleisen lead the synagogue and its large congregation of more than 850 families.

Adat Ari El Schools offer preschool and elementary school with a mix of Jewish and non-religious education, while the religious school focuses on Jewish studies for kindergartners through seventh graders. A religious confirmation program educates teenagers, 8th through 12th grade.

The synagogue's Youth Department provides a wide selection of activities for children ages 5 to 18, including athletic and social events, USY (United Synagogue Youth for teens) activities, an annual theater production, and a Tikkun Olam social action program.

Music pervades much of what happens at Adat Ari El. Teens can join a youth choir (adults have their own group) and families can attend monthly Friday night shabbat services (shabbat services for adults are weekly in the main sanctuary).

Also, the unique One Shabbat Morning service caters to children preschool through 3rd grade. With music composed and performed by Cantor Bigeleisen and Craig Taubman (of Craig N Co. fame) and leadership from Rabbis Rothblum and Bernhard, kids participate without their parents (but are supervised by synagogue caretakers) in creative services and activities. Pre-registration is required for this popular program.

Membership dues information is available by contacting Joanne Klein through the synagogue's main number or by e-mailing her at jklein@adatariel.org.

Office hours are Mon-Thu 8:30am-5pm and Fri 9am-4pm. For services, Adat Ari El has special hours on weekday mornings, evenings, and weekends.

All Saints Episcopal Church has been in operation in Pasadena for nearly a century. Considered one of southern California's largest church communities, it is liberal-spirited church committed to issues of social peace and justice and to the spirit of creativity in all aspects of life.

All Saints sponsors several choirs, tutoring and mentoring programs for Pasadena school children, and support groups for parents, among many other activities.

Its historic stone church, located across the street from Pasadena City Hall anchors the lovely grounds of Plaza de las Fuentes.

The church is also home to All Saints Children's Center, a childcare center accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAYEC). It provides full- and part-time care for children ages six weeks to five years. The center strives for diversity among staff, children, and families with respect to ethnicity, race, culture, religion, socio-economic status, and sexual orientation.

The center adopts a developmental approach to instruction, meaning that activities are very hands-on and participatory.

Bay Shore Community Congregational Church is part of the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Chabad of Burbank is a branch of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, offering Jewish family programs as well as religious services and education to the community at large.

Chabad of Marina del Rey is a branch of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, offering Jewish family programs as well as religious services and education to the community at large. Some children's programs include Mommy & Me, Hebrew school, and Bar or Bat Mitzvah training.

The Chabad of Pacific Palisades is a branch of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, offering Jewish family programs as well as religious services and education to the community at large. Chabad operates the Palisades Jewish Early Childhood Center and offers a summer camp program at Palisades Elementary School.

The Chabad of South Bay is a branch of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, offering Jewish family programs to the community at large.

Congregation Tikvat Jacob is a Conservative Jewish congregation, the result of two community institutions - Congregation Tifereth Jacob of Manhattan Beach and B’nai Tikvah Congregation of Westchester - uniting to form one synagogue.

The nursery school is at the Westchester location, and the religious school and sanctuary are at the Manhattan Beach location. The synagogue also runs a play program called My Jewish Gym for kids ages two to five.

Famed architect Philip Johnson designed this impressive superstructure that towers over Orange County, and attracts some quarter-million visitors every year.

Forty-five minute tours leave the Visitors' Center every half hour. The volunteer guides show the 10,661 panes of glass that give the Cathedral its name, the ninety-foot tall doorways, the organ with its 16,271 pipes, and the carillon with its 52 bells.

The Visitors' Center also offers refreshments and a gift shop.

The Cathedral is home to the 10,000 member Crystal Cathedral Ministries, an evangelical church led by Dr. Robert Schuller, known to international television audiences for his 'Hour of Power' show.

Holman United Methodist Church is the home of the famed Holman Choir, one of the great gospel music choirs in Los Angeles, and its annual Concert of Negro Spirituals. Check our calendar for information.

The Jewish Learning Academy is an educational facility run by the religious group Chabad. The JLA offers a program called Kreative Kids for young children, accommodating little ones up to four years. Classes in this program include Mommy and Me, Music and Movement, Art, Hebrew, and Fitness. Moms are invited to take classes about Judaism while the kids are in class.

Magnolia Park United Methodist Church offers child care during services, with Junior Church for kids in first through fifth grade and Youth Worship Cafe for kids in sixth grade and up.

At the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue Preschool both children and parents feel special. Thanks to Dede Solis, the Preschool Director who has run the program for years, the school maintains a small intimate feel and a happy, eager learning environment.

You don't have to be Jewish to send your kids here. Although Jewish holidays and rituals are observed, the school accepts all races, colors, national and ethnic origins - and not only that, celebrates them. Everyone fits in.

Children ages two to six years are eligible for enrollment. A health record is required and a personal interview will be arranged. The school calendar follows that of the local school district. In addition, the school is closed on Jewish holidays when the Synagogue office is closed.

MJC has a high ratio of adults to children, which provides an optimal learning environment.

Every Friday morning, children celebrate Shabbat with the Rabbi and other special guests.

A school newsletter, The Weebreeze, keeps parents up-to-date on upcoming events and offers parenting tips and advice.

Teachers are Early Childhood education specialists, certified by the Bureau of Jewish Education.

Dance, music, and computer classes are integrated into the program. Children are encouraged creatively, and there is always an abundance of materials on hand for children to explore, create, build, and communicate.

