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Cleveland kidnappings: We must be our brother’s keeper
The exterior of the house where three women who had disappeared as teenagers approximately ten years ago were found alive on May 7 in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo by Pugliano/Getty Images
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and you said, “Oh my God.” Most of the hummus recipes…
Palestinians mark Nakba with West Bank protests
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which they call the “catastrophe,” with marches and protests.
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The Office’s best Jewish moment
Funny music, sad life
On an otherwise unremarkable day in 1938, a chubby but charming student at John Burroughs Junior High in Los Angeles “cracked the code of his comic gift and discovered his…
Filmmakers reveal magician’s secretive world
A British journalist recalls how she once sat down at a cafe with the legendary magician, author, historian, actor and, perhaps, the greatest sleight-of-hand artist on the planet in the documentary…
- LIFE & CULTURE
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and…
Survivor: Irene Rosenberg
“Mommy, I’ll be right back.” Irene Rosenberg — then Irene Grunfeld — said as she was leaving the apartment of her cousin Mancy Weiss, where she and her mother were…
The Divine Wedding and Kiss - Parashat Naso
“O for your kiss! For your love / More enticing than wine, / For your scent and sweet name – For all this they love you. Take me away to…
- BLOGS
What would my Israeli grandmother think?
When I hear about the latest events in Israel – the air strikes on weapons facilities in Syria, the flare-ups over women donning prayer shawls at the Western Wall –…
A hot topic, a great panel, and chance to learn and discuss—immigration at issue
It's a critical time for immigration reform in this country. Washington is getting set to make major changes, the likes of which haven't been seen since the 1980's under President…
State 194: A Documentary About Palestine
Opening this weekend at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 is a very hot-button new documentary called State 194, which follows the recent history of Palestine. Many will approach this film with…
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Nancy Sokoler Steiner
A survival guide for parents of b’nai mitzvah kids
So you’re planning a bar or bat mitzvah? Mazel tov! You may feel overwhelmed by decisions and details. I certainly did when it was time for my son, Steven, to take part in the ritual this past December. I asked experienced parents for advice and promised to “pay it forward” once I became a seasoned veteran. Here is some of the wisdom I gleaned, along with issues you’ll need to consider.
Holiday packages for Jewish service members
Bel-Air may be a long way from Afghanistan, but the distance seemed a little closer on a recent rainy Sunday. At the home of Joan Rimmon, a cadre of volunteers was assembling care packages for Jewish servicemen and -women deployed abroad. Although Thanksgiving was just days away, these packages were geared for Chanukah.
UCLA Med Sciences Leader Steps Down
In the 1940s, young Gerald Levey looked with awe at his family physician. Over the years, Dr. Samuel Rosenstein made regular house calls to Levey’s Jersey City home, including trips to sew Levey’s severed finger and set his broken nose.
“He had a presence and a sensitivity,” said Levey, who decided as a child to become a physician.
Technology Affects Minds at All Ages
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but scientific findings seem to indicate otherwise. Research shows that our brains literally rewire in response to new stimulation. And when it comes to computer use, Internet activity may stimulate and possibly improve brain function, according to scientists at UCLA.
A Journey Revisited
My father, Allen Sokoler, never spoke about the first nine years of his life, when he lived in Germany. My two brothers and I knew instinctively not to ask, not to mention the country’s name in his presence. We avoided bringing German-made goods into our home — not even German chocolate would cross our threshold.
Pancreatic Cancer Studies Hopeful, But Funding Lags
It’s the fourth deadliest cancer, which will claim an estimated 34,000 lives this year. There are no surefire methods for prevention or early detection. And it resists treatments found to be effective in other cancers.
Cedars-Sinai studies liver transplants for HIV patients
Cedars-Sinai is one of only 11 hospitals in the country and two in the state participating in the study
Cancer gives musician a new song
This time, Charlie Lustman hadn't come to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for medical tests or to endure another round of chemotherapy. Despite having lost three-quarters of his jawbone, Lustman had come to celebrate, to inspire -- and to sing.
UCLA’s new hospital takes technology to new frontiers
During a procedure, surgeons can use a touch-screen panel or voice commands to display and control images, adjust room lighting, or phone a colleague. They can access patient histories, X-rays and lab results, and use their fingers on the console to draw -- just like a football commentator -- on images displayed on a screen.
Preschool education gets a new Italian accent
Teachers and administrators from Jewish preschools in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Israel traveled to Italy to learn about the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education
California kids deserve better
The Governator's proposed education budget is inadequate
Not your grandmother’s Alzheimer’s
Carol Kirsch is among the 5 percent to 10 percent of individuals with early onset Alzheimer's, those who develop symptoms before the age of 65. And she is one of the growing number who are being diagnosed at an early stage of the disease.
