Charlotte Hildebrand

LAUSD president gets lesson in partnership

Published on May 24, 2007

When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a news conference on Friday, May 18, to announce his decision to end a yearlong legal battle to take control of Los Angeles schools, Board of Education President Marlene Canter was standing by his side.

Healing community rises from life-threatening illness

Published on December 14, 2006

One out of eight women develop the disease over a lifetime, and the older a woman is, the higher her risk.To make matters worse, Jewish women have a slightly higher incidence of the disease.But no matter how low a risk factor you may have -- no family members with breast cancer, you had your children before the age of 35 and eat healthily -- the disease will strike some of the best of us.

Don’t Let Affirmative Action Fade

Published on August 17, 2006

Why is the Louisville case so important? Why should we, as Jews, care about its outcome, especially if our children may not even attend public schools? Is affirmative action even relevant in 2006, in our schools, in our world? What are the benefits of diversity in education anyway?

Hospice Option Gains Jewish Supporters

Published on June 16, 2005

In the last few weeks of her life, Barbara Sherman had the help of Jewish Hospice Project-Los Angeles, which offers spiritual end-of-life care for the Jewish community, regardless of religious affiliation. Sherman, whom her family describes as a life-long spiritual seeker, was brought back to her roots upon hearing Jewish songs and prayers in her final days.

Say ‘Hi’ to a College Before You Pick One

Published on June 9, 2005

Every year, the college tour is a rite of passage for students and parents alike, but for some it becomes an occupation. I wanted to make it simple, that is, wait until after my son was accepted, but before we had to give notification to colleges, a two-week period between April 15 and May 1. Had I known that our three-day, three-state, three-college tour was going to be so hectic I might have planned otherwise. I worried: Was this too much pressure, in too little time, to make such an important decision? What was the best approach?

Although there were no right or wrong answers, this rite of passage was harder than I thought to get right: for every decision, another better one could have been made. Of course, I get to do it all over again in four years when my daughter goes to college.

Jewish Women Fight for Choice

Published on October 10, 2002

Fran Teller of the National Council of Jewish Women known as "Madame NCJW," is one of the many Jewish women who keep a vigilant watch over reproductive freedoms in the United States. She has been active on the issue even before the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that gave women the right to chose an abortion -- and she is concerned.

Where Immigrants Once Mingled

Published on September 5, 2002

After World War II, when Japanese Americans were sent home from internment camps in Wyoming and Arizona, many found their lives had changed in untold ways. For Kenji Tanaguchi, his return to Boyle Heights -- an immigrant community east of the Los Angeles River -- was colored by what was no longer there: his family had returned to Japan, and he was left to fend for himself.

Taking It to the Streets

Published on August 8, 2002

For years, an empty lot in Van Nuys was gathering garbage, used appliances, old furniture and was a "home" for the homeless and their shopping carts.

A Question of Need

Published on August 1, 2002

The JBB disabilities program matches disabled men with disabled boys, regardless of whether the child has both parents at home.

A Restless Man

Published on June 20, 2002

Tom Tugend is this year's winner of the prestigious Joseph Polakoff Award for Distinguished Service to Jewish Journalism, awarded by the American Jewish Press Association.

One Day at a Time

Published on May 23, 2002

The doors of the 107th Street Elementary School opened at noon; reggae music blared over the sound system and pizza was ready to be served.

Celebrating Length of Days

Published on April 4, 2002

The truth was that the Los Angeles Jewish community was not ready to support a spiritual service for the dying.

Ask What You Can Do

Published on March 14, 2002

Claudia Sobral, mother of three, woke up the other morning after watching a night of bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians on the BBC news, and wrote a spontaneous letter to no one in particular, hurling blind questions into cyberspace: "How can we as citizens of the world not take action against the violence that impacts all of us as human beings, impacts all of us who praise and value democratic principles?"

Mission to Heal the World

Published on March 7, 2002

The event is expected to draw Jews, religious leaders and environmentalists from around the country and overseas.

Meet Me at Third and Fairfax

Published on February 28, 2002

These days, Third and Fairfax is pure traffic mayhem. Bulldozers, big rigs and construction workers jam the city streets and block available driveways. Trying to park at Farmers Market, the historical market and eatery that has drawn locals and tourists for 68 years, is like entering a revolving door and not stopping. Not only is the Market going through a $45-million revival, but a new outdoor shopping mall, The Grove at Farmers Market, is being erected, for a projected March 15 opening, amidst a flurry of dissension and exhilaration.

Together in Nature

Published on September 6, 2001

For the eight Israeli and nine American teens in the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership program, Project Hevrei Teva, the scene was right out of the movie "Deliverance," only this scene, a campground in Sequoia National Park, was real life, and a real bear was standing before them.

None of the Israelis had ever seen one before. Project leader Josh Lake, head of the Shalom Nature Institute, which helped develop the month-long program, calmly directed the teens to stand together and start waving their arms high in the air. Suddenly, the absent-minded bear stopped slobbering over the teens' backpacks and looked around; something had spooked him. The next thing they knew, the bear was hightailing it for the woods.

