Julie Gruenbaum Fax

Who Are the Hungry, and Who’s Feeding Them?

Published on November 17, 2009

On any given Wednesday on Pico Boulevard, a line of people starts snaking out of the SOVA food pantry early in the morning. Some of the people are homeless, some are dressed for work, some have kids with them. Some are Jewish, many are not, and all of them are there on a monthly visit to take home a week’s worth of free canned and dry goods, fresh produce, baked goods and meat.

A Call For Action, Plus Change

Published on November 17, 2009

Ending hunger in Los Angeles is a pretty ambitious goal. Yet The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles is staking its identity on a new campaign, titled “Fed Up With Hunger,” that launched in September during the High Holy Days. Spreading the word through reusable shopping bags, strategically placed banners and a full calendar of events, Federation leaders are hoping that this obviously urgent and highly visible target will capture a new spirit at The Jewish Federation and help usher in a revitalized identity for the umbrella fundraising organization, one that will endure into the 21st century.

Attorney Calls State Report Exonerating Eden Memorial Shoddy and Inadequate

Published on November 17, 2009

State investigators reported last week that they have no evidence to prove that Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills mishandled graves, as alleged in a class-action lawsuit filed against the cemetery’s owners in September.

Cyberstalking Akiva and the Kippah Snafu

Published on November 17, 2009

t’s the day after Yair’s bar mitzvah, the day after the one and only day that’s been on our emotional and organizational calendar for the last few months. For the first time in weeks there isn’t much to do, aside from watching the montage over and over and basking in the unexpectedly intense pride and wonderment of the day before.

New Hebrew School for Kids With Special Needs

Published on November 11, 2009

The Friendship Circle of Los Angeles, a program that pairs teen volunteers with kids with special needs, now includes an after-school supplementary Jewish education program. The Friendship Circle Hebrew School opened Nov. 9 with separate boys and girls classes for kids with moderate to severe conditions such as autism, Asperger’s, Down syndrome and pervasive developmental delays.

The Challenge of Keeping Kids in Day Schools

Published on November 4, 2009

Claudine and Ira Unterman pulled one of their four children out of Orthodox day school a couple of years ago, when they concluded the school could not provide the special resources their daughter needed. But when they pulled a second child out, and then a third, it was because they had come to believe that the education at the local public school was better than what their children were getting at day school, enough so that they were willing to sacrifice the benefits of an intensive Jewish day school education and atmosphere.

Muslims, Buddhists,Christians and Jews Unite to End Hunger in L.A.

Published on October 20, 2009

More than 150 Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faith leaders met last week under a sukkah to vow to work together to put an end to hunger in Los Angeles.

New Federation Chief Addresses Jewish Professionals

Published on October 14, 2009

Jay Sanderson, making his first public appearance as the incoming president of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, addressed the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California (JCPSC) this week at a Bel Air sukkah party with a killer view of the Getty Center and beyond.

New Choices for New Jews

Published on October 6, 2009

Potential converts or interested Jews looking for classes to teach them how to be Jewish have an increased menu of options this fall, as a new program gets established and an established program gets a facelift.

TSA: Ignore Jews Acting Strangely at Airports

Published on October 1, 2009

JCC Shooting Survivors Organize 10k Run Against Gun Violence

Published on October 1, 2009

Local Efforts to Divest From Iran Moving Slowly

Published on September 29, 2009

http://www.30yearsafter.org/iranaction/Leaders from the state of California, as well as the city and county of Los Angeles, vowed last week to add their economic leverage to international sanctions aimed at preventing a nuclear Iran and stopping President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s human rights abuses.

Jewish and Arab Israeli Teachers to Speak on Laying Foundation for Peace

Published on September 29, 2009

Two teachers from Israel, one Jewish and one Arab, will speak to audiences in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco next week about their experiences working with Salaam Shalom Educational Foundation, an organization that educates Jewish and Arab nursery and elementary school children in therapeutic environments.

