Impossible Relationships

By Misha Henckel
Published on May 25, 2010

Obama—who won 78% of Jewish vote—faces global disarray, Mideast challenges

By Ron Kampeas
Published on November 5, 2008

Barack Obama's Jewish backers argue that he will boost effortss to pressure Iran and advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Detractors, on the other hand, have predicted that Obama could end up pressuring Israel and backing away from confrontation with Iran.

Jacob’s Ladders

By Savid Suissa
Published on March 8, 2007

This week, Jacob is doing research on the Internet for a little dvar Torah he'll be giving at the Etta Israel Shabbaton at Beth Jacob Congregation. Etta Israel is the popular local organization that caters to kids with Down syndrome and other special needs, and it's where Jacob studied Judaism every Sunday for seven years.

Noteworthy sessions and events at the G.A.

Published on November 9, 2006

Noteworthy sessions and events at the General Assembly

The Best Offense Is a Funny Movie

By Tom Tugend
Published on August 31, 2006

According to advance hints, the film is guaranteed to enrage Jews, gays, blacks, women, cowboys, Christians and college boys -- not to mention Kazakhstanis.

Who Are You?

By Rabbi Perry Netter
Published on December 29, 2005

Even in the best of families, relationships are enormously complicated. Some of the stories rabbis hear, all too frequently, of families in crisis are excruciatingly painful: parents who disown their children because of radical disappointment with the life choices their children have made; siblings who refuse to be in the same room with each other because their anger is irreconcilable; courts clogged with family members fighting over contested wills, and so forth. The possibilities for family chaos are almost endless. When things go wrong, they often go very wrong.

Does Autism Offer Special Gifts?

By Illana Katz
Published on May 26, 2005

"Identify yourself," Seth says when meeting someone new.

To Live and Teach in L.A.: A Difficult Job

By Sarah Price Brown
Published on December 23, 2004

Eight-year-old Danielle dashes to the front of her third-grade classroom and shows off her drawing of an equilateral triangle.

Twins Bring Hope to Paralyzed Couple

By Gaby Wenig
Published on September 30, 2004

As a couple, they bonded over their shared disabilities, their commitment to religion (they are both Orthodox) and their desire to have children.

"When Shmuel and I were dating that was one topic we discussed," Rivkah Klein said. "We both wanted children, and it wasn't a question of whether we would be able to, but rather finding the right way to have them."

Two Women Rabbis Will Fill Pulpits

By Andrea Adelson
Published on July 1, 2004

Apart from the 175 member families she served at Anchorage's Congregation Beth Sholom, Rabbi Johanna Hershenson found little other Jewish life. As the only non-Orthodox rabbi in Alaska, she became a long-distance consultant to lay synagogue leaders in even more isolated areas, such as Homer and Fairbanks.

Tourist Trap

By Rabbi Ron Shulman
Published on June 26, 2003

Summer is often a season of travel and vacation. Whether travel is a part of our plans for this summer, most of us have had the experience of being a tourist.

Carlyle Discusses Dangers of ‘Hitler’

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 15, 2003

Robert Carlyle, of "The Full Monty" and "Angela's Ashes" fame, gives a striking performance in the title role of the CBS miniseries "Hitler: The Rise of Evil."

Wendy Wasserstein to Give a Little Peek

By Andrea Adelson
Published on January 2, 2003

Fertility therapy, Jewish identity, pressure to marry, single parenting. All are themes that flow through both the personal life and creative work of playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony in 1998 for "The Heidi Chronicles."

In a rare peek behind the curtains on Broadway, Wasserstein will share some scenes out of her own theater experience at the Newport Beach Public Library on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. The $36 cost per person includes a complimentary copy of Wasserstein's latest book, "Shiksa Goddess (Or How I Spent My Forties)," essays chronicling challenges facing contemporary women in America.

A Look Back

By Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben
Published on December 20, 2001

What I could never have known at the time, as I sat glumly in the back seat of my parents car on that long drive to a new, unknown life, was that Sacramento would provide me with some of the greatest experiences of my life.