Blood Brothers: How a gift of lifesaving bone marrow united two strangers
Although they live more than 12,000 miles apart, Yosef Eliezrie and Moshe Price have a lot in common. In October 2006, Eliezrie received a bone marrow transplant provided by Price. It was his only hope for survival after a recurrence of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This month, Eliezrie got the chance to meet Price in person, thank him for his lifesaving gift and embark on a unique new friendship.
Chai Lifeline helps families facing life-threatening diseases
Last August, Lori Paulsen's 4-year-old son, Aaron, was diagnosed with Wilms' tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer. Soon afterward, a friend offered to call Chai Lifeline on her behalf.
The Arrowsmith program gets results with ‘physical therapy for the brain’
The Arrowsmith Program uses cognitive exercises designed to strengthen the underlying brain functions responsible for learning disabilities. While new to the United States, the program has been offered in private schools in Canada for 30 years, among others by the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Ashkenazi women and ovarian cancer
Dr. Beth Y. Karlan is the director of the Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. Her specialty is ovarian cancer, the deadliest of gynecologic cancers and one that is diagnosed in more than 22,000 women annually.
Solar panels, radio station keep Jewish camps current
It was a given that Benjy Rabin, 9, would spend part of his summers at Camp Ramah as soon as he was old enough. His father is a Ramah alum, and so are his older brother and sister.
Local diabetes fighter goes global with Discovery Health Channel documentary
Dr. Francine Kaufman has seen the incidence of diabetes skyrocket in the last 30 years. The pediatric endocrinologist is director of the Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and she says the disease's local increase is part of a worldwide phenomenon. Now Kaufman is turning to the small screen to bring attention to this global epidemic in a one-hour, commercial-free Discovery Health documentary narrated by actress Glenn Close, "Diabetes: A Global Epidemic," on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Special needs program puts spotlight on the siblings
A collaborative project of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish Family Service and seven other Jewish community agencies, HaMercaz (which means "the center") assists families with children up to age 21 who have developmental and learning disabilities such as autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or mental retardation. The two-year-old program serves as a "one-stop-shop" for families, providing guidance, support, education and referrals. Programs include a toll-free warmline; support groups for mothers, fathers and grandparents; and referrals to agencies that can provide assistance, such as interest-free loans or parent respite.
Street smarts safety program helps Orthodox kids combat abuse
The Safety Kid program -- its full name is the Aleinu Julis Child Safety Program -- was developed by the Aleinu Family Resource Center, the arm of Jewish Family Service that reaches out to the Orthodox community.
Day school teacher program seeks to improve quality of instruction
The Day School Leadership Through Teaching program or DeLeT, which means "door" in Hebrew, is a 13-month fellowship designed to recruit and train high-caliber Jewish day school teachers. The program is offered in Los Angeles and San Francisco through the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
Her bag of tricks helps patients conquer chemo
Shortly after Janet Halbert completed treatment for breast cancer in 2005, a friend was diagnosed with the disease. The friend asked Halbert if she had any tips for easing the chemotherapy experience. "I told her I had some products and some ideas and things that might be helpful," Halbert said.
Academy of Jewish Religion offers alternate path to rabbinate for 16 new grads
This year in Los Angeles, the Reform Movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Region ordained 16 new rabbis. The Conservative Movement's Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies ordained 10. And the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJR, CA) ordained 11. Never heard of the AJR, CA? You're not alone. Just six years old, it remains unknown to many in the Jewish community, though its impact is growing rapidly.
Healing trumps selling for new Kalsman Institute chief
Michele Prince had an epiphany while sitting at a conference table nine years ago. At the time she was an account manager at a prestigious Westside advertising agency with a health insurance company as a client.
Cervical cancer vaccine stirs hope and debate
According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 50 percent of sexually active people contract a genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million new cases are diagnosed each year, the agency reports, and by age 50 at least 80 percent of women will be infected.
Jewish Home’s makeover: yoga at 3, facials at 4
The Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center,which will be dedicated Oct. 29 as the newest facility at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda.
Do Day School Health Programs Make the Grade?
Twenty parents from the Emek Hebrew Academy in Valley Village have come on a chilly winter evening to hear Dr. Francine Kaufman, a national expert on diabetes and childhood obesity, talk about promoting children's health. Although the school has 455 families, Rabbi Sholom Strajcher, the school's dean, is not discouraged by the modest turnout.
