Julie Gruenbaum Fax

The many miracles of the family menorah

Published on December 17, 2008

From painted-clay preschool classics to sterling silver family heirlooms, the eight bright lights of the chanukiyah have a unique and artful way of revealing our values, holding our histories and telling our stories.

Scholarships help keep middle-income kids in Jewish schools

Published on December 17, 2008

Amid the cascade of bad economic news of the past few months, five Jewish high schools in Los Angeles received some good news last week.

Q&A with Howard Blume: What’s next for LAUSD with Brewer gone?

Published on December 17, 2008

" , , , Forces that have been impatient with the pace of reform feel that they have won a victory, because they were never entirely sold on Superintendent Brewer, although he vigorously defends his record . . ."

Obama's cousin-in-law Rabbi Capers Funnye battles to open the gates of Judaism [VIDEO]

Published on November 26, 2008

Funnye, 56, has dedicated his life to chiseling away at the conventional, but increasingly inaccurate, conception of who is a Jew.

Angeleno pushes effort on recognizing conversions

Published on November 26, 2008

When Lorin Fife converted to Judaism some 30 years ago, his experience with the Orthodox rabbis who presided over his year of study and conversion ceremony was one of warmth and acceptance.

Rabbi Funnye reaps nachas over his cousin-in-law Barack

Published on November 26, 2008

Capers Funnye has a lot in common with his cousin-in-law, Barack Obama: They have both shattered longstanding barriers and are both committed to reaching across traditional divides.

Diller Awards recognize teens’ extraordinary efforts in tikkun olam

Published on November 18, 2008

The Diller Tikkun Olam Award is presented annually to five 13- to 19-year-old Californians who have exhibited passion and leadership in tikkun olam, improving the world.

Post-election healing — kumbaya in class and at the beach

Published on November 11, 2008

Now that the election is over and campaign exaggerations can give way to reality, in schools, and everywhere else, people are making efforts to put things back into perspective. While a lot of healing may still be needed before that sort of unity can move beyond a Saturday night at the beach, one uniting factor all agree on is that this election brought a new level of political awareness and passion across party lines and across ages.

L.A. Orthodox rabbis want business ethics to be kosher, too

Published on October 15, 2008

Seeking to accentuate Jewish traditions that place a premium on ethical integrity, Los Angeles Orthodox rabbis are encouraging local businesses to sign up for a new seal of certification that ensures employers are treating workers fairly and humanely

Congregations help the homeless into homes—one family at a time

Published on October 10, 2008

Imagine LA coordinators work with facility case managers and faith partners to determine the family's needs and set up a plan for independent living.

Transcendence: Jacob Artson’s eloquence and spirit defy his severe autism diagnosis

Published on October 1, 2008

"You hear so much from autism organizations about what a horrible disease this is and how the parents have been robbed of their children, yada, yada, yada, and I suppose on a certain level that is true," Jacob told me, typing the words on a special keyboard that allows him to fully express his ideas. "But I refuse to live the rest of my life believing I am a defective human being. I have gifts and talents and challenges just like everyone else, and I have the same desire for connection and a need to be treated with dignity and respect."

Public money for Jewish schools:
Free not-quite-but-sort-of Jewish education

Published on August 27, 2008

Are Hebrew-language charter schools the answer to the tuition crisis, or a threat to both Jewish education and American values?

Parents cash in on kids’ Birthright

Published on July 18, 2008

Jenny Meyer was feeling guilty, and she was willing to use that guilt to get what she wanted -- a free trip to Israel for her parents

Extending the Birthright privilege

Published on July 16, 2008

Birthright's success in awakening a connection to Jewish heritage and Israel is unprecedented in American Jewish life. The number of alumni continues to multiply and their enthusiasm is infusing new energy into American Jewry

Same-sex marriage and the fabric of society: What does it all mean?

