* Beth Jacob reacquired the lot at the corner of Doheny and Olympic that was lost during the financial crisis of Rabbi Abner Weiss’s last years. One of the big machers in the shul is buying and donating it. Prediction: acquiring the lot is a prelude to a massive building campaign to put up a new building on the bigger lot. If Beth Jacob does it right, this will be the banquet hall for simchas that Pico-Robertson is sorely lacking.
* YICC (Young Israel of Century City) recently did a needs assessment for potential construction because they are bursting at the seams. It came back with a price tag over $15m. At that price, I think most people there would prefer to see some of the shul splinter off and either form new shuls or support previous spin offs like Adas Torah on Beverly Drive, which is thriving.
* YINBH (Young Israel of North Beverly Hills, the richest Orthodox synagogue in Los Angeles) has a rabbinic search underway. Six months ago Rabbi Shalom Tendler (Aron’s uncle) resigned. He is devoting himself full time to his new school.