Israel’s Other Battle

Published on August 30, 2001

When businessman Evan Kaizer traveled to Israel with his wife in 1999, it had been almost 20 years since his last visit, and much had changed, but that wasn't what threw Kaizer for a loop.

"Traveling in the Galilee used to give way to majestic views of the Golan; [this time] we could barely see the Golan through the haze," he said. "Trash was everywhere. Traffic was gridlocked, and at the Dead Sea ... we could not see Jordan, just a few short miles away." When he asked his guide why that was so, the man brushed his question aside by saying it was just a dust storm.

The Search for an Alzheimer’s Cure

Published on August 2, 2001

For most people in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease, the simplest task, like writing a check, becomes a Herculean undertaking.

Overweight and Counting ... Down

Published on June 28, 2001

When Reena first entered the program a few years ago, she was a shy and baggy-outfitted 12-year-old, weighing 170 pounds, unsure if this would be just another boring visit to the doctor. But her single mom, a registered nurse, is acutely aware of the health issues involving overweight children.

A Jewish Environment

Published on May 31, 2001

One of the country's fastest-growing environmental groups, the interfaith community, has been gearing up to fight President George W. Bush's new energy policies.

Exploring Faith’s Price

Published on May 3, 2001

"Love and Liberation: When the Jews Tore Down the Ghetto Walls" by Ralph David Fertig (Writers Club Press, $17.95)

On Jan. 9, 1807, Prince Jerome of Prussia decreed that the fortifications of the ancient city of Breslau could be destroyed. After 540 years of isolation, the Jews of Breslau tore down the ghetto gates. Under Napoleonic law, they were now free to pursue their religion while becoming citizens of the state.

Wolpe’s Defense

Published on April 26, 2001

Many of Rabbi David Wolpe's congregants at Sinai Temple in Westwood took strong exception to a series of sermons he had delivered before and during Passover that examined the question of faith despite doubt and questioned the historical veracity of the Exodus.

Sweet Sorrow

Published on April 12, 2001

A wall of neatly coiffed ladies charges up to the counter to place their orders for baked goods on one of the last days before the holidays and one of the last days before Brown's Bakery in North Hollywood closes its doors forever. Some of the customers have been buying their cakes, cookies and bread here for as long as the bakery has been open, and that's 42 years. Some have been Brown's customers even longer, when it was Brown Brothers Bakery on Wilshire Boulevard; some for longer still, when Brown's was in the Bronx, during the war.

Voices of Peace

Published on April 5, 2001

In the long view -- and who could have a longer view than the man who, until recently, was the U.S. State Department's Middle East negotiator for the past 12 years? -- Dennis Ross believes that diplomacy in the Middle East boils down to psychology. "The idea of taking politics out of foreign policy," Ross said, "is as illusory as taking psychology out of human behavior, and what is foreign policy after all, but a collection of human behaviors."

Answering the Call

Published on March 15, 2001

A historic conference call recently took place between the six Jewish Big Brothers and Big Sisters (JBBBS) associations in America. The Jewish agencies had never spoken together outside of informal gatherings at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) conferences; in the past, they had never had a reason to speak as one.

In Community We Trust

Published on February 15, 2001

Alex Mylyavsky had been in Los Angeles for three months as a refugee from Kiev, Ukraine. He was looking for a job, but it was a vicious cycle: he couldn't get a job without experience, but how could he get experience without a job?

Hollywood Mecca

Published on November 23, 2000

The MPTF was founded in 1921 by Hollywood pioneers Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith and others as a service organization for industry employees, retirees and their dependents.

Centenarian Inspiration

Published on November 23, 2000

Sam Dabby was 100 years old on Nov. 5, but he waited to celebrate with members of his family and friends at a Nov. 18 party given at Kahal Joseph Congregation Temple. Among the celebrants was his workout trainer, Jeremy Forte, who has been helping Dabby lift weights and exercise for the past year. "Sam has a variety of medical challenges, but it's never too late to start working out," Forte says. "Like Sam says, 'You don't have to wait a 100 years to do it.'"

East Ventura Bound

Published on November 16, 2000

If you're looking to move into a new home in Los Angeles, good luck. Last month, the median sale price for an L.A. home jumped 10 percent to $213,000, setting an all-time record for L.A. County.

Board Meeting

Published on November 9, 2000

Skate Roc 'n Jam, an event held Nov. 5 at the Hollywood Los Feliz JCC, drew about 100 skateboarding enthusiasts who tried their luck on newly built ramps and rails borrowed from Oasis in Hollywood; listened to music by the group Custom; talked shop with DV8, a skateboarding shop in Eagle Rock; and basically allowed one and all a place to jam.

Olympic Mettle

Published on November 9, 2000

Los Angeles Jews agonized along with the rest of the country as the results from the Nov. 7 election trickled in. Hardly as split as the rest of the nation, Jews in California preferred Al Gore to George Bush 82 to 15 percent.

