Carin Davis

She’s a mensch

Published on June 19, 2008

In Hebrew, female nouns tend to end in "h" or "t," so what about menschah or menschat? We could stay Yiddish and call ourselves menschke or menschilah. There's also the French menschette, the Spanish menschita or the Jewish American menschess.

Just embrace the madness

Published on March 27, 2008

There's a time in every relationship when its strength gets tested. For God and Abraham, it was that whole sacrifice your son bit. For Esther and Ahasuerus, it
was the "please don't kill me and everyone I know" thing. For Mr. and Mrs. Zebra, it was are you coming on this cruise with me or do you want to stand in the rain all day and argue about it? For many couples, the not-so-shining moment is the NCAA basketball tournament

Bruin coach is ready for March Madness

Published on March 13, 2008

Growing up, Scott Garson's Calabasas family loved two things: Judaism and basketball. His mother, Corinne, was president of the Woodland Hills Reform congregation Kol Tikvah, while his father, Lee, is a UCLA alum who coaches youth basketball. So it's no surprise that Garson is a practicing Jew, as well as assistant coach for the UCLA men's basketball team.

Burden of proof

Published on December 6, 2007

Where are they? I doubt I just overlooked a giant pool of eligible men. I always notice talent. Is there some underground society of bachelors who are just waiting to spontaneously surface? That's what my friend Ann and I think. It's the only explanation. Somewhere there must be a secret clubhouse where all these good guys are hiding, where all the other fish are swimming.

Red Date, Blue Date

Published on August 30, 2007

Having now completed my unsuccessful world tour of bars, parties and weddings, I'm looking for new ways to meet new men.

L.A. teams are golden at Maccabi Games

Published on August 30, 2007

More than 60 athletes from Westside JCC's Team Westside and The New JCC at Milken's Team L.A. represented the greater Los Angeles area this month during the 25th annual Maccabi Games, scoring numerous gold, silver and bronze wins in such sports as baseball, basketball, swimming, soccer and table tennis.

L.A. ‘boys of summer’ take to the diamond in Israel

Published on July 5, 2007

Creating a baseball culture in Israel is one of the league's biggest challenges and primary goals. In a country where soccer and basketball dominate athletics, will people jump on the baseball bandwagon?

Working Girl

Published on June 7, 2007

I'm an accomplished exec. I worked hard to get here. I work hard for the money. But work never gets in the way of dating, and dating never gets in the way of work.

Zapped!

Published on May 3, 2007

At this high-tech, low-stress dating party, eager singles walk around, electronically zapping potential mates. Intrigued by this "Go Go Gadget" dating service, I decide to give it a whirl.

Leaders of the PAC are back

Published on March 8, 2007

Camp Ramah marks 50 years

Published on December 28, 2006

"Ramah is a place where campers and counselors have their first experience in not only participating in, but helping to form and lead the Jewish community in which they find themselves," said Camp Ramah of California Executive Director Rabbi Daniel Greyber.

The little things

Published on November 2, 2006

When did things first get serious? When I gave my boyfriend, Scott, my guest parking pass. That's right. I presented him with that little laminated gem that allows
visitors to park on my happening WeHo street -- ticket free -- after 7 p.m. I told him it was his, for keeps. For real. Not impressed? Not amazed? Then you're not in Los Angeles.

Pro soccer rookie Bornstein gives small goals a big kick

Published on October 12, 2006

ChivasUSA's Jonathan Bornstein is the top contender for the 2006 Major League Soccer (MLS) Rookie of the Year award. Not bad for the Los Alamitos native who was not invited to the MLS combine and was chosen in the fourth round (of four) of 2006 MLS SuperDraft (37th pick overall).

My True Best Feature—My Crazy Charm?

Published on August 31, 2006

Could it be that my looks only complement my true best feature -- my crazy charm?

Dating by Committee

Published on April 13, 2006

When it comes to relationships, girls are all about group think. We poll all our friends; we share all the evidence.

