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Tag: Charity
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Israeli reporter: American Jews are ‘obsessed with money’
Sharon Stone, Howie Mandel, Arianna Huffington, William Kristol and Lenny Krayzelburg step up
"It's a groundbreaking week," Howie Mandel said to some 1,000 guests at Jewish Television Network's annual benefit at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Nov. 5. "Just yesterday we elected a black man president, and tonight we're honoring a Jew in show business."
Worsening economy takes further toll on Jewish nonprofits
Don’t cut support to innovative nonprofits
Our major institutions are struggling to adjust, react, prepare but most of all to respond to those most harmed
Perfect storm for charities— contributions go down and requests go up
No one has gone unscathed by the convulsions of the global economy. Even the wealthy are losing money -- and if they cut their charitable giving, it is likely to ripple across the Jewish nonprofit sector
Can we help?
This is not the time to extinguish the many institutions that have risen up to create a civil society. The arts nourish the soul, schools nurture the potential of our youth and promote the scientific and creative research that will secure our future.
Economic crisis affecting all strata in community
The Jewish community is feeling the pinch, with rabbis reporting that congregants are either seeking aid from synagogues or expressing fears about prospects in the immediate future. Given the decline in charitable giving, the Jewish community's ability to keep up with demand is diminishing.
Movember starts Saturday
Old traditions, new rules
The media is full of sad-sack accounts of billionaires who, having lost 20 percent of their net worth overnight, are down to their last 9 billion. Some of these men have the gall to say they will have to reduce their charitable commitments.
Could economic slump—which means less giving— kill Jewish community innovation?
According to a survey taken in late September by the private wealth research firm, Prince & Associates, the cuts have arrived. Fifty-one percent said they planned on giving less next year than they did this past year -- and only 16 percent said they planned on giving more.
Sunday afternoon flag
Zucky’s and SOVA—knishes and compassion
"Hy looked at me and said, 'He's not Jewish,'" recalled his wife, Zucky Altman, 89. "I said, 'So what? He's hungry.' From that moment on, we decided we would just feed everybody."
UJC seeks donations for hurricane victims
United Jewish Communities has set up donation drive for hurricane victims
Moving beyond charity
Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) One of the biggest misnomers in the Jewish vocabulary is the translation of tzedakah as "charity." This mistranslation has gone on for so long in the American Jewish community that it's a hard habit to break.
Putting a $3 million lotto ticket in the offering plate
With hard times ahead, nonprofit CEO salaries increased
Economic ripples rock Jewish community
Q&A with showbiz power broker Irv Weintraub: Why doesn’t Hollywood give Jewish?
" . . . We have one thing that's not happening now that happened then, which was the memory of the Holocaust. We are 50-plus years removed. The urgency that existed then doesn't exist today. The Federation campaign did better with Lou Wasserman -- people didn't tell him no. There isn't that iconic person like Lou who is willing to be identified publicly with their Judaism . . ."
No mo’ mustache
Meet my mustache
Hadassah Hospital inspires bar mitzvah charity project
"Oprah's Big Give" challenges contestants to perform charitable acts by giving them money and resources. But Michael Feldman didn't need the artifice of a television show to inspire his desire for a genuine big give.
Israel’s sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson
Starbucks and the Holocaust
Kosher water makes a splash in the market
Whether you're drinking filtered, spring or mineral water, purity has long been considered a desired element in bottled water. But when it comes to purity, only one word can truly capture it all -- kosher.
No food will be wasted if Joseph Gitler has his way
Rescuing excess food from Israeli corporate cafeterias on a daily basis is just one of the projects Joseph Gitler conceived about five and a half years ago when, as a new immigrant to Israel, he decided he must do something about the disturbing reports of poverty in Israel.
With economy faltering, nonprofits brace for recession
The philanthropic world is becoming increasingly fearful about what seems to be a perfect storm brewing against the financial world. While most philanthropy professionals feel some anxiety now, they are bracing for what could be a calamity in the world of charitable giving.
Brother, can you spare a few grand?
Bet Tzedek benefit gathers lawyers and money
Barristers filled the ballroom to celebrate Bet Tzedek and the people who devote themselves to public service and social justice. More than 1,000 of Los Angeles' most talented and generous lawyers pooled $2.3 million for "The House of Justice" during the 20th annual Dinner Gala on Jan. 22. They demonstrated their support for an organization that annually provides myriad legal services free of charge to 10,000 Los Angeles residents in need.