Special Delivery - When Baby Brings More Than Expected
Women suffering from PPD often fail to receive help for a number of reasons. They might be ashamed of their feelings, or they simply might not know where to turn. And not all obstetricians and pediatricians are as attuned to the condition as Berger was.
School Risked Fiscal Peril for Its Students
Etz Jacob prides itself on accepting children who would not otherwise get a Jewish education. Rabbi Rubin Huttler of Congregation Etz Jacob founded the school in 1989 as a haven for new immigrants flooding into Los Angeles from Russia and Iran.
Substance Abuse a Senior Problem, Too
When Amy Kaplan heard about Betty (not her real name), a Jewish Family Service client in her early 70s who said she couldn't afford all of her medications, Kaplan suspected there was more to the story.
PASSOVER: You Say Charoses and I Say Charoset
I was so excited when a publishing house in New York accepted my children's book for publication. Geared to preschoolers, it's a short piece that recounts the steps of the Passover seder in simple, upbeat verse. What I didn't realize was that the work would need to be translated.
L.A. Boosts Newborn Screenings in Israel
The Israel Center for Newborn Screening will be housed in its own wing at Sheba Medical Center, which is located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. The government of Israel will incur all operating costs as of 2009. In the meantime, supporters hope to raise $14.6 million in private donations to build and supply the center, and to provide operating costs for the program's first four years.
Center’s Studies Aid Care for Frail Elderly
Weight-loss prevention is one of the principal areas of investigation at the Borun Center, a joint venture between JHA and UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Housed on the JHA campus in Reseda, the center was established in 1989 to identify and test nonmedical measures that could improve daily care and quality of life for nursing home residents.
Robot Dances Off With Award
Don't have time to shlep to a museum? Too tired to remember if the free museum day is the first or second Tuesday of the month? Want to conquer a large, overwhelming exhibit in small, 15-minute intervals? Then bring the museum to your desktop and browse at your own pace.
Where the Boys Aren’t
"Looking at what's happening locally and nationally, we've found that fewer teen boys enroll in informal Jewish activities than they did in previous years," said Lori Harrison Port, senior associate director for planning and allocations at The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
Transplant Recipient Will Parade Success
Like many native Angelenos, Ilene Feder has never been to the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena. However, the Studio City resident not only will be attending the New Year's day festivities on Monday, Jan. 2, for the 118th Rose Parade, but will have a vantage point few get to experience: She'll be riding on a float.
Hearing Loss Helps Writer Find Voice
Michael Chorost climbs the flight of stairs to a room filled with metal file cabinets. He's never been to this place before, but he's greeted like a long lost relative. A smiling woman hands him what he has come to see: file No. 27392.
Hearing Loss Helps Writer Find Voice
Community Briefs
A lively, heartfelt tribute to former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin brought more than 400 people to the University of Judaism to mark the 10th year since an assassin took his life.
When California voters passed a $3 billion stem cell research initiative, they not only opened the door to medical advances but also to a collaboration with scientists from Israel, which is an established leader in the field.
To seed that partnership, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center recently hosted a two-day symposium that attracted more than 300 physicians, scientists, bioethicists and entrepreneurs.
Synagogues Weigh Defibrillator Benefits
In the five years since Priddy's father passed away, portable defibrillators (also called automated external defibrillators) have become increasingly common in public venues.
Inclusive Education
In the summer of 2002, Liza Wohlberg had no idea that her life was about to irrevocably change. The 7-year-old, who loved to dance and play with her dog, was enjoying the summer vacation between first and second grade. On a family trip to Canada, Liza's mother, Terry, noticed that her daughter couldn't seem to get enough to drink. When the problem persisted, Terry took Liza to the pediatrician. She was immediately diagnosed with juvenile-onset (type 1) diabetes.
Shticking It to the Classics
This is not your grandmother's Jewish music. Like other recent Jewish parody CDs, "Meshugeneh Mambo" carries on the tradition of Jewish humor popularized by such forbearers as Mickey Katz and Allan Sherman.
A Father’s Drive to Save His Daughter
George Smith hates to lose. A Harvard Business School graduate, Smith founded one of Southern California's largest, most prominent real estate investment banking firms and will receive an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University next week. Still, he smarts a little from a grievance endured at Hamilton High more than 50 years ago.
"I graduated second in my class to a home economics major," said the 70-year-old real estate guru and father of four. "She had one B in three years and I had two. My physics teacher graded me at a different level than anyone else because she knew I was going on to Cal Tech."
He holds no grudge. And this small injustice would help to fuel rather than blunt his drive to succeed, which has served Smith well in building a firm that exceeded $2 billion in commercial financing last year. He never imagined that he'd also apply this indomitable will another way: in a fight to save his daughter's life.