Bruins Prep for Tense Tournament

Published on March 16, 2006

It's March Madness, so brush off your brackets, enter your office pool and cheer for two Jewish UCLA Bruins, one male, one female, as they head into the big dance.

Feminist Desktop Revolution

Published on February 23, 2006

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?

Boutique Teaches Brides Love Lessons

Published on February 9, 2006

The Love Boutique sells everything from massage oils to lingerie and romantic board games to self-help books. In keeping with the store's philosophy, these items are merely tools to help women feel elegant, sexy and self-confident.

Two Bruins Get Big Kick Out of Sun Bowl

Published on February 9, 2006

Jimmy Rotstein and Brian Rubinstein had never played in a college football game, but the 72nd annual Vitalis Sun Bowl on Dec. 30 proved to be a tale of two walk-ons for these UCLA Bruins. The second-string players not only came off the bench, they collaborated on an extra point play. UCLA beat Northwestern and, in their own way, these two athletes made a larger point about hard work and good sportsmanship.

Kitchen Confidential

Published on January 26, 2006

My guy Scott dined with his friend Kate and her fiance Steve. No biggie. She's an old friend, she's taken. Nothing to worry about. I'm not jealous. It's cool.

Gifts for Your Honey Too Large to Wrap

Published on December 15, 2005

Those eight crazy nights are coming up fast. Still stumped what to get your sweetie? Think outside the giftbox and give your loved one a gift certificate for an experience.

Get Married Without Disowning Your Mom

Published on November 10, 2005

Many a wedding have lead to knockout, throw-down arguments between mother and daughter. Should it be black tie or California casual? Meat or fish? DJ or band? Should there be fewer guests at a lavish wedding or more guests at a bare-bones one? And why should cousin Sally, who the bride hasn't seen since her sweet 16, get an invite over a co-worker?

New Hadassah Chief Does Balancing Act

Published on October 27, 2005

As a mother of two grown children, Morlie Hammer Levin knows the challenges of balancing family, career and spiritual life. But factor in the L.A. native's recent New York move, a high-pressure job with a high-profile organization and finding a new religious community and you have the makings of what would be a well-deserved nervous breakdown for anyone else.

Wedding Bell Oops!

Published on October 27, 2005

Canceling a wedding has become that common these days. Just because a couple gets engaged, doesn't mean that they'll get married. It just means they've registered at Macy's.

Pin Up These Pinups

Published on October 20, 2005

At last, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Calendar has some real competition -- some Jewish competition.

Women Get Assist in Drive for Basketball

Published on October 20, 2005

Betty Laham played basketball throughout her four years at YULA High School. When she returned to Los Angeles after graduating from NYU, she was eager to find an organized women's basketball league and hoped to recapture the challenges and excitement of regular play.

Party Pooper

Published on September 15, 2005

My college friends Jordy and Michelle are throwing a party -- a birthday party for their 1-year-old son. That's right, my former party 'til the break of dawn dormmates are hosting a luau for their little one. This should be good.

I walk into the Hawaiian-themed rager and am overwhelmed. It's like Tot Shabbat with leis. There are a dozen kids playing on the floor. How do my friends even know this many crawlers? Where did they find them? I can only imagine they rented them from the party store along with the tiki bar and folding chairs. And who are all these new mothers?

Running the Gamut of Faith

Published on July 14, 2005

Racing fans don't fill out cross-country brackets at the office or lay down a C-note in Vegas on a marathon. But in his book, "God on the Starting Line: The Triumph of a Catholic School Running Team and Its Jewish Coach," Marc Bloom turns this discounted sport into a captivating tale and lures readers into its unexpected intensity.

Let the Games Begin

Published on July 7, 2005

Let the games begin -- in Israel.

The 17th World Maccabiah Games, an intense, world-class Olympic-style competition, will begin July 10 in Israel. The quadrennial games will bring together more than 7,000 Jewish athletes from 60 countries in 30 sports and four age divisions: youth, juniors, open and masters. More than 80 of those athletes hail from the greater Los Angeles area.