Published on June 17, 2008

For some, it is a spiritual moment of human dignity finally resting upon everyone. For others, it is a sign that society is being sucked into an eddy of moral dissolution.

Lesbian couple weds in Jewish ceremony in Beverly Hills

Published on June 16, 2008

Amid a crush of photographers, a handful of largely drowned-out protesters, and hundreds of supporters tossing rose petals, Diane Olson and Robin Tyler stood under a chuppah on the Beverly Hills Courthouse steps on Monday evening to become one of the first lesbian couples to legally marry in California.

Shoah survivors ‘graduate’ from New Jew

Published on June 5, 2008

New Community Jewish High School (NCJHS) awarded eight Holocaust survivors honorary high school diplomas last Wednesday night, symbolically handing them back a part of their adolescence that had been stolen by the war

Valley ‘Walk for Darfur’ raises $35,000

Published on June 5, 2008

More than 1,400 people marched up Vanowen Street and across Victory Boulevard in West Hills last Sunday to raise funds and awareness about the genocide in Darfur. The second annual three-mile Walk for Darfur raised more than $35,000 for Jewish World Watch's work in refugee support, political advocacy and education.

New generation has a new take on Israel

Published on May 15, 2008

Earlier this spring, David Weiner, a 32-year-old social studies curriculum publisher from Los Angeles, went on an unlikely pairing of back-to-back missions to Israel.

New group for school and shul rabbis addresses shared issues

Published on April 17, 2008

A new group of Orthodox day school principals and pulpit rabbis on Los Angeles' Westside began meeting a few months ago to work through issues that overlap the classroom and the synagogue.

Battle for gay marriage rights gains Jewish support

Published on April 10, 2008

But even Robin Tyler, a well-seasoned activist -- she was one of the first openly gay comics, and she organized marches on Washington in 1979 and 2000 -- is glad to have a new ally: 100 rabbis who support Jews for Marriage Equality, an organization advocating for same-sex civil marriage.

Loving your veggies can lighten the seder

Published on April 10, 2008

Faye Levy doesn't look like anyone who's ever had a problem with her weight. The prolific cookbook author stands at 4-foot-10, and weighs about 100 pounds.

But somewhere in the mid-1980s, just as she was working on "Chocolate Sensations" and "Dessert Sensations," she realized that testing those recipes, on top of six years at cooking school in Paris -- and following every enticing smell into street markets and cafes -- had added a lot of weight to her tiny frame.

Historic Jewish merry-go-rounds up for sale

Published on March 27, 2008

The Illions Supreme Carousel, which twirled riders for decades at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona, is one of the most elaborate wooden carousels carved at the beginning of the last century by Marcus Charles Illions and his group of Jewish immigrant craftsmen. If the current owner, a private collector, can't find a buyer for the carousel -- a city, museum or amusement park -- the historic specimen of Jewish Americana could end up broken apart or shipped to Dubai, where the amusement park industry is flourishing and the weak dollar makes American cast-offs a bargain.

Jewish women change their destinies by testing for genetic mutation

Published on March 27, 2008

While within the general population about 5 percent of cancers can be attributed to a hereditary syndrome, in the Jewish community, that number is closer to 30 percent. The good news is that knowledge about how the mutation causes cancer is opening scientific doors to more effective, targeted treatment for those already diagnosed. And people who have the genetic mutation can take preventative measures to drastically reduce their breast and ovarian cancer risk.

Jerusalem killing hits home for local yeshiva students

Published on March 10, 2008

"You hear about tragedies in Israel, but it hits so close to home because this is us next year. Next year we're going to yeshiva," said Chaim Gamzo, a 17-year-old senior. "These guys had their whole lives ahead of them -- like me. I hope to go to yeshiva, to go to college, to have a normal successful life, but they didn't have the opportunity to do that."