Trip highlights our duty to help worldwide
Our Jewish communities now have the resources they never had before. We have a certain influence over everything in which we become involved. Let us now employ the hope that defines us as Jews and ameliorate the world's conditions for ourselves and for whomever else we can before our entrenchment in despair becomes possible again.
Charity fulfills dreams of young Israeli cancer patients
The small group inched forward through the dark walkway, clinging to one another. They giggled as they glanced nervously around at the bloody limbs strewn on the floor and thick cobwebs covering the walls. A ghastly creature lunged at them from a dark corner, and the terrified bunch shrieked. They finally made it out of the House of Horrors at Universal Studios, thanks to the guidance of a slightly annoyed teenage employee.
‘Giving makes you rich’
Have laptop, will prosper
Last Shabbat at Sinai Temple Rabbi David Wolpe stood at the bimah to deliver his sermon -- and brought out a small, colorful laptop to push his congregants to participate in a remarkable, world-changing program called One Laptop per Child. One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is the name of a USA-based nonprofit launched in 2005 by Nicholas Negroponte and faculty members of the MIT Media Lab, with the goal of bringing computer technology to the children of the developing world.
What’s so good about Judaism and the Boy Scouts?
Magazine makes GOOD on charity lifestyle
Ben Goldhirsh the 27 year old brains and bread behind GOOD magazine, wants to combine his successful business with a commitment to philanthropy and public service. Goldhirsh sees the GOOD brand, which also includes Reason Pictures, a film company he started in 2004, as much more than a media organization. It's "a meta-company," he said, "a lifestyle brand" that appeals to the "reason-based sensibilities" of people like him. People who know privilege and yet want to change the world in a big way.
Meet some extraordinary givers
Profiles of Jewish philanthropists.
Falling dollar forces groups to adjust overseas spending
While economists fret over how the falling U.S. dollar will affect global markets, Jewish charities that rely heavily on U.S. fundraising to support programs outside the United States are facing serious budget crunches.
Rethinking the system: How Federations might adjust
North American federations could and should be doing much better than they are. They matter. They are important. They embody the ideas of community, common cause and the ability to respond to collective concerns. They are vital institutions, and we want them to succeed. Federations have been the hub of a vast system that involves community centers, family services, bureaus of Jewish education and so many more organizations. But this system is becoming unglued, and changes need to be made.
Don’t chastise Jews’ grants to non-Jewish causes
Jewish foundations are growing by leaps and bounds, giving away billions of dollars and supporting practically every cause and organization that you can imagine. This is good news, unless of course you are in the camp that believes Jews and the foundations they create are misguided if they give to non-Jewish, rather than Jewish, organizations.
UJC realigns to remain central in challenging times
For generations, the North American Jewish federation system has stood as the central address of Jewish philanthropy -- demonstrating from generation to generation the power of our collective to build our community.The 155 federations of United Jewish Communities and 400 smaller networked communities boast an annual fundraising campaign nearing $900 million and endowment assets of more than $13 billion.UJC's lay and professional leadership recently set out to look at our philanthropic landscape. In June, the UJC launched a strategic plan that tackles the major challenges and opportunities facing Jewish federations and our entire community.
College students are a new breed of philanthropists
It's not uncommon for well-established, wealthy members of a community to donate money to various causes, but these days, there's a new breed of philanthropist in town -- the college student.
The changing nature of Jewish philanthropy
The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles president and CEO Marvin I. Schotland sat down with The Jewish Journal recently to talk about the changing nature of Jewish philanthropy.
Are Jewish groups missing the e-philanthropy boat?
While Chabad has tapped into perhaps the fastest-growing sector in the philanthropic world, many sectors of the Jewish world have been slow to catch on to the Internet era. "Some Jewish organizations have been more successful than others," said Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, which studies Jewish philanthropy. "But you don't see many who are very successful, other than the Jewish National Fund [JNF]."
Fundraising the Rabbi Hier way
Interview with Rabbi Marvin Hier who created the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Museum of Tolerance and Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (YULA).
Teen makes a difference for orphans in Kenya slum
After Ryan Silver returned home from a trip to Africa with his family, he began preparing for his bar mitzvah. Without hesitation, he knew that his mitzvah project would involve helping the children in the orphanage he visited in a Nairobi slum. Between the guests' donations and his own, Silver raised more than $2,700. In addition to completing a Jewish rite of passage, Silver was pleased that his celebration helped educate others about the plight of the children in Africa and to ultimately offer financial support.
