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Editorial cartoon: To bomb, or not to bomb
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Julie Gruenbaum Fax
February is Inclusion Awareness Month
Jay Sanderson visited Vista Del Mar’s Ness Gadol Shabbat services last week, and it was a personal as well as communal inspiration for him to see kids and young adults with autism and other disabilities lead prayers for the wider community.
Hail to the chief rabbi
The chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, will address several Los Angeles gatherings Feb. 3-5 in a scholar-in-residence program sponsored by a consortium of Modern Orthodox organizations.
Two reform clergy to take their liberal spirit to Israel
Rabbi Don Goor of Temple Judea and Cantor Evan Kent of Temple Isaiah announced to their congregations on Jan. 11 that they will be moving to Israel next summer. Both will leave behind successful careers in Los Angeles as they jump into the rich but contentious world of liberal Judaism in Israel.
Head of school loves learning from kids
Rabbi Larry Scheindlin takes the mike. He squats behind a thick plastic sheet that forms the screen of a cardboard television set, and lobs questions in Hebrew to the first-graders assembled on a rug in front of him.
Up in the air, but down-to-earth
The strange thing about talking with Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld is that in a 90-minute conversation, we hardly discussed the plane crash that almost killed him and that forms the dramatic centerpiece of his new book, “Above All Else” (Skyhorse Publishing). We talked about the demands of competitive skydiving, his kids — who aren’t old enough to skydive — and what he hopes to teach people about life through the lessons he’s learned jumping out of planes more than 25,000 times.
Eden cemetery trial set for May
A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge has denied a motion that would have ended a class action lawsuit alleging that the owners of Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills desecrated human remains.
LAFD cadet fired up about helping the community
Like many little boys, Noah Applebaum used to wave in awe whenever a sparkling red fire truck roared by. But Applebaum, 18, never got over his fireman phase, so two years ago he signed up for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Cadet program, and today he is a badge-wearing cadet, sleeping at Fire Station No. 94 in the Crenshaw District most weekends, training junior cadets and riding along on calls to help firefighters at the scene.
‘We’re here to make other people’s lives easier’
Many people avert their eyes when they walk by the homeless. Hanne Mintz opens her hand, her heart and her home.
Financial exec Rubin pleads guilty
David Rubin, chairman of the board of Yavneh Hebrew Academy in Hancock Park and president of YULA girls’ high school, pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Dec. 30 to wire conspiracy and fraud involving proceeds from municipal bonds. Beverly Hills-based CDR Financial Products, which Rubin founded and runs, pleaded guilty to related antitrust charges.
Chanukah Goes Greek at the Grove
Kosher Club closes its doors
The sudden closure on Dec. 9 of Kosher Club, a warehouse-style kosher market on Pico Boulevard near La Brea Avenue, saddened but didn’t really surprise industry experts or the kosher consumers who had been shopping at the store since it opened in 1987.
Kosher Club to close its doors after 30 years
Kosher Club, a warehouse-stye kosher market on Pico Boulevard, near La Brea Avenue, will close its doors on Friday, a victim of the competitive kosher retail industry in Los Angeles.
Wind closes synagogues, schools
Gusts that peaked at 97 miles per hour whipped through the Los Angeles area Wednesday night, downing trees and power lines and leaving some synagogues and Jewish schools with minor damage and no power.
Friendship Circle Walk not quite rained out
A little rain wasn’t going to scare The Friendship Circle — but a lot of rain was a different story.
Federation day of learning to look at the next 100 years
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles is capping off its year of centennial celebrations with a day of Jewish learning and culture called “Imagining Our Future.”
Washington’s Letter on Religious Freedom Not So Free
Social service agencies facing more complex needs
Two years ago, I did a series of interviews with Jewish community members hit hard by the recession. At that time, they were mostly optimistic that things would turn around soon, but when I checked back this month, I found that they’re all still struggling to find their footing in this unstable job market. Social service agencies I contacted say this is not surprising.
Still unemployed: Out of luck but not out of hope
In July 2009, when everyone could see that the financial collapse of September 2008 was not going to be short-lived, I tracked down and interviewed for The Journal several people who had been hit hard by the recession. I also wrote about what Jewish organizations locally were doing to help and was heartened to find that the community had stepped up its efforts to reach out to those unable to find a job...