L.A.‘s Jewish high schools are all over the map

Published on February 28, 2008

In the early 1980s, when Dina and her husband Michael were applying to Los Angeles Jewish high schools, there was only one choice -- YULA (then known as Yeshiva University of Los Angeles). The Los Angeles Jewish community has expanded and matured since then, and its high school scene now offers nuanced choices with differences in overall philosophy, academic approach, religious level and social atmosphere.Because of that range, a steadily growing number of families with teens are opting for Jewish immersion.

Scrolls for sale

Published on February 22, 2008

The calligraphy on the coffee-colored parchment is crisp and clear, with delicately ascending crowns adorning the Hebrew letters. But rather than being unfurled on a bima and read by a proud bar mitzvah boy, this water-stained fragment of a Torah scroll from Turkey -- thought to be about 300 years old -- is spread out on a drafting table in the backyard studio of Sam and Debbie Gliksman. The Gliksmans have recently launched Spiritual Artifacts, a business that preserves, frames and sells fragments from decommissioned Torah scrolls.

LimmudLA—by the numbers

Published on February 21, 2008

LimmudLA -- by the numbers.

LimmudLA: Chance encounters, many choices

Published on February 21, 2008

Diary of activities at LimmudLA.

Chai Center rabbi explains ‘off the handle’ e-mails

Published on February 14, 2008

Passover scholastic debate conflict resolved, sort of

Published on January 17, 2008

After months of contentious back and forth over the scheduling of the statewide high school debate tournament on the first night of Passover, Jewish leaders and tournament organizers have reached a half-hearted detente that will not change the date but will ensure such a scheduling snafu will not happen again.

Teacher’s impact creates lasting memories and values

Published on January 3, 2008

Morah Malka will understand.

She'll get that I am focusing on Alan Rosen because he was my teacher and not because she and the other recipients of the 18th annual Milken Family Foundation Jewish Educator Awards are any less worthy of notice than Alan, who also received the award last month.

Labor Zionist ideals live on at Gilboa

Published on December 13, 2007

In real life, Leo Goldberg doesn't dance and sing.

But at Camp Gilboa, where he's spent summers for the past 9 years, Leo Goldberg dances. And he sings. A lot -- and loudly.

Can nonprofits rake it in with raffles?

Published on November 22, 2007

A growing number of nonprofits are looking toward raffles with huge prizes -- generally a house, or a cash alternative -- as a way to bring in large sums of money. A sold-out home raffle would bring in more than $1 million for a nonprofit.

Holocaust remembrance—Exodus redux

Published on November 8, 2007

Over the last several years, in anticipation of the voyage's 60th anniversary, survivors of the Exodus have been asked to share their stories in an effort to solidify Exodus' place in history, before all that is left are the fictionalized and romanticized versions of the 1958 Leon Uris novel or the 1960 Otto Preminger film (and even those are already being forgotten). Among the recent projects are "Exodus 1947," a 1997 documentary film by Venice resident Elizabeth Rodgers, and a new release of journalist Ruth Gruber's account of the voyage, "Exodus 1947: The Ship that Launched a Nation" (October 2007, Union Square Press).

Get ready Jewish leaders, the Next Generation is here

Published on November 8, 2007

If the group of Gen Y-ers -- also known as Millenials or NextGens or iGens -- who gathered for a Jewish leadership conference in Santa Monica last week are any indication, it seems that parents who did everything to build their children's resumes and self esteem may have been on to something. This handpicked group of Jewish leaders in their 20s and early 30s have the self-confidence to think -- to actually believe -- that if the old people would just make some room for them, or maybe get out of the way altogether, they could fix this mess of a world. They are committed to social justice; they are willing to get their hands dirty; they have great ideas, time to volunteer, and they have the arrogance, self-centeredness and technological savvy to bring their ideas to fruition. The question is how to channel all that into the Jewish community.

Are school trips worth the cost?

Published on November 1, 2007

Discussion of the pro and cons of school trips.