Green With Envy

Published on November 2, 2000

For those who are loath to consider Bush as the next president, the principled Green Party is turning out to be the Nightmare Party.

Arthritis Rumba

Published on October 26, 2000

"Ouch," cried a perfectly coiffed, white-haired lady. "It hurts."
"My fingers won't listen to me," a tall brunette complained.

But Susanne Haymaker, their exercise teacher at the Jewish Home for the Aging, wouldn't listen. "Lift your fingers up if they're hurting, " Haymaker encouraged. "That will signal the brain. People with severe arthritis have to help their fingers along."

Proof Is in the Pudding

Published on September 28, 2000

Why are Jews and non-Jews alike - to the tune of 3.9 million - gravitating to the Kabbalah Centers around the world?

Powwow Jew

Published on September 14, 2000

Here I was, literally, in the middle of nowhere, between nothing and nothing, feeling as if I had landed on the moon. Only I was the alien among a company of natives.

The 6 O’Clock Solution

Published on September 7, 2000

Ralph Fertig, a retired judge and current community activist and novelist, has what a lot of progressive Californians are looking for: a solution to voting on Nov. 7.

Creating Something Green

Published on September 7, 2000

Last December, when Global Exchange garnered international attention after its WTO protests in Seattle, Medea Benjamin was approached by the Green Party and asked to run against Dianne Feinstein on the Green Party ticket.

The 6 O’Clock Solution

Published on September 7, 2000

Ralph Fertig, a retired judge and current community activist and novelist, has what a lot of progressive Californians are looking for: a solution to voting on Nov. 7.

A Nanny’s Story

Published on August 31, 2000

There are a thousand stories in the naked city of Los Angeles, but when it comes to nannies, there are at least a million - nannies who have a free reign of the household, nannies who make good salaries, nannies who get help from their employers to buy cars or put a down payment on a house. But there are the other stories as well - the nanny who works long hours for little pay, with no holidays, no sick days, no breaks. "I knew when I was here without papers, I didn't deserve to be here," says nanny Carmen Davis, "but still, that didn't mean I deserved to be treated without respect."

The Girls of Summer

Published on August 3, 2000

That's how it's been: one win after another.

Community Briefs

Published on June 29, 2000

Rabbi Shimon Paskow, 68, let down his guard the other day and began to reel off a few of the jokes he had told at his retirement dinner on Sun., June 25, honoring his 31 years of service at Temple Etz Chaim of Thousand Oaks.

Ghosts on the Beach

Published on June 15, 2000

I arrived in Miami Beach one morning last week on a mission: to find the last kosher hotel in South Beach, an ultra-hip area of restaurants, clubs and shops that used to be the hub of Florida Jewish life.Today you can drive along Ocean Drive (inch along is more like it) and see scores of suburban teenagers and sophisticated European tourists sitting at Art Deco restaurants and hotels, sipping their lattes and looking to be seen, but you won't find many Jews. South Beach is where Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his mansion and where Gloria Estefan, Madonna and Sylvester Stallone all have had multimillion-dollar homes at one time or another.

Sharing the Joy

Published on June 1, 2000

"The goal of the Center is to have unity," Shahla Farivar says in her warm Iranian accent. "The main point is to get the Iranian young people, who were born and raised here, integrated back into the Jewish community."

Still Stigmatized

Published on May 4, 2000

When Ofra Haza, the 41-year-old Israeli Yemenite singer, succumbed to complications of AIDS in February, she died under a heavy cloud of silence.

Valley of Dreams

Published on April 20, 2000

On this Friday morning, Norm Katz, Bunny Schwartz and a guy named Joel are squeezed together like early hour commuters in a crowded subway. They're discussing the role of men and women in traditional Judaism, between the cash register and the reduced baked goods rack -- a space of about three feet -- inside the Kosher Connection of Agoura Hills, the only kosher meat market from Reseda to Santa Barbara. Busy shoppers elbow past, but the trio remains steadfast.

Purim Magic and Minutia

Published on March 16, 2000

Hanoka was attempting to unravel the mathematical complexities of how Purim falls in Adar Bet, or the second month of Adar, this year, making 2000 a leap year, not only in the solar calendar but in the lunar, or Jewish calendar, as well.

A Day at the Races

Published on February 17, 2000

I didn't know a lot about horse racing (although, I did grow up downwind of Churchill Downs), but I knew enough to know that Jews liked horses.

Monsters on the Bench

Published on November 11, 1999

My son and I have been wandering around the mall all afternoon looking for Pokémon cards. When we called last night, everyone had them, but today, nobody does.

A Forgotten Jewel

Published on September 16, 1999

As you drive north along Figueroa Street in Highland Park, past La Pescador and the car wash, past Frank's Cameras and the farmacia, you come to El Paso Shoe Store, where families from the neighborhood shop to get a good bargain on shoes.

The Havana Jewish Social Club

Published on September 2, 1999

My husband and I arrived in Havana in the early hours of Sunday morning; we had flown to Cuba via Tijuana to spend a week exploring and, hopefully, to find someone in the Jewish community to speak with.