Becca Smith was 5 years old in 1983 when she was diagnosed with Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, progressively degenerative neurological disease for which there is no cure. Children with A-T have difficulty walking and with balance, and are more susceptible to infection and certain cancers. Smith and his wife, Pam, were told that Becca was unlikely to reach her 20th birthday.
New Year Rings in New Role for Rabbi
Rabbi Toba August likes to accentuate the positive, and the new year is no exception.
"Too often for the High Holidays, we're told about our shortcomings," August said. "I want to concentrate on what we're doing right.... We don't recognize the things we do that matter. I want us to walk out of services feeling elevated and validated and renewed."
August has reason to focus on the positive, because this summer she was made the principal spiritual leader of Adat Shalom, a Conservative synagogue in West Los Angeles. Currently, August is one of only two women to head a longstanding Conservative congregation in Los Angeles. (The other is Rabbi Sally Olins of Temple Bnai Hayim in Sherman Oaks.) Her appointment comes just as the Conservative movement is grappling with the disparity of women rabbis in the movement.
Preschool Teaching Methods Stir Debate
Once upon a time, children didn't step into a classroom until kindergarten. There, 5-year-olds got their first real introduction to ABCs and 123s, colors and shapes and how to share and take turns.
Health - Pursuing America’s No. 1 Killer
For more times than he can recall, Ken Bouchard has journeyed from Los Angeles to his hometown of Framingham, Mass. There, Bouchard willingly provides blood samples, dons heart monitors and details his eating habits.
Who Will Care for the Caregivers?
The Los Angeles Fearless Family Caregiver Conference is in Carson on June 28 It is sponsored by Today's Caregiver magazine along with the City of L.A. Department of Aging and the L.A. County Area Agency on Aging.
Nachas From Noggins
El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills has once again given Los Angeles something to kvell about. The school claimed top honors at this year's national Academic Decathlon, the annual contest of intellectual prowess.
Three of the nine team members generated special pride for the Jewish community: Lindsey Cohen and Linsday Gibbs are both affiliated with Shomrei Torah, while Kevin Rosenberg attends Temple Aliyah.
"I got enormous support from my parents, from my temple [Shomrei Torah] and from my friends," Gibbs said. "After we won state, the rabbi sent me a letter and the cantor called me.... They didn't know what I got on each test or how I did medal-wise, and yet, they were all so supportive and welcoming and congratulatory when I got back."
Surgery Offers Hope to Dystonia Victims
By the time he had reached the fourth grade, Josh's dystonia caused his right hand to involuntarily clench into a fist so tight that he could only open it by force. His feet turned inward, requiring him to wear braces. The symptoms had forced Josh to quit his baseball and basketball teams after six years of playing, leaving him depressed and angry.
Rare Ailment Occurs More in Ashkenazis
After David Rudolph sprained his ankle during a basketball game, his father noticed that the second-grader couldn't seem to keep his left heel flat on the ground. The problem persisted, sidelining David from his position as catcher on his Little League team, and preventing him from progressing beyond his blue belt in karate.
Local Writers Recall Times of Tyranny
In a tale rooted in personal experience, Dr. John Menkes explores the themes of loss and recovery in his novel “After the Tempest” (Daniel & Daniel, 2003). A Holocaust survivor, Menkes returned to his hometown of Vienna after the war and found that not only was his family and his home gone, but his very identity had been irrevocably lost.
Tragedy and Triumph Comes Alive for Teens
As 14-year-old Lisa Jura said goodbye to her mother at a Vienna train station in 1938, Jura’s mother spoke words that would inspire her for a lifetime: “Hold on to your music. It will be your best friend.”
Jura didn’t imagine that these words — and how her life came to embody them — would inspire subsequent generations of teenagers, even 70 years later.
Q and A With Dr. Francine R. Kaufman
Obesity has reached record rates among children and adults, bringing with it increased risk for developing diabetes and related health problems. In addition to the more than 18 million Americans currently living with diabetes, another 41 million are considered prediabetic, and are likely to develop the disease unless they take action.
In her new book, "Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America -- And What We Must Do to Stop It" (Bantam), Dr. Francine R. Kaufman describes how reversing these trends requires efforts from all levels of society.
We Were Slaves in Westwood
Southern Californians can travel from Pharaoh's palace to Midwestern wheat fields to a rain forest -- all without leaving Westwood.
Briefs
This year, the People of the Book will miss out on the largest book festival in town, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
L.A. Hebrew High Marks 20-Year Peak
On the first rainless Sunday morning in weeks, hundreds of Los Angeles teens have forfeited the chance to soak up the sun and opted to learn instead.