The Dealbreakers

Published on July 7, 2005

My blind date, Scott, likes college hoops, '80s TV and helping others. I like his cute tuchus. I'm thinkin' we'd make a fine pair of Jews. We stray from the first date playbook and follow a Santa Monica dinner with a Main Street stroll. As we walk past yet a third unique boutique on our way to get dessert (that we don't want) and more time together (which we do), Scott says those three little words that can rock a girl's world. "There's my car."

It's a PT Cruiser -- washed and waxed today, valid registration, parked less than 12 inches from the curb. No fuzzy dice, high school tassel or pine-scented Playmate air freshener. The car doesn't scream "show-off" or "shady," Speed Racer or gas guzzler. What it screams is middle-aged dad. More specifically -- my dad.

Ex-treme Takeoff

Published on April 21, 2005

Jewish Jordan Gives UCLA His Best Shot

Published on March 10, 2005

Bruin fans call him the Jewish Jordan. The Freshman Phenom. The Future of UCLA Basketball. Those are high expectations to place on an 18-year-old curly haired kid from the Valley; but the kid doesn't think so.

Duel Role for Fencing Teens

Published on February 10, 2005

Fencing's all the rage in Hollywood hits like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Die Another Day," although it's less of an everyday hobby with today's teen crowd. But for Jewish high school students Harry Mahaffey and Teddy Levitt, fencing is where it's at.

Mahaffey is the top-ranked 14-year-old saber fencer in the world. Ranked 49th in the international junior division (19 and under), only 10 Americans rank above Mahaffey, the youngest among them. Mahaffey started fencing at 7, when it was offered at his elementary school. He now practices two to four hours a day, five days a week at the Los Angeles International Fencing Center (LAIFC).

New Chuppah Honors Terror Victim

Published on February 10, 2005

On the eve of her wedding, 20-year-old Naava Applebaum and her father, Dr. David Applebaum, the director of emergency medicine at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center, sat at Jerusalem's Café Hillel. The two were celebrating her upcoming nuptials with a father-daughter talk. But Naava Applebaum never made it to her chuppah. That night, Sept. 9, 2003, she and her father's lives were taken by a terrorist's bomb.

Nothing But the Truth

Published on January 6, 2005

Let's go live to my blind date at a West Hollywood Restaurant. The merlot is great, the gnocchi is inspired and the waiter taught me to say fork in Italian. The guy? Not for me. Marc is a rare blond Jew, but there was no click between us, no fireworks, no cell phone call from the bathroom stall to tell my girls I'd met my husband. Not that I've ever made that call or am looking for a husband. I don't even know how to spell husband. Or say it in Italian.

A Sporting Chanukah

Published on December 9, 2004

On the third night of Chanukah my true love gave to me, an Olympic swim cap signed by Lenny Krayzelburg, a game of Horse with the Houston Rocket's Bostjan Nachbar and a chance to be on the set of ESPN's Cold Pizza.

Thanks to the Center for Sport and Jewish Life's online Chanukah auction (www.CSJL.org), gift giving just got more interesting.

Single Woman of Valor

Published on November 25, 2004

I am a woman of valor.

But nobody is singing my weekly praises. Oh no, that's saved for the same lucky women who get the

Pottery Barn registry, the rock on their hand and a man in their bed.

According to Jewish tradition, every Shabbat, a husband sings "Eshet Chayil" -- "A Woman of Valor" (WOV) -- to his wife. This Friday night, I listened as my friend, Dan, told his wife, Jen, "Her price is far above rubies ... she's robed in strength and dignity, and cheerfully faces whatever may come." All true.

Singles ‘Curse’ Becomes a Blessing

Published on October 21, 2004

Most single women in Los Angeles go through dry spells -- a few weeks without a date, a couple months without a boyfriend, a season without some action. But how many Southland women go years without a man's touch and confess to it publicly? In her new book "The Curse of the Singles Table, A True Story of 1001 Nights Without Sex," Santa Monica resident Suzanne Schlosberg talks about her long winter and spring and summer and fall, and winter again, and spring again and, well, her long, lonely time.