From the San Diego fires—a burning question
What would you do if you had 10 minutes to get out of your home, not knowing whether it will still be there tomorrow? What would you take? What would you leave? What is truly indispensable? These are the questions that too many of my fellow San Diegans have faced in the last few days as fires ravage homes all over San Diego County. Members of our shul, families from our day school, my husband's colleagues -- many have been displaced, forced to grab their loved ones, pets and the few things they can't bear to live without.
Who will love the dead?
Should charity for the homeless begin at home?
Isn't that a pretty good indication that the Bible favors using the power of the government to coerce the citizenry to be charitable over relying on private generosity? Actually, not at all.
Eight Degrees of Charity 101
The Hebrew word tzedakah, unlike "charity" (from Greek karitas, "love"), is the Jewish legal requirement to do rightly with your fellow person -- that is, to support him when he is in need.
A Primer on Giving: What to ask before you start
Where should you donate your money? How? How much? How do you know if you're getting your money's worth?
Jamming with the pros at Hamilton High
Kenny G reads Hebrew, knows a thing or two about kabbalah and blows the shofar at shul annually. "Because," he said, "I am the only one who knows how."
Angels in the hood
It makes you wonder: How many Yaelle and Nouriel Cohens have come to the rescue of fellow Jews over our history? Thanks to people like Yaelle and Nouriel Cohen, we don't have to answer that question.
Students translate charity lessons into action
Realizing tikkun olam as a central pillar of Jewish practice, synagogues throughout the country require children to perform service projects before becoming b'nai mitzvah, sensitizing them to their growing responsibilities toward others as they approach adulthood. In many cases, these projects have been the inspiration for ongoing philanthropic endeavors.
Teaching our kids how to give
Giving tzedakah is one way to achieve tikkun olam, or the Jewish obligation to repair what is broken and lacking in the world. Both affirm our responsibility to give a part of what we have to take care of others who are less fortunate. We do this because Judaism views individual wealth as neither a right nor a privilege but a form of stewardship for which we are charged to care for the world.
Alter Kayakers make waves in Newport Bay
The Alter Kayakers stand out for their awesome endurance and robust bearing, and they cram their days with endless bicycling, hiking, tennis, martial arts and river rafting. But no one has to quit when his abilities falter.
Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson expected to set new charity donation record
Sheldon Adelson, frequently dubbed "the world's richest Jew," is about to claim the title of biggest Jewish philanthropist.
Pick a cause
In addition to my business, I always take on the opportunity to help in my own community. I believe that it is important to help out whenever you can, whether it's picking up trash at the beach or working at a charity benefit, as well as taking on new challenges.
7 Days in the Arts
7 days in the Arts
Jewish causes must compete to get big charitable gifts
A $100 million gift to Yeshiva University is the largest ever to a U.S. Jewish Institution. Why don't more wealthy jews give to jewish causes?
7 Days in the Arts
7 Days in the Arts
Social Action Groups Fight for Cleaning Ladies’ Rights
When Jews hire people to do household jobs -- anybody who cleans, cooks, does the laundry, cares for children or elderly parents -- we are the ones who represent the privileged class, with the funds to hire help. Jews today are generally wealthier and better educated than the majority of Americans.
Circuit
Summer charitable events: Israeli fundraiser at Carvel Ice Cream; American Friends of Rabin Medical Center on stem cell research; Summer Splash fundraiser for Bright Future Scholarships; Project Angel Food's annual fundraiser Angel Awards; humanitarian speech at Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center in Tarzana.
Mission To Israel
They say that Israel is a place where a man might push you over on the bus to get to his seat and break your leg, but he will drive you to the emergency room and stay up with you all night to make sure you are all right -- better than all right, actually.
It May Be Time to Change Goals, Ideas on Philanthropy
We are donors to universities, museums, orchestras and hospitals, but when it comes to Jewish philanthropy, we fall short. Today, perhaps 20 percent or less of Jewish giving goes to Jewish causes.
Sweet Sixteen and Ready to Rise
Kolet's participation in charity events has put her onstage with artists such as Elton John, U2's Bono and, most recently, Andrea Boccelli. She has developed a close working relationship with Klaus Meine of the legendary German rock band, the Scorpions, having performed with him last year in Israel.
The Circuit
Circuit
Andrea Bronfman, Charity Giant, Killed
Andrea Bronfman, a giant in the world of Jewish philanthropy, was killed Monday when a car struck her while she was walking her dog in Manhattan. She was 60 years old.
Karen Gilman: What Makes Her Run?