Rabbi marries Orthodox gay couple
Can young Jews give as good as they get?
On the last day of a Birthright alumni mission to Israel last year, participants got a taste of something that was not a part of their initial trip to Israel: a fundraising pitch.
Federation’s Sanderson one of few L.A. Jews on Forward 50 List
Jay Sanderson, president of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, made it onto this year’s The Forward 50, an annual list of sometimes unexpected people who the judges believe most helped shape the past Jewish year. The list represents “a snapshot in time, an impressionist picture of the American Jewish story during a given year,” Forward Editor Jane Eisner wrote.
Expert in Jewish law, women’s health offers intimate help
Recently, a young woman who had suffered a miscarriage called Shoshana Samuels, who is a yoetzet halacha, a trained adviser in the Jewish laws of family purity. Samuels was able to answer the woman’s halachic (Jewish legal) questions about the bleeding following a miscarriage, but she had some questions for the woman.
Fan who fights the odds is LA King for a day
22-year-old Dies in Car Accident
Jewish Family Service Wins Agency of the Year
Jewish organization honors Catholic surgeon
Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes, a top cardiothoracic surgeon in Los Angeles, was recently honored by Bikur Cholim Jewish Healthcare Foundation, and the fact that Starnes is a Catholic being recognized by a Jewish organization made the occasion that much more meaningful, the doctor said.
Following her heart: A Yom Kippur story
This is what Ava Kaufman was wearing when she negotiated with God while in a seven-week coma following a heart transplant: a white turtleneck leotard with a white leather miniskirt, and white thigh-high boots.
California leads nation in anti-Semitic incidents
For the second year running, California led the nation in anti-Semitic incidents reported in the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 2010 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents.
Food banks short, SOVA amps up High Holy Days appeal
Adire situation is looming at regional food banks and distribution centers, as ever-increasing demand collides with government cuts, threatening the food supply chain for the neediest.
New machzor delves into heart of Rosh Hashanah
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, has published enough books to earn his many titles — around 20 tomes, ranging from scholarly commentaries to analysis of contemporary culture.
10 years after 9/11, what has changed?
Even before the 110-story cloud of smoke cleared 10 years ago, America, and American Jews, grappled with a new desire to seek out the enemy — on the one hand to thwart him, and on the other to find out who he is, why he hates us so much and what we can do about it.
Is Tel Aviv/L.A. partnership still working?
It’s one of those visions that becomes so natural in its realization it’s easy to forget just how cutting-edge it once was.
On road to renewal, Shul gets multipurpose life
A plastic bag whips in the breeze, trying in vain to free itself from the coil of barbed wire atop a chain link fence that surrounds the Breed Street Shul just off Cesar Chavez Avenue (originally Brooklyn Avenue) in Boyle Heights.
Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership Chair Convicted of Fraud
Camp kids, homeless benefit from Federation Community Service Day
More than 250 volunteers participated in The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ Community Service Day on June 5, the second of four volunteer opportunities in celebration of The Federation’s 100th anniversary.
Combining rigorous debate, humble leadership
At the end of Danny Hirsch’s first week at New Community Jewish High School (NCJHS), a fellow freshman tapped him on the shoulder as he sat eating lunch, alone. Showing genuine concern, the student wanted to know if Danny was mute, since he had yet to speak to another student. Having his voice heard is no longer a problem for Hirsch.
Rallying 3,000 students
On a Friday last March, before Sophie Trauberman left home for her first class at 9:45 a.m., she got a call from a friend at Hamilton High School, where she’s a student in the music magnet. Twenty-two Hamilton teachers were being pink-slipped, the friend told her, and some positions — including those of much-loved advisers at Hamilton’s music and humanities magnets — were being eliminated altogether, because of proposed state budget cuts.
Less is more for LimmudLA
Organizers are hoping to attract more people to an annual festival of Jewish learning and culture by shortening the conference and lowering the price. LimmudLA, which debuted on Presidents Day weekend 2008 with a 600-person conference at the Costa Mesa Hilton, will shift its schedule to end on Sunday night, while maintaining the bulk of the programming, according to Yossi Kastan, executive director of LimmudLA.