"There was no end in sight," said Schlosberg, who spent more than three and a half years going on dozens of first dates, but almost never a second. "The streak started to take on a life of its own."

Set, Spike, Kiss

Published on October 14, 2004

I'll never play the violin in high heels again. OK, I'll be back in sticks in six weeks, and I never played the fiddle. But I did play an important game of volleyball.

Teshuvah for Two

Published on September 23, 2004

There's nothing more romantic than a cantor's serenade, a symphony of grumbling stomachs, and an oversized sheet of dry honey cake.

Twin Triathletes Go for the Gold

Published on September 9, 2004

Ran and Dan Alterman are Israel's reigning triathlon champions. For the past four years, they have dominated the sport in their native land. Now, they look to bring their success to the international arena.

Superflirt

Published on August 19, 2004

Faster than a benching rabbi. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall bachelors in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SuperFlirt.

Trendy Is New Trend in Wedding Cakes

Published on July 8, 2004

A round, three-tiered white cake topped with white buttercream frosting is so yesterday. This year's big wedding trend is the trendy wedding cake.

Modern brides are tossing out tradition along with their bouquets and matching their cake to their character. They're designing desserts in every color, shape, texture and size.

Fate With a Frummie

Published on July 8, 2004

Of all the Jew joints, in all the towns, in all the world, I walk into his. The artist formerly known as Jake didn't just go to my high school. I was a freshman cheerleader in a sophomore geometry class and Jake was the hot football player who sat next to me.

Home Run

Published on July 1, 2004

Shawn Green sits quietly in the Dodgers dugout waiting for pregame batting practice to begin. His unassuming nature seems at odds with his 6-foot-4 figure; his quiet presence inconsistent with his celebrity.

A Kick Out of Torah

Published on June 3, 2004

What do you get when you cross Judaic philosophy with Chinese martial arts? Tora Dojo. The brainchild of Gandmaster H.I. Sober, Toro Dojo combines elements of traditional Karate and Kung Fu with Jewish spirituality. Tora Dojo, which started more than 30 years ago with 12 Yeshiva University students, is now taught to 30,000 people worldwide. There are no storefront studios; classes are held in synagogues, JCCs and at Jewish day schools and universities.

"Tora Dojo is a sport, but it's more of an art form," said Ben Andron, the head of Los Angeles' Tora Dojo West . "Students learn to defend themselves, fight, even break bricks, but the main goal is to improve their ability to focus and unlock unlimited potential."

Jewish Sportsmen?! No Joke

Published on June 3, 2004

Why sit home and watch "SportsCenter" on TV when you can take part in a local sports highlight?

On Sunday, June 6, the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction banquet. Yes, there are enough extraordinary Jewish sportsmen and women in the Southland for a hall of fame. So wear your tux, but leave your Jewish sports jokes at the door.

To be held at the JCC at Milken, the black-tie optional affair will feature a silent auction and kosher dinner. The event will honor athletes, coaches, media personnel, officials and executives who have made significant contributions to the wide world of sports. Inductees are nominated by the public and selected by the Hall of Fame board of directors.

Like a Jew in a Bagel Store

Published on May 27, 2004

I'm no longer a virgin. To Israel, that is. This single babe just returned from her maiden voyage to the land of milk and honey. And all I can say is -- there were a lot of honeys. Jewish men everywhere.

In the restaurants, on the streets, in the shops -- I didn't know where to flirt first. Forget a kid in a candy store, I was like a Jew in a bagel store. I'll take a dozen -- hot ones if you have them. Israel is a single Jewish girl's fantasy.

Tinseltown Players Schmooze in Israel

Published on May 20, 2004

It's popular sentiment these days that Hollywood has turned its back on Israel. Recent visits by actor Jason Alexander, action hero-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a concert announcement by Madonna indicate a few stars are still looking to show their support.

Short-Term Help, Long-Term Effects

Published on May 20, 2004

Michael Borkow had done the Israel tourist thing before, and wanted to spend his week's vacation volunteering in Israel.