Taking Women’s Health to Heart
Nancy Kearson knew she had high blood pressure, but she wasn't aware of any other health problems until a friend urged her to see a physician four years ago. That exam may have saved her life.
Jewish Getaways
Looking for a getaway with a Jewish twist? With Passover approaching and summer down the road, there are many opportunities for such travel.
Charmed Blessings
First, there was the red string kabbalah bracelet popularized by Madonna; then, the yellow "LIVESTRONG" wristband supporting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Now, there are blessing rings, which may just become the next national craze in message-imbued jewelry. (If they do, you heard it here first, folks.)
Schools Work Hard to Make the Grade
The Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School West team labored close to two years on their assignment. They administered surveys, compiled data and poured through reams of material. This homework, however, was completed not by students, but by staff and faculty. And the project was not so much required as extra credit.
A Moveable (Kosher) Feast
You've just spent the morning shooting a television commercial on location, and you're famished. The rest of the cast and crew are chowing down on hamburgers, but you adhere to the Jewish dietary laws. Will you have to go hungry?
Not to worry. Now Mohammed brings the mountain to you, so to speak. Kosher on Location, a mobile catering company, can send one of its fleet of four self-contained catering trucks to prepare RCC-certified kosher fare at the location of your choice.
Exploring Judaism’s Healing Potential
Rabbi Donald Goor, senior rabbi of Temple Judea in the West Valley, has identified a deficiency within the Jewish community: There's not enough emphasis on care of the soul.
"In my rabbinate, I see so many people who walk around wounded. They function very well in life, but they carry pain."
This weekend, Goor and approximately 100 others will explore how Judaism can heal this pain when they meet at the third-annual Partner Gathering, convened by the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health. For two days, leaders of the Jewish Healing movement from around the country will discuss how to help those facing illness, loss and other life challenges.
Where Will a Teen’s Schooling Continue?
When Amy Cohen graduated from Adat Ari El's day school in 2003, her family faced a decision: Where would she continue her education?
How to Choose an Elementary School
"No one likes to do it," said parent Andrea Daniels, who compares it to dating. "It's like buying a house," said Bea Prentice, director of the Early Childhood Center at Adat Shalom synagogue in West Los Angeles. "There are so many options to think about."
SAT, Grades Not Enough Anymore
Perry Factor looks like an ideal college applicant. The Harvard-Westlake senior scored 1530 on his SAT and maintains a 4.036 (weighted) GPA. He's volunteered for years at his former elementary school, is a production editor on the high school paper, sings in the school choir and is on the jujitsu team. Nevertheless, Factor said he's "not entirely confident" about getting into his top college choice, Rice University in Texas.
"There are always horror stories about looking like the perfect candidate and not getting admitted," he said.
Like Factor, teens around the nation -- and their parents -- are finding an increasingly competitive atmosphere for college applicants.
"There are more students applying than ever before ... yet there are not necessarily more spaces," said Tami Gelb, college counselor at Yeshiva University High Schools of Los Angeles (YULA).
Community Braces for Flu Shot Scarcity
Michael Gabai is on a quest. The owner and administrator of Ayres Residential Care Home has spent the last two weeks calling physicians, senior centers, grocery stores and pharmacies in search of flu shots for about half of the 18 residents in his facilities who have been unable to get one.
Russian Community Fundraises for Israel
When obstetrician-gynecologist Ludmila Bess and her husband, a civil engineer, immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1977, they came with only $600 in their pockets.
Make Resolutions That Will Stick
We have spoken slander; we have acted presumptuously; we have practiced deceit. Each year we beat our chest and resolve to change.
Sins the Rabbis Left Out
The writers of the machzor were pretty comprehensive in listing the multitude of sins we commit as a community over the course of the year.
Seniors Flock to OASIS of Learning
OASIS provides an eclectic array of classes, many of which are free. Fitness fans can choose among such options as chair exercise, yoga and karate. Art buffs can study French and American impressionism or drawing. Others can explore Jewish spirituality, analyze Shakespeare or play guitar. Some of the classes are even taught by retired professors from UCLA and USC. And seniors who wish to travel can choose among a variety of day excursions and extended trips.
Jewish Law Favors Stem Cell Research
Even as Ron Reagan makes a case for stem cell research at the Democratic National Convention, Californians may take matters into their own hands.
Jewish Law Favors Stem Cell Research
Even as Ron Reagan makes a case for stem cell research at the Democratic National Convention, Californians may take matters into their own hands. In November, the state ballot will include a 10-year bond issue, which would generate $3 billion for stem cell research.
