Los Angeles Master Chorale

Religion

November 10, 2009

What really happened at the Reform biennial in Toronto

The atmosphere was a lot more subdued at this year’s Reform biennial than it was two years ago in San Diego.

Featured

Monday, November 9, 2009

Reform leader urges followers to adapt Jewish dietary practice

When Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, delivers his Saturday-morning sermon at the group’s biennial conference, he sets the movement’s priorities for the coming two years.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Let Tisha B’Av Stir Hunger for Giving

At Tisha B’Av this year, think of fasting as a tzedakah stimulus plan. By observing this day of mourning, by not eating, our hunger can stimulate us to look beyond our own tables. Coming in the middle of summer, amid barbecues, picnics and trips to the ballpark, the day dedicated each year to the historic loss of Jerusalem and other Jewish calamities can be one of spiritual recovery.

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Amos OzWednesday, April 29, 2009

Life and Times of Amos Oz Traced in New Anthology

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New Rabbis Face Tough Job Market

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.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Don’t Do Well — Do Good

This week’s Torah portion lays out a comprehensive array of divinely ordained commandments that define the range of Judaism’s unique values.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Temple Akiba buzz grows with Culver City popularity

With its iconic angular form tucked between a ramshackle limousine company to the north and a feed and pet supply store to the south, Temple Akiba rises behind a black tarp-lined security fence on a well-traveled stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard.

A group of women break into dance in a hotel hallway 
at the first LimmudLA conference. Photo by Mitchell GriverThursday, January 8, 2009

LimmudLA gears up for second conference

LimmudLA is hoping that about 800 Southern Californians will sign up to attend the second annual weekendlong event, scheduled to take place Feb. 13-16 at the Costa Mesa Hilton

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Jewish troops in Iraq can practice their faith, thanks to Navy rabbi

A short distance from the area where many historians believe the Talmud was written, Rabbi Jon Cutler leads one of the only functioning synagogues left in Iraq.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

The Rebbe’s army soldiers on

Chabad has become so ubiquitous that Jewish travelers around the world, no matter how far they stray, have come to expect a Shabbat meal, a holiday celebration and a warm welcome from one of these Chasidic couples, no questions asked. All that's required is a knock on the door.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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

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

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Angeleno pushes effort on recognizing conversions

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.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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

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.

Rabbi Harold Schulweis. Photo by Yosi R-PozeilovWednesday, November 26, 2008

Facing God, and the challenge of individual conscience

Monday, November 24, 2008

Postville Jewish community struggles to survive after raid

After former Agriprocessors executive Sholom Rubashkin was arrested earlier this month, Rashi Raices joined several dozen members of this town's Jewish community in volunteering the equity on their homes to guarantee his return to face trial.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Agriprocessors closed—now where’s the beef?

The kosher meat market is in a tailspin as production at the Agriprocessors' meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, which had been operating at a fraction of its normal capacity since May, finally ground to a halt this week. The company, whose meat was sold under the labels Rubashkin's and Aaron's Best, among others, filed for bankruptcy Nov. 4.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

A Moderate Proposal

The start of the event was running late -- did I mention it was a Jewish event? -- and midway through our green room conversation, Hitchens pulled out a small bottle of Johnnie Walker Black. He emptied it into a 16-ounce clear-plastic cup and drizzled in some Crystal Geyser spring water. And he began sipping.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Passage of Prop. 8 reveals rift between denominations

Jewish voices had joined both sides of the bitter and costly Proposition 8 debate leading up to Election Day. Reform and Conservative leaders largely condemned the stripping of civil rights from a fellow minority population, while Orthodox officials praised constitutional protection for the biblical definition of marriage.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

VIDEO: Sukkot services with the Happy Minyan

The spirited, eclectic Happy Minyan of L.A. davening Hoshana Rabba concluding Sukkot. Guest chazans, New York's Yehuda Green and Lazar Wax, lead and deliver the cantillation.

Would-be converts  Maritza and Borys Valvarde.Thursday, November 6, 2008

‘The Longing’ documents crypto-Jews caught between two worlds

When Gabriela Böhm set out to create her documentary, "The Longing: The Forgotten Jews of South America," several years ago, she hoped to profile an as-yet-undiscovered secret community of Crypto Jews -- descendants of Jews forced to flee the Spanish Inquisition who continued practicing rituals covertly.

Agriprocessors and local energy officials are working 
on a plan to maintain the electricity at the firm's plant 
in Postville, Iowa. (Ben Harris)Thursday, November 6, 2008

Troubles at meat plants prompt increased fear of kosher beef shortages

With the kosher meat producer Agriprocessors facing mounting financial problems, and a fire-related shutdown at another major kosher producer, industry insiders say major supply disruptions are inevitable and kosher consumers should brace themselves for some rough times

Firm founder Abraham Aaron RubashkinThursday, October 30, 2008

Rubashkin son arrested, Agriprocessors fined $10 million in kosher slaughterhouse probe

Sholom Rubashkin. son of Agriprocessors founder Aaron Rubashkin, was arrested by immigration officials and was due to appear in federal court today.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

If you stream Kol Nidre, they will watch

When Rabbi Naomi Levy conducted Kol Nidre services this year, her congregation numbered 200,000, stretching from Canada to Colombia and from Japan to Norway

Rabbi David WolpeWednesday, October 22, 2008

We were intended by God—we’re not afterthoughts

Belief is not a static illusion to be knocked down at the introduction of a new scientific hypothesis or discovery. Faith is an orientation of soul, a posture toward God's universe that finds expression in many religious traditions.

Christopher HitchensWednesday, October 22, 2008

Religion: The ‘first and worst’ explanation

It belongs to the terrified childhood of our species, before we knew about germs or could account for earthquakes. It belongs to our childhood, too, in the less charming sense of demanding a tyrannical authority: a protective parent who demands compulsory love even as he exacts a tithe of fear.

Gary Wexler's momWednesday, October 22, 2008

Searching for the soul

In my new capacity as the son of an Alzheimer's victim, I have many questions. Some of them are Jewish questions. One kept me up for hours the other night, leading me to my bookshelf at 3 a.m., combing through volumes to see what insights I might glean. What happens to the soul during Alzheimer's?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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

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

Blogs

Opinion Section

11/18
Rob Eshman: The Prophet
11/17
David Suissa: Peace in Arabic

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11/21/09 8:00 am
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11/20 4:30pm