Our story

Three decades of learning, Shabbatons and a community that grew up together.

Founded by Moshe and Esther Davidoff, run by volunteers, funded by people who have sat at our table.

SimXa began in 1996, when Moshe and Esther Davidoff started to host Jewish classes for families from the former Soviet Union. The circle kept widening, and the classes grew into an organization.

The organization was incorporated in 1999 and received its permanent 501(c)(3) status in 2004. Through all of it the model stayed the same: volunteers teach, cook, drive and host, and no one draws a salary.

The first Shabbaton brought 63 guests. Over twenty-five years the weekend moved along the California coast and up into the mountains, from Aliso Creek and Brandeis-Bardin to Newport Beach, Long Beach, Valencia and Marina del Rey, and in addition to classes, concerts and cultural programs, has hosted many simchos such as bar and bat mitzvos, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, and has grown in some years to as many as 300 participants!

Today SimXa has a home on the Oxnard Shores with a small shul and a retreat center, and runs a preschool for Jewish families and a lending library. Because there is no payroll, every donation goes to the programs themselves.

Milestones

  1. 1996

    First classes

    Moshe and Esther Davidoff begin Jewish classes for families from the former Soviet Union in Los Angeles.

  2. 1999

    Incorporated

    SimXa Company, Inc is incorporated as a nonprofit.

  3. 2004

    Permanent 501(c)(3)

    The IRS grants SimXa permanent tax-exempt status. Donations have been tax-deductible ever since.

  4. 2016

    A house on the Oxnard Shores

    SimXa opens the VIP Retreat Center at Mandalay Shores for family gatherings, study weekends and small groups.

  5. 2024

    Sefer Torah dedication

    A new Sefer Torah is dedicated at the Marina del Rey Shabbaton.

  6. The Shul

    SimXa Shul begins gathering at the house for Shabbos and holidays.

Founders

  • Moshe Davidoff

    Co-founder & CFO

    Started the first SimXa classes in 1996 and has led the organization, its Shabbatons and the SimXa VIPRC Oxnard Retreat Center and Synagogue, acquired in 2016.

  • Esther Davidoff

    Co-founder

    Co-founded SimXa and has shaped every Shabbaton for twenty-five years, from the first 63 guests to as many as 300.

Speakers over the years

Over twenty-five Shabbatons, SimXa has hosted English-, Russian- and Hebrew-speaking rabbis, educators and scholars. Each weekend’s speakers are listed with its album in the gallery as the records are added.