Valley Is No Longer a Remote Outpost
I've lived in two of the country's most ridiculed locales. I was born in New Jersey, the punch line of stand-up comics everywhere. Adding insult to injury, my family moved to the San Fernando Valley in the early '70s. At that time, the Valley was perceived as the end of the earth -- a place you'd need a passport to visit, should you actually want to. Over time, the remaining farmland and orchards gave way to more strip malls and housing tracts, while the Valley retained its reputation as a place where nothing worthwhile happens.
Things change. I now live on the Westside. Hoboken is considered hip. And the San Fernando Valley, well, it's begun to resemble the Westside in ways both positive and negative.
Wedding Woes and Chuppah Horrors
It was a hot and sunny June afternoon, just hours before Julie Davine's meticulously planned 1991 wedding at the Hotel Sofitel. The huppah stood festooned in tulle with pink and white roses for the evening ceremony. Upstairs, the tuxedoed and gowned wedding party posed for photographs on the balcony of the penthouse bridal suite. Suddenly, Julie said she saw a cloud of black smoke. "I said, 'What's that smoke?' But everyone said I was being neurotic, so I dismissed it," she said.
Celebrating Survivorship
Community Briefs
Cancervive Offers Community of Hope
After successfully undergoing cancer treatment almost 30 years ago, Susan Nessim thought that she could put the experience behind her. With her disease conquered, Nessim found a new set of challenges ahead.
Q & A With Dr. Michael A. Friedman
Last May, Dr. Michael A. Friedman took the helm of City of Hope as its CEO. A federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the 112-acre biomedical research and treatment center in Duarte got its start in 1914 when members of the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association set up two tents as a haven for those stricken with
tuberculosis.
Friedman, an oncologist and clinical researcher, also has experience in public policy and commercial drug development. He served as the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Bill Clinton and as associate director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He got his start as a clinical oncologist and professor at UC San Francisco Medical Center and most recently worked in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Jewish Journal spoke with Friedman as City of Hope celebrates its 90th anniversary, Friedman marks his first year with the institution and a state-of-the-art Helford Clinical Research Hospital, scheduled to open this fall, nears completion:
Can Universal Care Cure State’s Ills?
Retired cardiologist Dr. Robert Peck remembers the 40-year-old uninsured patient who was admitted to the emergency room of a local hospital with severe chest pains. The patient was stabilized, but required further treatment. Since he had no insurance, he was to be transferred to one of the county hospitals that serve the uninsured. But the patient died while awaiting transfer.
Long-Hair Music Gets Kid’sBuzz Cut in ‘Beethoven’s Wig’
Move over Baby Mozart and Baby Bach. If you really want your children to learn the classics -- and know the composer's name to boot -- check out "Beethoven's Wig, Sing Along Symphonies."
Manual Offers Advice on Survivor Care
At many nursing homes and other senior residences, a visit from some friendly canines during "pet therapy" is a welcome source of comfort and cheer. But while the furry companions bring smiles and laughter to the majority of residents, they can be a source of terror to aging Holocaust survivors who suffer from post-traumatic stress or Alzheimer's disease.
Centenarian Recalls Steps of Survival
When she was in her 30s, Hansi Goetter developed a mysterious illness. Although her doctors couldn't determine the cause, they told her she had only a few months to live.
Navigating Aid
After hundreds of hours of research and with the help of the Technology Department at Milken; Aliza Sokolow produced the "College Guide to Learning Disability Programs," a CD-ROM featuring links to disability programs at community colleges and universities throughout the country.
Menopause Goes Mainstream
After years of being talked about in hushed tones as "the change of life" -- or not being talked about at all -- menopause is now in the spotlight. Two recent plays, "Is it Hot in Here ... Or Is it Me?" and "Menopause the Musical" literally put menopause center stage.
Total Recall
Twice in the past couple of days, I've been in conversation and found myself grasping for a word. On both occasions, my 4-year-old supplied the word before I could come up with it. And, of course, there are the times that I walk into a room only to realize that I have no idea what I wanted to do once I got there. Are these natural lapses or early signs of something more sinister?
"We are all one day closer to Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Gary Small says forebodingly in his book "The Memory Bible: An Innovative Strategy for Keeping Your Brain Young" (Hyperion, 2003). "Alzheimer's and dementia begin forming in our brains much earlier than anyone previously imagined, even in our 20s."