Muslim, Jewish and Christian Children Gather for Concert

Published on September 29, 2009

Jewish students from the Weizmann Day School in Pasadena will share the stage with their Muslim and Episcopal peers at a concert this month for the Daniel Pearl World Music Day. The annual event, with 3,100 performances in 85 countries, commemorates the birthday of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was killed by terrorists while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002.

Los Angeles, California leaders pledge to pursue Iran Divestment

Published on September 25, 2009

Los Angeles city, county and California state leaders vowed to add their economic leverage to international sanctions aimed at preventing a nuclear Iran and stopping President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rogue regime.

Pico-Robertson Cleanup Efforts Grow

Published on September 23, 2009

LAPD Closes Wilshire Boulevard Near Sinai Temple

Published on September 21, 2009

Facing Death, How Do You Live?

Published on September 16, 2009

Mortality. The purpose of existence. How to live. These are all themes forced into our consciousness by the High Holy Days, with its liturgical focus onthe fleeting nature of existence, the imminence of death, the opportunity for renewal.

Suit Alleges Eden Mishandled Remains

Published on September 16, 2009

Robert Scott’s parents survived the Holocaust, where they personally witnessed human remains being burned, scattered and dumped. Now Scott is among at least 500 families who have expressed alarm this week that relatives’ remains may have been mishandled by Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, one of Southern California’s largest Jewish cemeteries.

A Sukkot Sojourn in Disneyland

Published on September 9, 2009

For years, observant Jewish families have been taking advantage of Jewish day schools’ Sukkot vacation to enjoy off-season shorter lines in theme parks like Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. Now, an enterprising tour company is institutionalizing that practice with a full Disneyland resort vacation Oct. 1-11, complete with meals, programming, discounted tickets to the theme parks and, of course, a sukkah.

Anti-Semitic Graffiti Mars JLA Building

Published on September 2, 2009

Milken Middle School Gets New Campus

Published on September 2, 2009

Students at Milken Community High School’s middle school were awarded a first-class upgrade when school opened Monday, as they left behind classrooms in trailers on rented church property and took ownership of a $30 million, high-tech, terraced hillside campus.

Shuls Step Up Too

Published on July 22, 2009

Congregants come into Rabbi Laura Geller’s office at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills on a regular basis nowadays to share their struggles of lost jobs, homes on the brink of foreclosure and families under unprecedented stress. And she is determined not only to help them, but to make them understand that they are not alone.

When The Going Gets Tough, Where Do You Go?

Published on July 22, 2009

Annette Klein opens the door to her mid-Wilshire duplex and excuses herself to finish getting ready for a weekend in Newport Beach with her 6-year-old daughter. She starts talking, asking tons of questions and reminiscing about vacations she used to take when she was at the top of the entertainment industry. Her home, her movements, her New York cadence and confidence make clear she is a woman accustomed to success.

Fishel, Others Honored by Invigorated Jewish Professionals Organization

Published on July 14, 2009

Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California (JCPSC) held its largest annual dinner in years last month, when more than 250 people gathered to honor Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles President John Fishel and six other honorees.

Budget Crisis Threatens Jewish Programs

Published on July 8, 2009

State Budget Crisis Threatens Jewish Social Service Programs

Published on July 2, 2009

Four Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles programs that serve the elderly, disabled and frail may end up casualties of the state budget crisis, which leapt to a new level of urgency Tuesday as California lawmakers failed to pass budget revisions before a July 1 deadline.

Community Library Moving to AJU

Published on July 1, 2009

The Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles is moving out of its decades-long home at The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard and being absorbed by the library at the American Jewish University (AJU) on Mulholland Drive. The merged library is scheduled to open at AJU Sept. 1 and will be free to the public.

Best Plan is Flexible, Ongoing Security

Published on June 17, 2009

Within minutes of last week’s shooting at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Temple Isaiah on West Pico Boulevard received an alert from its security service indicating that the on-site security guards should implement high-alert procedures. By the end of the day, the LAPD had sent an officer out to meet personally with the director.

