Danielle Berrin

Jewish World Watch discusses state of humanity; Panel explores Iranian Jewish community

Published on December 11, 2008

For every 100,000 babies born, 6,500 mothers die in the Badakhshan region of Afghanistan due to unavailable or inadequate medical care. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, violent conflicts over control of its rich mineral deposits have killed more people than the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfur combined.

Rabbi Jacob Pressman takes a bow

Published on December 3, 2008

Pressman was a founding father of Camp Ramah in California, University of Judaism (now American Jewish University), Brandeis-Bardin Institute and Los Angeles Hebrew High School, among other projects

Doing Jews right on TV—for better or worse

Published on November 19, 2008

The Jewish character has become the American Jewish character, disassociated from an ethnic history and assimilated into American culture. And the assimilation hasn't only been for Jews.

Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ari Emanuel, is a Hollywood superagent

Published on November 6, 2008

" . . . In a business deal, he's going to try to kill for you, and its just going to be about putting as much money in your pocket as he can, until you tell him that there's something else that's important to you . . . " -- Aaron Sorkin

Just a nice Jewish director: Public and private images of Brett Ratner clash in swirl of contradictions

Published on October 22, 2008

" . . . Do I like to have fun? Yeah. Do I like to enjoy myself, enjoy my life? Yeah. But I'm not a decadent person. I'm not into dark stuff. I'm just a nice Jewish kid from Miami Beach who loves movies and pretty girls . . . ."

Torah Slam: Post-denominational, multi-rabbi Bible salon draws overflow crowd [VIDEO]

Published on September 25, 2008

The U'netaneh Tokef prayer-poem (who shall live and who shall die) can be seen as ominous or beautiful, depending upon the prism of the interpreter. Rabbi Naomi Levy pointed out that the prayer was written by "one dude" and should not be seen as a divine writ.

They also serve:  Rabbis’ spouses prove as diverse as roles they fill

Published on September 10, 2008

For as long as rabbis have been arguing Talmud, their wives have been at home preparing Shabbat dinner. Yet that image, along with expectations for clergy spouses, has evolved. For one, they're no longer all women. They're no longer always hovering in the background. And they're not always different genders.

Photo: Rabbi Brian, Rabbi Deborah and Heshel Schuldenfrei

Q&A with Rhoda Weisman -- Jewish woman on top

Published on September 3, 2008

Rhoda Weisman, executive director of the Professional Leaders Project, which is designed to engender and support a new generation of leaders in the Jewish community, talks about why the Jewish establishment needs to change, why young leaders are just as crucial as big donors and what it's like to be a woman at the top.

Hyler begins to heal

Published on August 23, 2008

Talent manager Joan Hyler makes slow, steady progress after a life-threatening accident.

Big AIPAC turnout signals newfound voice for Angelenos

Published on June 12, 2008

The bulk of the upswing in support has come from synagogues, where lay leaders have taken an active role in engaging with legislators, and rabbis increasingly use their pulpits to educate congregants on how to support the Jewish state short of living there

Judea Pearl gets Franklin Institute award; Beach services for Lag B’Omer

Published on May 29, 2008

Scene & Heard

Published on May 15, 2008

Scene & Heard

Books: It’s mom vs. daughter in Weiner’s latest novel

Published on May 8, 2008

What bestselling author Jennifer Weiner remembers most about her bat mitzvah is her hair.


"It was really unfortunate hair, really tragic -- like short and feathered and awful," said Weiner, author of "In Her Shoes," which was adapted as a 2005 film starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette.

Maher and Snow spar at American Jewish University, Journal veteran Tugend praised as ‘Distinguished

Published on May 8, 2008

Tony Snow declared himself "the sacrificial lamb" the moment he stepped on stage at Universal Studios Gibson Amphitheatre, rightly anticipating a rough tumble with the provocative HBO pundit Bill Maher during the final installment of American Jewish University's (AJU) 2008 Public Lecture

Jewish life in the City of Lights

Published on May 1, 2008

Current statistics suggests that, even though France is depicted as less than empathetic to the Jewish community, the Jewish population there has actually grown.

Local students go to lobby in D.C., seniors party at ‘senior prom’

Published on April 24, 2008

Local Students Lobby at the Capitol


A group of University Synagogue religious school students paid a springtime visit to Washington, D.C., where they