L.A. leaders visit White House in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month
Four leaders of the Los Angeles Jewish community were among about 200 people who met President Obama Tuesday during a White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.
Can L.A. support an Israel Festival?
This year, for the first time in decades, Israel Independence Day came and went without a major public celebration in Los Angeles, and local Jewish leaders are vowing that won’t happen again. “We are completely committed to having a communitywide celebration for Israel’s Independence Day,” said Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater of Los Angeles. “We need to create something that is really a community event, something people X off on their calendars and look forward to and talk about afterward.”
Tuition grants, endowments to benefit day schools
More than half the students in Los Angeles Jewish day schools receive financial aid to pay tuition, which runs between $12,000 and $30,000 per year. And with both tuition and the number of students requiring aid expected to continue climbing, BJE: Builders of Jewish Education is partnering with local donors and national organizations both to alleviate the immediate crisis and work toward long-term solutions for lowering the cost of Jewish education.
Chabad rabbis denounce one of their own for lighting torch at Israel Independence Day ceremony
A group of Chabad rabbis in Israel this week signed a letter denouncing one of their own for lighting a torch in the State of Israel’s official Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration.
Rabbis measure response to Bin Laden’s death
As details of the special operation that took out Osama bin Laden continue to unfold, rabbis in Los Angeles are pulling from biblical verses, Jewish traditions and their own gut reactions to help formulate an appropriate Jewish response to the news. Early Monday morning, Rabbi David Wolpe posted this on Facebook:
Visiting scholars examine Jewish identity of Jewish state
Eight religious and social leaders from Israel will visit Los Angeles synagogues May 6-7 to engage in conversation about the state of religious Zionism.
Diversity-focused trip to D.C. for teens
The Anti-Defamation League is accepting applicants from current high school sophomores for a program bringing diverse students together to learn about the Holocaust and ways to fight prejudice. The centerpiece of the Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission is a free trip to Washington, D.C., in November, where 100 students from across the country will tour the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
At Beit T’Shuvah, they sing a song of ‘Freedom’
“How long must I roam, to find my way home …”
Annual Israel festival at Woodley Park canceled
A lack of funding has forced organizers to cancel this year’s Israel Independence Day Festival in Woodley Park, a community event that at its height attracted as many as 30,000 people. An immediate donation of around $30,000 could reverse the decision, according to Yoram Gutman, executive director of Israel Independence Day Festival, which runs the event. The festival honoring Israel’s 63rd birthday was scheduled for May 15.
Janice Kamenir-Reznik’s moral imperative
On the morning of April 10, Janice Kamenir-Reznik will march up Topanga Canyon Boulevard holding up signs and a megaphone to lead thousands of people in chants to raise awareness of the ongoing genocides in Sudan and Congo. And while she probably won’t show it that morning, cheerleading is Kamenir-Reznik’s least favorite part of her job as co-founder and president of Jewish World Watch.
The Chametz search takes a new turn
Professor Plum in the library with a lead pipe? That might be the solution to a game of “Clue,” but in the new board game “Chametz: The Search Is On!” the more likely culprit is Professor Slivovitz, who is sullying the house with bits of a dreaded cupcake.
Jay Sanderson pushes for change but some lose heart in the face of his leadership style
“I want everyone to be a LeBron James.” It’s early January, and Jay Sanderson is talking in his corner office on the 11th floor of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ headquarters about his first year as president of Federation, explaining the versatility and passion he expects of his staff.
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Who is that masked Jewish man? It’s Hero Man!
David Filmore is a mild-mannered filmmaker. A Shabbat-observant Jew from Australia who moved to West Hollywood 10 years ago, he spends his days focused on his production company, Plutonian Films. REMOVE
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The 85-year-old comedy icon signs DVD copies of “The Jazz Singer,” the 1959 television remake that features Lewis as Joey Rabinowitz, a nightclub singer torn between show business and his faith. Wristbands will be distributed at 9 a.m., and Lewis will only sign copies of
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