Friendship Circle Honors Volunteers and Parents

Published on June 14, 2009

In Holocaust Shooting Evil Loses

Published on June 11, 2009

The contrasts in Wednesday’s tragic and hate-filled shooting at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum tell the whole story for Mark Rothman, director of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust: Security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns died heroically, guarding the innocent people inside from the evil on the outside. During the Holocaust, it was the guards themselves doing the killing, showering evil upon the innocents inside.

Shooter Claimed Source in the Talmud

Published on June 10, 2009

White Supremacist and Holocaust denier James Von Brunn, who shot and killed a security guard in an attack on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum today, titled his anti-Semitic manifesto “Tob Shebbe Goyim Harog – Kill the Best Gentiles.” He claimed the quote comes from Talmud Sanhedrin, 59B.

Anti-Defamation League Knew About Shooter and Offers Advice on Security

Published on June 10, 2009

James Von Brunn, the white supremacist and Holocaust denier who shot and killed a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Wednesday afternoon, has long been on the radar of the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremist hate groups. As the identity of the shooter emerged, law enforcement officials reached out to ADL for information on him.

Eyewitness Account of Shooting

Published on June 10, 2009

Stephen Tyrone Johns, the security guard shot at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Wednesday afternoon has died. The museum will close on Thursday in honor of Johns, an African-American who has worked at the museum for six years.

Details on White Supremacist Suspect [VIDEO]

Published on June 10, 2009

More details are emerging about 88-year-old James W. Von Brunn, who allegedly opened fire Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. wounding a security guard before being shot in return fire. Brunn is a well-known figure in the White Supremacist world who has long been on the radar of organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, according to a statement from ADL.

Museum of Tolerance Reacts to Holocaust Shooting

Published on June 10, 2009

Within minutes of the shooting at the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles Police Department contacted the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, regarding its Museum of Tolerance, as well as other L.A. community organizations, according to Wiesenthal Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper.

A Fourth Day In June—Family Loses Son Named for Uncle Memorialized In Jewish Journal Article

Published on June 9, 2009

American Girl Dolls…meet Rebecca Rubin

Published on June 5, 2009

American Girl Introduces First Jewish Doll

Published on May 27, 2009

Rebecca Rubin is a spunky, conflicted, compassionate and determined 9-year-old girl. Not bad for someone 18 inches tall.

Sagging Economy Weighs Heavily on Synagogues

Published on May 20, 2009

Anticipating slumping income, synagogues have been confronting tough budgeting decisions this month as they endeavor to maintain core programs on next year’s calendar while keeping themselves on stable financial ground.

Jewish School In Lockdown After Rapper Shot at Beverly Center

Published on May 19, 2009

“Jew” Graffiti Confounds Experts

Published on May 12, 2009

Glass Ceiling Twice Shattered at Board of Rabbis

Published on May 6, 2009

This week, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California will install Rabbi Denise Eger as its president — the first woman and the first gay rabbi to hold the position at the 72-year-old organization.

Big Sunday Volunteers Top 50,000

Published on May 6, 2009

Big Sunday 2009

New Rabbis Face Tough Job Market

Published on April 29, 2009

Joe Hample left his career as a systems analyst at Wells Fargo five years ago to become a rabbi, hoping to make a difference in people’s lives.

The Next Big Question...

Published on April 2, 2009

The seder is all about questions. The evening starts with the famous four, asked by the youngest present, but if the seder is what it should be, it doesn’t stop there. Everyone around the table — from the youngest all the way to the oldest — is encouraged to dissect, debate and shamelessly pontificate over each bit of the haggadah and over any part of Jewish tradition, ideally well into the night.

Jewish Worshippers and Irish Police Clash in NY (In 1897)

Published on March 31, 2009

Exploding Knives, and Other Hazards of Kashering

Published on March 25, 2009

Let me just start by admitting that I probably didn’t really need to put the knife directly on my burner. But it was the first time in a very long time I was kashering anything, and I had conflicting guidance from my rabbi and my mother, and I thought I needed to drop a hot metal object into my hot water urn to make it kosher for Pesach (I was totally wrong. Do not try it at home.).

L.A.’s Jewish Community Library Likely to Move

Published on March 15, 2009

Public Court Battle Erupts Over Possession of Torahs

Published on March 11, 2009