Coping With Cancer Proves Family Affair
In the first moments after Lori Marx-Rubiner was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, several fears ran through her head. The Jewish community social worker, who was 35 at the time, wondered about her mortality and worried about the prospect of pain and nausea induced by treatment. However, her deepest concern centered on her then 3-year-old son, Zachary.
Sandwiched Between Generations
Like many working mothers, Rose Ziff was already spread pretty thin when she took on care-giving responsibility for her 85-year-old mother. The Culver City resident works full time as an administrator at UCLA. She and her husband, Ron, are raising two daughters, ages 12 and 10, and dealing with their younger daughter's recent autism diagnosis. In her limited discretionary time, Ziff was co-leading the 10-year-old's Brownie troop, serving on her synagogue's board of directors and co-chairing the religious school's parent association. In April, Ziff added another ball in the air by moving her mother, Evelyn Goldman, from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Who Will Care for Our Aging Adults?
Life isn't so easy for Genia Cohen. The 68-year-old widow lives in a low-income apartment in Hollywood. She finds it difficult to get together with her sister, her only living relative in the area, who's also suffering from the aches and pains of age.
Myriad Options for Senior Living
At the ages of 83 and 84, Rose and Sam Leff began to feel isolated in their two-bedroom Woodland Hills apartment. "We had given up driving, so there really wasn't too much for us to do," Rose said.
The Leffs decided to move to a residential care facility at the Jewish Home for the Aging, which provides kosher meals, housekeeping services, transportation, social and recreational activities and a medical clinic on-site. While they agree it was difficult adjusting to living in one room ("If we have a fight, I'm out in the hall," Sam joked), four years later, they have no regrets about their decision.
The Little Flower That Could
Hippies, bellbottoms and Volkswagen Beetles aren't the only '60s icons to resurface.
Preteen Advocate Educates Nation About Diabetes
Emma Klatman serves as the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 2003-2004 national youth advocate. Her duties entail promoting research and public policies relating to diabetes, and visiting diabetes summer camps to involve other children in the fight against the disease.
Charity Makes Tamkin an ICON
Dr. S. Jerome Tamkin doesn't keep a little black book, but he does keep a large white binder. And if you're an educational, Jewish or health organization, you want to be listed there, because the binder tracks 32 organizations which Tamkin and his wife, Judith, have chosen to support through their Tamkin Foundation. And that's just the major projects. It also includes a list of more than 100 additional entities which receive donations from the foundation.
Health Care Requires Resuscitation
"We have a continuing crisis in this country of millions of Americans without health insurance, and that's just plain wrong," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles), who will speak Friday, April 25 at Leo Baeck Temple as part of a series on health care.
Doctor Helps Kids Deal With Diabetes
If there's such thing as a typical doctor, Francine Kaufman surely doesn't fit the mold. First, as Zucker noted, "She's the only doctor we know who comes to work in stilettos and a miniskirt."
Heart and Soul
It's 7:30 on a Friday morning, and 15 participants in the Westside Family YMCA gym are busy moving their bodies to the rhythm of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." Ranging in age from 58 to 86, the majority are enrolled in the YMCArdiac Therapy Program because fate and their doctors gave them an ultimatum: Exercise regularly or risk a heart attack. What they didn't expect was to have a good time doing it.
Jewish Prescription For Health Care Ills
Is our national health care system beyond cure? Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Dr. Alexandra M. Levine, medical director of the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, believe that the Jewish community can take a role in advancing remedies for our nation's health care ills.
Now Hear This!
Welcome to Radio Sawa, the brainchild of Norman J. Pattiz, founder and chairman of the biggest radio network in the United States. Since March of last year, Radio Sawa (which means together in Arabic) has been broadcasting in Arabic around the clock in the Middle East, targeting listeners under 30 years old, who make up 60 percent of the region's population.
Radio Sawa broadcasts a mix of Western and Arabic pop music, interspersed with news updates and analysis, interviews and opinion pieces. Potentially, millions of listeners can access Radio Sawa via AM, FM and shortwave frequencies, as well as on the Internet (www.radiosawa.com) and on digital radio satellite channels.
Man as Creator
A woman who had taken fertility treatments became pregnant only to learn that she was carrying four embryos.
Muscular Disorder Won’t Stop Siblings
As young adults, brothers Babak and Daniel Darvish, born less than two years apart, were avid athletes, music lovers and medical students who planned to become surgeons.
Trauma System in Critical
Angelenos in need of emergency care are facing the threat of longer journeys to fewer facilities. Faced with a projected deficit in excess of $700 million in 2005, the L.A. County Department of Health Services has proposed to shut down two of its hospitals, increasing the burden on remaining hospitals countywide.