Children are encouraged to develop their own self-image; the focus is on exploring the world, and developing positive interactions with peers. Constructive, positive reinforcement is always used.

The playground is grass and sand, with lots of fun things to climb and little areas to explore. Close supervision and interaction is provided at all times.

Parents are always welcome, and can visit any time. In addition, they are often invited to parties and holiday celebrations, or encouraged to visit for Friday Shabbat service.

The school is based on an 11-month academic year (closed in August).

Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded more than two hundred years ago. Today it is a monument to California's multi-cultural history, embracing its Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and European heritage. Originally built as a self sufficient community by Spanish Padres and Indians, the Mission was a center for agriculture, industry, education, and religion.

The serenity and peace that pervades the 10 acres of lush gardens and cool fountains, cloistered by old adobe walls, offers visitors seclusion from the sights and sounds of a busy world. The Mission is a registered Historic Landmark and is designated a National Historical Treasure.

The famous swallows of Capistrano migrate annually to Goya, Argentina in October, and return to their spring and summer home in Capistrano each March. The celebration held each year to welcome the birds home grows in size and popularity annually.

Northridge Christian Church offers various family programs, including a summertime Power Lab, dedicated to introducing children and teens to Christianity and the Bible.

Saint Monica's Catholic church is home to one of the westside's most prominent parochial schools. The school has an elementary, a middle, and a high school (home to the Mariners) on its campus, across from Reed Park.

The church is full to bursting most Sundays for its popular choir.

This historic Greek Orthodox cathedral is a community center for residents of Pico-Union, a diverse, lively, and crowded neighborhood of recent immigrants to Los Angeles, mainly from Central America and the Middle East.

The recently renovated church is leading a drive to bring spirit and pride to the area, re-named by some the Byzantine-Latin Quarter. In that role, the Cathedral serves as sponsor and host of many community events and festivals. Check our calendar for information.

The church itself is beautiful, and worth a visit if you're in that neighborhood.

The Santa Monica Synagogue is an intimate Reform congregation and a member of the Union for Reform Judaism.

The diverse congregation includes couples with children, seniors, single parents, partners, interfaith couples, and singles.

Sha'arei Am provides a Jewish Education for students in grades K-12th grade. It also offers a once-a-month program for pre-schoolers and their parents, as well as a monthly tot shabbat service on the third Friday night of the month. Social youth group programs are available for students in grades 7th-12th.

The Temple is Reform, founded in 1981.

Saint Nicholas Church offers services and various programs for the community, including Arabic bible study, summer camp, and periodic special events.

St. Patrick Parish Church is a Catholic church with an associated preschool, elementary, middle, and high school.

St. Paul the Apostle is a Catholic school staffed by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, serving children in kindergarten through eighth grade. School tours are conducted twice a year, usually in October and January. Tour information is available at 310.474.1588 ext. 220.

The church is a parish staffed by the Paulist Fathers, with a community of over 1,500 families.

St. Philip the Apostle is a Catholic Church with a parish school that is over 80 years old.

St. Thomas the Apostle is an Episcopal Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Community. Childcare is available at some masses.

Temple Beth Am is a large Conservative Jewish congregation on the Westside of LA. The synagogue's educational branch, the Pressman Academy, includes an early childhood program and a day school up to eighth grade.

Beth Am also runs Camp Keshet, a popular summer program.

Founded in 1952, Temple Judea is a Reform Jewish congregation that serves the communities of Tarzana and West Hills.

Family programs include youth groups with social, cultural, and religious programming, a nursery school, and a tots and toddlers program.

The Nisayon Program provides religious education for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade creating communities and friendships through summer and winter camp sessions and Shabbat and family programs throughout the school year. Activities include dance, drama, music, arts & crafts, videography, swimming, team sports, and krav magra. The program costs $800 to $2630 per year. The telephone number for more information about this program is 818.342.3177.

Temple Ner Maarav in Encino is a Conservative Jewish congregation that's been around since 1955. The temple has a preschool, a Hebrew school, and two youth groups.

Nestled in a beautiful wooded canyon in the Malibu Mountains, the Shalom Institute offers summer camps for children and nature-based Jewish experiences for families throughout the year.

The facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool, two outdoor amphitheaters, a conference center, an archery field, a sports field, and a dining hall, as well as adventurous features like a ropes course, zip-lines, a climbing wall, rock climbing, and a rappelling center.

Miles of hiking trails, two waterfalls, and a nature center are also part of the compound.

For several decades, Valley Beth Shalom has provided a place to worship, to study, and to celebrate Jewish traditions. Led by rabbis Harold M. Schulweis and Edward M. Feinstein, the congregation hews to the Conservative Jewish tradition while also embracing many progressive points of view regarding community and ethics.

The synagogue is home to the Valley Beth Shalom Schools, which engage students in religious and secular studies.

In addition to its religious services held throughout the year, VBS schedules holiday events, speakers, family concerts, weddings, bar mitzvahs, and more.

Community programs based at the synagogue include Havurot (groups of families that form a kind of club), the Sisterhood and Men's Club, and B'Yachad (an organization for teens with developmental disabilities and special needs).

Support services are also offered through a variety of programs, including the Counseling Center, the Response for Gays, Lesbians, & Their Families, and the Tzedakah Connection (to connect VBS members to charitable organizations).

Membership dues are: Family $1,348, Starting Family (Under 34) $850. Shabbat services are free and open to the public. Membership is not necessary to attend most events.

Village Church in Burbank is a non-denominational Christian church with a lot of family programs. The church has an Infant & Toddler program, a preschool, and a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program.