That volunteer work is vast. She served as the sisterhood president of Temple Israel of Hollywood and currently co-chairs its AIDS lunch project, which distributes food once a month. Gilman is also social action chair for the Western Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, which presents the women's positions on legislative policy.
Steven Firestein: Making Magic for Children
In 1994, a year after his brush with mortality, Firestein founded a nonprofit that would eventually become the Kids Cancer Connection. A descendant of cosmetics magnate Max Factor -- whose family has donated millions to local charities -- he invested $10,000 to get the project going.
Put Tzedakah on Your Shopping List
Sometimes the best gift is a non-gift.
Fight the Minotaur in the Tax Labyrinth
This past September, the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles, the Zimmer Children's Museum and representatives of more than 70 other organizations attended a seminar for nonprofits that I conducted at The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
Circuit
events around town in Los angeles.
Shelley Gazin, artist and photojournalist, has been the recipient of four 2005 grants to further her photographic and video documentary study of California's Persian Jewish community.
Enter Three Little Maidelehs
For strictly observant women, being Orthodox can often mean putting a kibosh on artistic aspirations. Halachic prohibitions against singing and dancing in front of men means that many women who enjoy those art forms find they have little opportunity to perform.
Enter Margy Horowitz, a Los Angeles-based piano teacher from Chicago who'd heard about all-women's productions in her hometown from a friend. Intrigued, she started envisioning an all-women's production for Los Angeles with women not only just in the cast, but also in the audience.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down in Giving
Celebs Stick to Their Tzedakah Box Job
Frankie Muniz, star of the TV show, "Malcolm in the Middle," had little idea what he was making as he glued colored cotton balls and beads onto a metallic container with a slot on top.
The Circuit
Philanthropist and game show icon Monty Hall took center stage last week at Temple Shalom for the Arts when he stepped up to the bimah to read from the Torah at his bar mitzvah. Hall embraced the ancient tradition of a second bar mitzvah surrounded by an overflowing group of friends and well-wishers who turned out to share this "second" special life moment.
Etta Israel Campers Learn Skills for Life
Mark Worland -- six-foot-something, dressed in tight black and skinhead bald -- grabs Navid by the arm.
"Come with me!" he barks.
"No!" screams Navid, barely 5-feet tall.
Navid throws himself on his back, locks the bottom of his feet to Worland's knees, and shields his face and head from Worland's flailing fists.
"Great job," says Worland, a self-defense specialist, shaking Navid's hand and helping him up, as Navid's friends applaud.
This self-defense class is part of a repertoire of life skills that Navid and his peers are learning at Independent Living Skills, a summer program for developmentally disabled adults run by Etta Israel Center, a mid-Wilshire nonprofit for people with special needs.
Getting Kids Into Charity Pays Off Big
Getting kids involved with giving isn't just for wealthy families. On the contrary, middle-class kids tend to have much more than they need -- and can benefit from the values and insights they will get from charitable activities. It's up to parents to get them going, and to figure out the best structure for the entire family's charitable activities
The Circuit
The Circuit.
Wanted: 1 Rich Jew
I have a friend who may come into a large sum of money. Not millions, but tens of millions. Sometimes, she told me, shedaydreams about all the charities and causes she'll donate to.
"That's what I want to be, one of those people who sits around all day and gives out money," she said.
Agents of Charity
As I write this The Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Los Angeles' annual gala to be held on June 1, 2005 is a few days away.
Raise Funds Online With Help From eBay
Online auctions have gone from an Internet curiosity to a multibillion-dollar enterprise in less than a decade. The phenomenon has changed how we buy and sell, and deal with the junk in our attic.
C’mon Get Happy
Before she inspired her father's debut film, "Smile" -- a feature about an American teenager who goes abroad to help children with facial deformities -- Katie Kramer was a normal, popular student at Malibu High School.
Yeladim
In Parshat Ki Tisa, each Israelite is instructed to give a half-shekel to the "temple fund" every year. There is a midrash – a story told by rabbis to teach a lesson – about this portion.
Meaningful Giving
As my friends and I wrote our tsunami checks in the last few weeks, many of us expressed the concern that our donations actually reach the people in need. But what most of us didn't pause to consider is why we were giving now, to this cause and not at other times to other causes?
A Micro Solution to Macro Poverty
The outpouring of international charity for the victims of the Asian disasters is a clear sign that we humans are capable of enormous empathy
and generosity
Spinning Wheels for a Good Cause
Some people kiss the soil of Israel when they come to the Holy Land. Last month, Audrey Adler didn't so much kiss the dirt as inhale it.