New Century Poses Challenge
One hundred years ago, when Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's predecessor, Kaspare Cohn Hospital, opened its doors with 12 beds as Los Angeles' first Jewish hospital, such medical staples as penicillin and insulin remained to be discovered.
Self-Defense Vitalfor Women
Each year in January, female friends, co-workers and family members of Nicola Shocket can count on receiving a phone call or e-mail.
When Breast Cancer is Hereditary
In some families, breast and ovarian cancers take an inordinately fierce toll, striking one generation after another, menacing mothers, daughters, sisters and cousins. And for the women in these families, wondering if and when cancer might strike becomes a daily burden.
New Hope for HIBM Cure
Soroya Nazarian learned about hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM), an uncommon muscular disorder that affects the Persian Jewish community, while in Israel on a Hadassah mission about five years ago. There, she met professor Zohar Argov, from the department of neurology at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, the researcher who first discovered the rare disease in 1984. Although Nazarian did not know anyone personally affected with HIBM, the self-described "professional volunteer" knew her involvement with Hadassah Southern California put her in a unique position to increase awareness and raise funds for the condition that seemed to unfairly target her community.
Inclusion’s Importance
When Georgia Freedman-Harvey's son was born with a rare genetic disorder, she and her husband discovered "the invisibility factor" for Jewish children with special needs.
Uniting to Find a Cure
Bob Dole. General Norman Schwarzkopf. Harry Belafonte. Robert Goulet. The willingness of such well-known figures to make public their battle with prostate cancer has brought visibility to an issue that until the last few years, lacked the attention, funding and research interest befitting a disease that will strike more than 180,000 men in the United States this year.
Uniting to Fight Prostate Cancer
Bob Dole. General Norman Schwarzkopf. Harry Belafonte. Robert Goulet. The willingness of such well-known figures to make public their battle with prostate cancer has brought visibility to an issue that until the last few years, lacked the attention, funding and research interest befitting a disease that will strike more than 180,000 men in the United States this year.
Prostate Cancer: A View From The Trenches
In an effort to give men facing prostate cancer a true understanding of the emotional and physical trials in store, Leon Prochnik spares no details.
Healthy Dose of Judaism
Ten years ago, while in the hospital recovering from a stroke, real estate developer Irving Kalsman received visits from several rabbis who came to offer reassurance and support.
Tuning In
As founder and chair of Westwood One, the biggest radio network in the country, Norman J. Pattiz has an impact on what's carried over the airwaves in the United States and beyond. Now that he is a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, he has an even greater voice in international broadcasting.
Healthy Future
Smiling at the memory of being asked to serve as chairman of the board of City of Hope, Jack Suzar confides, "They caught me in one of the weakest points of my life."
Community Braces for Flu Shot Scarcity
Michael Gabai is on a quest. The owner and administrator of Ayres Residential Care Home has spent the last two weeks calling physicians, senior centers, grocery stores and pharmacies in search of flu shots for about half of the 18 residents in his facilities who have been unable to get one.
Spotlighting a Neglected Disease
When Pam Acosta's mother, Rose, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June of 1996, Acosta was at a loss. The only thing she knew about the disease was that it claimed actor Michael Landon's life. "The doctors offered no answers, no hope. Only a three- to six-month sentence," says Acosta. In anguish, she wondered, "If Michael Landon couldn't save himself, how can I save my mother?"
Conquering A Disease
Los Angeles residents Pam and George Smith never expected to create a foundation that would raise more than $4 million for research.
Toppling the Chanukah Bush
Rabbi Eli Herscher is leading a discussion about the December holidays with about two dozen participants of Stephen S. Wise Temple's Holiday Workshop Series. The class attracts a good number of intermarried couples and those considering conversion, but they are not the only ones who squirm over the topic.
Senior Years Bring Special Legal Concerns
When Julian Diamond was a boy, seltzer water was the traditional dinner drink at his family's table. The bubbly stuff came in old-fashioned glass bottles (called siphons), complete with chrome-plated pewter nozzle tops, inner glass tubes and decorative labels with distributors' names etched into the glass.
Wall Street’s Wild Ride
With unpredictability the only certainty about the current market, opinions about the best course of action vary, but the consensus seems to be "stay the course."
Fitting Together
Community Briefs.
A Belated Wedding Present
The ad caught our eye: an all-expense paid Shabbat weekend at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute for couples married withinthe past 18 months. I had been to Brandeis before, so I knew that, if nothing else, my husband, Neal, and I would experience a tranquil Shabbat in a beautiful setting.
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May 17-23, 2013
What does it mean to be your brother's keeper? Lessons from the Cleveland kidnappings
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