Milken students win first high school X PRIZE

Published on November 1, 2007

Milken Community High School students joined the space race this week when two seniors won the first-ever X PRIZE competition for high schoolers. On Sunday, Michael Hakimi and Talia Nour-Omid took home the first Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award for their concept of developing bio-monitoring sunglasses to keep space travelers healthy during civilian spaceflight.

Class Notes: Rockies, Ramah,  Shalhevet, Conejo Book-A-Thon

Published on November 1, 2007

Community briefs.

Volunteers drive eclectic learning at LimmudLA

Published on October 25, 2007

Limmud was founded 25 years ago in England, where each December more than 2,000 people gather for a five-day conference. In the last six or seven years, the Limmud model has spread around the world, with conferences in Russia, France, Canada, Turkey, Israel, Germany, Australia and New York.The goal of LimmudLA, slated for Febrary during President's Day Weekend at the Costa Mesa Hilton, is to bring together the broad spectrum of Los Angeles Jewry to experience the richness of Judaism through intense days packed with the arts, shared meals and conversations, and a quirky and diverse offering of text studies, lectures and workshops. At Limmud, all the teachers are participants, and many of the participants are teachers, so everyone learns from each other.

Class Notes: Mayor kicks off ‘Reading Rainbow,‘ Ramah’s Ezra Program gets housing help

Published on October 4, 2007

Education briefs.

No debate about it—California high school tournament takes place on Passover

Published on September 30, 2007

The annual California high school debate tournament traditionally attracts more than 800 contestants to its weekend-long event, many of them Jewish and all of them students who have worked long and hard to prepare for the intense competition.

The secret life of etrogs

Published on September 27, 2007

Ari Greenspan and his colleague, Ari Zivotofsky, a neuroscientist at Bar-Ilan University, have an ongoing project to document all manner of etrog, the Aramaic word for citron, traditions from pockets of time and place in the Jewish world

Transcendence—a true story for Yom Kippur

Published on September 20, 2007

What is it that allowed this family to stay whole and renew the life in themselves when fate, or God, or a violent man, dealt them unimaginable grief? In this season of renewal and introspection, of fate and faith, what can others facing obstacles of any degree learn from this family's remarkable ability to transcend the unthinkable?

'The Joy (and the Oy) of Cooking' with kids

Published on September 8, 2007

While Yair, 8-year-old Ezra and 5-year-old Neima usually jump at the chance to help in the kitchen, just peeling carrots or washing parsley can get boring. They want real jobs, and especially during the cooking-intensive weeks of the High Holy Days, giving them more challenging tasks is a good way to hold their interest in all things culinary.

Class notes: Students attend ‘Israel High;‘ Boychik Scouts; Honors abound

Published on September 8, 2007

Education

School to raffle off million-dollar home

Published on August 16, 2007

Kadima Hebrew Academy is hoping to raise funds through one of the latest tools -- a million-dollar home raffle. Kadima is selling 18,000 tickets at $150 each to give away a furnished and landscaped five-bedroom, four-bathroom, newly constructed home in West Hills.

Rethinking—and revitalizing—religious schools

Published on August 16, 2007

A growing number of synagogues around Los Angeles and throughout the country are upending the time-honored idea of Sunday school.

Gourmet kosher brings out fear factor

Published on August 9, 2007

Locust -- dried, fried and certified -- was the last item on the menu at The Prime Grill in Beverly Hills last Sunday night, where the Orthodox Union hosted its first Los Angeles "Halachic Adventure," a gastronomic, anthropological and academic safari through the traditions of kosher animals. The 15-course meal at The Prime Grill was the highlight of a three-day conference for lay people and kashrut experts on the latest in the ancient traditions of what observant Jews consider divinely sanctioned food.

Teens tackle tzedakah dollars

Published on July 26, 2007

As part of her participation in the Community Youth Foundation -- a program of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles where teens allocate $10,000 in grants -- Teller and her friends visited Shane's Inspiration, a West L.A. playground for the disabled.