Adler and a handful of other Angelenos participated in a charity bike ride for Alyn Children's Hospital in Jerusalem through some of the toughest terrain Adler has ridden.
Circuit
Cast members from the new "Ten Commandments" musical performed for about 120 people at AMIT's Cherish The Children dinner on Oct. 25 at Brentwood's Luxe Hotel, with the organization event raising money for AMIT's 60 schools serving 15,000 at-risk Israeli youth.
Charity List Shows Fundraising Stability
Who's up and who's down in Jewish charities? While a recent snapshot of some of the largest Jewish charities reveals that Jewish fundraising generally is stable, nuances in the numbers reveal the viccissitudes -- and why.
Big Support From ‘Hot Pockets’
Local leaders were keenly interested in the unknown and unexpected name prominently on display when the Samueli Jewish campus opened recently in Irvine.
Tips to Avoid a Charitable Rip-Off
Every Jewish New Year we recite the words, "Repentance, prayer and charity avert the evil decree." It sounds straightforward enough, but trying to navigate myriad charities, especially Jewish charities, is confounding.
Russian Kids’ Home Has Fashionable Help
The Ohr Dessa Project was established 11 years ago by Rabbi Shlomo Bakst to rebuild Kiev's Great Choral Synagogue, completed in 1997. During reconstruction, Bakst became aware of numerous homeless Jewish orphans in Odessa. The Tikva Children's Home was created in 1996 as a spin-off of the Ohr Dessa Project.
Rambamalama
Put down your "Da Vinci Code." Set aside your "South Beach Diet." Let your kaballah red string drop off your wrist. I'm here to alert you to the next pop cultural phenom: a 12th-century philosopher popularly known as the Rambam.
Center Aids Iranians in Need of Help
After only a few months in Los Angeles, Shirley N., a 30-year-old Jewish immigrant from Iran, almost returned to her homeland because of financial difficulties.
Can’t ‘Handel’ the Heat?
"'Fahrenheit 9/11,' what a piece of garbage," says radio host Bill Handel.
‘Lucky’ Friends
Some high-powered connections forged through the boys' parents landed them an appearance on Fox's "Good Day L.A." and placed some of their Lucky Pix around the necks of celebrities. Intuition, a trend-setting Web boutique known to cater to celebrities, is the sole outlet for Lucky Pix, giving the boys the kind of publicity and panache other retailers covet.
Community Briefs
The Philadelphia-based Jewish charity Shefa Fund has started its first major West Coast philanthropic work this spring with the "Los Angeles TZEDEC Initiative," which supports low-income loans for homeowners in poor neighborhoods.
Cantors Plan Charity Concerts
With religious school winding down this month at many synagogues, some cantors will regularly seize the opportunity to produce a brief season of secular concerts with guest artists and visiting cantors.
Charities Ask L.A. to Help Israel’s Poor
Ask Abraham Israel about hungry people in Israel and he gets exasperated.
Car Donations May Hit IRS Roadblock
Get rid of your old car, help out a charity and get a write-off. What could be easier?
With the April 15 IRS deadline drawing near, charities are tapping taxpayer frustration by increasing their appeals for vehicle donations. But a proposed government crackdown on the value donors can claim for a donated vehicle is changing the way programs are being advertised.
Evangelical Media Gather Around Israel
"Free soup's on us!" That was the invitation David Suissa's Los Angeles-based charity Meals 4 Israel extended to all 5,000 participants of the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Charlotte, N.C. last month -- and it was pastors and ministers who made their way to the booth to sample some soup and learn more about the charity.
The Giving Ladder
Even a wizard at niche marketing would tremble before the title of Julie Salamon's most recent book. "Rambam's Ladder," based on an ancient text by Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, sounds like it's bound for the remainder bins even before it hits the Judaica sections.
Alternative Invitation to a Simcha
Tricia called Jewish National Fund (JNF) to find out if she could plant a tree in Israel for each guest invited to Danielle's bat mitzvah. "It turns out JNF has exactly such a program set up already," Tricia said.
Teen’s Loss of Sister Spurs Charity Efforts
Seventeen-year-old Megan Knofsky keeps alive her sibling's memory by sustaining a teen support group that raises money for research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, the genetic disorder that affects 30,000 people and claimed her sister, Sarah, in 1997.
The Circuit
George Smith is a financial matchmaker. He earns a princely living making matches between scores of lenders and clients buying property ranging from car washes to golf courses.
