This month brings observances of important religious...

This month brings observances of important religious holidays to the Southland’s Jewish communities, which will celebrate the festival of Shavout, and Islamic communities, which will mark the holy day of Eid Al Adha.

SHAVUOT Sundown Sunday marks the beginning of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, which carries that name because it comes seven weeks after Passover.

According to Rabbi Shimon Paskow of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks, the holiday was originally an agricultural event, known as the Feast of the First Fruits, and later became known as the time when God gave the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai.

“Hearing the voice of God speak at Mt. Sinai is the great religious experience of the Jewish people--when they are given the great moral laws, including the Ten Commandments, the legal basis for all society.”

To commemorate that event, many traditional Jews will stay up at synagogues all night Sunday studying the Scriptures. At services, the Ten Commandments will be read, as will the Book of Ruth, which recalls the ancient harvest festival and Ruth’s adoption of the Jewish faith.

It is also customary on Shavuot to refrain from eating meat and substitute a menu of dairy dishes, such as cheesecake and blintzes “to respect all life, including animal life, and have a greater appreciation of the earth’s produce,” Paskow said.

Most U.S. synagogues hold confirmation services during Shavuot to reaffirm the loyalty of teen-agers to religious teachings.

Orthodox and Conservative synagogues will hold services Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday’s services will include memorial prayers for the dead. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews observe the holiday Sunday and Monday, incorporating memorial prayers on those days.

For information about traditional and creative Shavuot services and activities, phone the Board of Rabbis of Southern California at (213) 852-1234 or one of the synagogues below:

* Temple Beth Am, Conservative (310) 652-7353

* Sha’arei Am: Santa Monica Synagogue, Reform (310) 453-4276

* Temple Beth Hillel, Reform (818) 763-9148

* Chabad of Hancock Park, Orthodox (213) 954-8381

* University Synagogue, Reconstructionist (714) 553-3535 Temple Israel, Reform (213) 876-8330

EID AL-ADHA Eid Al-Adha will be observed Saturday with chanting, prayers and festivities.

About 15,000 people will pray at the Los Angeles Convention Center, said Ahmed El-Gabalawy, chairman of the religious and social committee of the Islamic Center of Southern California. The doors will open at 5:30 a.m. for the 6 a.m. service of takbeer (chanting) and prayer; a second service will be held at 7:30 a.m.

Next Saturday, an Eid carnival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu.

The holiday, which commemorates the patriarch Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac, falls on the 10th day of the month of Zulhijah of the lunar Islamic calendar.

Making a Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca for this occasion is the fifth pillar of Islam--after the declaration of faith, prayer, alms-giving and fasting during the month of Ramadan. Each year, about 2 million pilgrims undertake the journey, according to Gabalawy, who left Tuesday for the Saudi Arabian capital.

Dr. Hassan Hathout, the center’s outreach director, said: “Requiring those who can physically and financially afford to make the pilgrimage to do so once in a lifetime aims at connecting Muslims with the patriarch Abraham.”

The pilgrims would sacrifice a lamb and give part of it to the poor, according to tradition. Nowadays, Hathout said, people who don’t have the facilities to slaughter a sheep donate money to societies and associations, mostly in other countries, which perform this rite and give the meat to the hungry.

The holiday is also important, he pointed out, because “it reminds us of the common root of Jews, Christians and Muslims, all sharing Abraham as the patriarch and the great-grandfather of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.”

Saturday’s service is free. Tickets for the carnival are $20, with children under 5 free. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles (213) 382-9200.

On Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m., Muslims, Christians and Jews will explore differences and similarities in their views of prophet Abraham at an inter-religious event at the Islamic Center of Southern California. Speakers include Rabbi Alfred Wolfe of the Skirball Institute on American Values, Msgr. Royale Vadakin of St. Anastasia Church in Westchester, and Dr. Hassan Hathout of the Islamic Center. Admission is free. (213) 382-9300, Ext. 16.

For information about other Eid Al-Adha celebrations in Southern California, contact one of the following:

* Masjid Omar (213) 733-9938

* Masjid Felix Bilal (213) 233-7274

* Islamic Center of Northridge (818) 885-9107

* Islamic Society of Orange County (714) 531-1722

* Islamic Center of South Bay (310) 534-1363

* Islamic Center of San Gabriel (818) 964-3596

* Islamic Center of Conejo Valley (805) 499-2106

* Islamic Center of North Valley (805) 945-0844

* Islamic Center of San Diego (619) 278-5240

DATES

* The Filipino Ministry of Glendale Presbyterian Church celebrates its first anniversary with a thanksgiving worship service at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Rev. Eugene Andrew Hessel is the guest speaker. 125 S. Louise St. (818) 242-8873.

* Russian Jewish emigres and members of the gay and lesbian communities will be represented in a free panel discussion, “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hollywood Temple Beth El. The panelists will suggest ways to improve the relationship of the communities, which live side by side in the city of West Hollywood, a sponsor of the event. 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd. (213) 656-3150.

* The Clergy Network presents the Rev. Cecil Murray of First African Methodist Episcopal Church on “Are We Rebuilding Los Angeles?” at a complimentary luncheon from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Woodland Care Center in Reseda. All clergy members are invited; reservations are required. 7120 Corbin Ave. (800) 707-2224.

* A workshop to help people of all denominations through the loss of a significant relationship--through death, divorce or separation--is offered by the Single Adult Ministry of First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica. The group meets from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings through June 8. For registration information, phone (310) 393-8258.

* A free health fair sponsored by Faith Outreach Church on the Eastside is scheduled from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at the Unique Theater, 3645 East 1st St. It includes a free general health examination by PacifiCare, a health maintenance organization, Pastor Robert Cota said. For more information, call (213) 267-0649.