How to Fundraise in the 21st Century
Today, Jews are among the most educated and affluent minority groups in the United States. Attitudes toward them have evolved to such an extent that an Orthodox Jew, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), is considered a front-runner for the Democrat Party's presidential nomination.
Your Letters
Your Letters
7 Days In Arts
7 Days in Arts
The ‘Bogey’ Man
Even though he promises to be a kinder, gentler version of himself, his raspy growl is -- and will be -- unmistakably unchanged.
Whose Loss Is it Anyway?
Yes, Israel very much needs American Jewry's money and political support, and virtual tourism is clearly better than none at all. But when we send charity to them, we are saying that the lack of tourism to Israel only affects them.
A Pass-SOVA Tradition
Helping the needy is what SOVA (Hebrew for "eat and be satisfied") has been doing since 1983, when Santa Monica deli owner Hy Altman and wife, Zucky, created the nonprofit organization.
Poverty in Israel
"The economy is very sick," Netanyahu said. "There is no money in the till, and we have a deficit of NIS 30 billion."
As the recession continues in Israel, Bank of Israel economists expect unemployment to climb to 12 percent, meaning that more than 300,000 Israelis will be out of work this year.
World Briefs
The United States has convinced Israel and Egypt to accept an immediate cut in the American presence in the Sinai, JTA has learned.
Tzedakah for Chanukah
The Chanukah effort is one of the first outcomes of Morasha's involvement with a three-year national research project of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.
Actor Casts His LotWith Jewish Ideals
When Joshua Malina arrived at his first Jewish Federation event, a 2001 pro-Israel rally, he received an unpleasant surprise.
Community Briefs
In February 2001, a Palestinian bus driver ran over a group of soldiers at a bus stop, and caused severe injuries to Monique Evans, 19.
Middle-Class Poor
But like many members of the middle class, the busy professional -- who declined to give his name for this article -- suffered a major financial blow as the economy faltered. Over a year ago, an import-export firm for which he subcontracted failed to pay him a $65,000 commission.
Suddenly, his financial security evaporated, and he quickly fell behind in his children's tuition payments. His marriage grew strained. Nights were sometimes sleepless.
A Tale of Two Torahs
About this time two years ago, congregants of Tustin's Congregation B'nai Israel lined their synagogue's sanctuary, making a human chain as Rabbi Eli Spitz unrolled a 150-year-old Czech Torah that survived the Holocaust. In places, its letters were faded and illegible making it un-kosher, ritually unfit for use.
The Mitzvah’s in the Mail
We need more stamps," a little boy yells. "How many cards do we have left?" asked a dark-haired woman. "I have more envelopes!" shouts a girl in a skirt.
World Briefs
The Palestinian Cabinet gave preliminary approval Wednesday to an Israeli plan for a troop withdrawal from some areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Your Letters
In his editorial ("Homeland Insecurity," July 12), Rob Eshman suggests that the availability of legal guns in the United States should be seen as a problem when considering Muslim terror.
Ten Days in L.A.
A Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles reception welcomed 18 students participating in a cultural exchange sponsored by the Federation's Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership. Fourteen students from Tel Aviv's A.D. Gordon School and four students from their paired partner, Northridge's Abraham Heschel Day School, gathered to reflect on their experience as the Israeli students -- all ages 13 and 14 -- wrapped up their 10-day visit to Los Angeles.
Funding Jerusalem
So what does it take to get a charity started in Los Angeles? How can a project be incubated just enough to get people excited so that they will one day open their checkbooks and start signing?
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Featured Stories
Education
Thanks, Cal State —thanks a lot
When we hear that the one option that has always been guaranteed to us is now an uncertain variable, we can do nothing but doubt. When competition rages from all angles, and the safety we counted on no longer exists, we can do nothing but give up, right?
Torah Portion
Listen, will you?
Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3) Men equate the inability to solve a problem with weakness, so when men are in the same situation they feel that they must solve the problem.
Food
Kosherfest 2008 is heaven on earth for foodies
Each year Kosherfest organizers hold a competition for the best new kosher-certified products. This year, Zelda's Sweet Shoppe of Skokie, Ill., took top honors with a "Southern Pecan Pie."
Los Angeles
Half a world away, Los Angeles mourns
The overwhelming majority of mourners had never met the Holtzbergs. But that didn't matter. They have become, for Americans, the public face of this tragedy.
U.S.
Analysis: Obama sounding similar to Bush on foreign policy
Not only is Barack Obama inheriting President Bush's Middle East, it looks like he's adopting his strategies.
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