Sepulveda Pass class

Published on January 9, 2013

When he greets students next month who have enrolled in his four-session class “The Sepulveda Pass: From Creation to Carmaggedon,” instructor and historian Erik Greenberg will be returning to familiar territory.

Some retirees make aliyah to San Miguel de Allende

By Buzzy Gordon
Published on May 1, 2008

A growing number of American Jews have chosen to retire to Mexico. Two of the largest expatriate communities, in San Miguel de Allende and Ajijic; have experienced contrasting experiences while attempting to establish spiritual leadership.

The Calendar Girls: Picks, kicks and plugs

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on January 24, 2008

Calendar of events, January 26 to February 1: Kids, film, lecture, theater, maccabi games, singles, tu b'shevat, volunteer, concert, comedy, adventure, drama, photography, book signing, music, youth art show, mardi gras.

L.A. woman

By David Suissa
Published on January 24, 2008

Ruthie Rotenberg is the executive director of Limmud in Los Angeles. The idea behind Limmud is to gather Jews of all denominations to celebrate the kaleidoscope of the Jewish experience. For the conference on Presidents' Day Weekend, there will be up to 14 different classes from which to choose. They have almost 400 reservations from Jews of all denominations, and they have maxed out on presenters.

Hebrew Union College considers expansion

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on January 17, 2008

From high above, the southeast corner of Hoover and 32nd streets near downtown would appear to be some of the only developable land between the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Staples Center -- a parking lot, a large field used by the USC women's soccer team and a 1970s-era academic building not nearly big enough for its occupant, the L.A. branch of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR).

‘Secular Yeshiva’ answers young Israelis’ questions

By Dina Kraft
Published on October 26, 2006

The goal is to give young, secular Israelis an education that will show them that they too have a rich culture to tap into and explore.

Special Delivery - Jewish Lamaze Class Reunion

By Jane Ulman
Published on June 22, 2006

Jewish Lamaze was first sponsored by the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education in the early 1980s and taught in various synagogues until the funding ran out toward the end of the decade.

And while it's no longer being offered in Los Angeles, as far as anyone knows, similar programs exist elsewhere.

A Dying Language Comes to Life

By Jane Ulman
Published on February 23, 2006

The Yiddish words flew -- sometimes fluently, sometimes haltingly and occasionally "shreklich" or awful as the seniors reached for a word long forgotten or the students for a word they had not yet learned. They raised their voices, gesturing with their hands as they spoke.

Intense Me’ah Gets High Marks

By Penny Schwartz
Published on January 5, 2006

Me'ah, which began in 1994 with 50 students in greater Boston, is also now being offered in Baltimore, Cleveland, Rhode Island, Florida, New Jersey and New York.

Schools to Teach Ein Bisel Yiddish

By Sarah Price Brown
Published on August 25, 2005

Linguists have predicted that within 100 years, more than half of the 6,000 languages that exist today will disappear.

For a long time, it's looked as though Yiddish was among those bound for extinction, but scholars and Yiddish speakers, as well as some Jews who remember their parents speaking Yiddish, have never given up on the language.

And now there's a better chance that a new generation of Jews will understand Yiddish and the Jewish culture it embodies. This fall, three local Jewish day schools will offer their middle and high school students classes in Yiddish, the language spoken for 1,000 years by Ashkenazi Jews of eastern and central Europe.

The three schools represent a spectrum of Jewish education and geography in Los Angeles: New Community Jewish High School in the west San Fernando Valley is non-denominational, Shalhevet School in the Fairfax district is Orthodox and Sinai Akiba Academy in West Los Angeles is Conservative.

Calendar

By Keren Engelberg
Published on March 31, 2005

Calendar

Challah Lesson a Huge Slice of Simcha

By Judy Zeidler
Published on March 10, 2005

For the past 50 years, I have given cooking classes that include recipes for contemporary and traditional dishes, as well as menus for all the Jewish holidays.

New Tallit Bag Trend Threads Family Ties

By Jane Ulman
Published on March 10, 2005

Every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a group of eight mothers and grandmothers meets at Lani's Needlepoint in Studio City. There, under Lani Silver's expert guidance -- one diagonal, tied-down or decorative stitch at a time --they have cumulatively needlepointed more than 20 tallit bags.

A Daf a Day

By Dr. Warren Klein
Published on March 3, 2005

Growing up religious in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, I didn't have much choice when it came to religious studies: it was full time till I was 18. I always felt it was being shoved down my throat.

So I stayed away from religious studies for about a decade -- from college, through marriage, a year of service in Vietnam and three children.

During that time I stayed close to religion through observance, community and friends, but I avoided any formal religious study.

Calendar

By Keren Engelberg
Published on October 28, 2004

Calendar

Seniors Flock to OASIS of Learning

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner
Published on August 5, 2004

OASIS provides an eclectic array of classes, many of which are free. Fitness fans can choose among such options as chair exercise, yoga and karate. Art buffs can study French and American impressionism or drawing. Others can explore Jewish spirituality, analyze Shakespeare or play guitar. Some of the classes are even taught by retired professors from UCLA and USC. And seniors who wish to travel can choose among a variety of day excursions and extended trips.

Scholarship Takes No Vacation

By Journal Report
Published on July 1, 2004

Two local synagogues are offering an opportunity for Jewish scholarship this summer, and a third is offering weekly Hebrew classes at all levels.

Into the Mystic

By David Klinghoffer
Published on January 29, 2004

Marcus Weston is a thin, good-looking Londoner who in his casual attire and unobtrusive kippah could pass for typical Pico-Robertson Modern Orthodox guy. On this cool Tuesday night in December, he offers his audience a reassuring smile.

You Gotta Be in it to Win it

By Jewish Journal Staff
Published on September 4, 2003

Synagogues and Jewish institutions will help sell tickets, which can be purchased via credit card through The Jewish Federation of Orange County.

A Culinary Surprise

By Judy Zeidler
Published on February 20, 2003

Recently, my husband and I traveled extensively throughout Vietnam, where we took several cooking classes and met talented chefs. But the chef that surprised us the most was Donald Berger at the
Press Club in Hanoi.

Valley Yeshiva Seeking to Lure City Jews Over the Mountains

By Gaby Wenig
Published on February 6, 2003

It's Thursday night at Toras Hashem, an outreach yeshiva in North Hollywood and some 40 people are here to hear Rabbi Zvi Block's weekly Torah
portion sermon.

Seniors Have Lots of Class

By Sharon Schatz Rosenthal
Published on October 3, 2002

Sonia Mittleman's class schedule would make most high school students jealous. The school she attends does not give grades, has no penalty for tardiness and assigns no homework.

A Small School With Big Plans

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on September 26, 2002

On a recent Thursday afternoon at the New Community Jewish High School (NCJHS) in West Hills, 20 students fill the biology lab to hear a guest speaker discuss cryogenics.

The Way of No Way

By Andrea Adelson
Published on August 1, 2002

Drawn in part by the recent movie, "Enough," in which actress Jennifer Lopez uses Krav Maga to even the score against an abusive husband, a long-established Orange County class in self-defense is seeing a jump in popularity.

Israeli Folk Dancing: The Phenomenon

By C.J. Hirsch
Published on April 18, 2002

They are doing Rachel in Rio, Lamdi Oti in London, Dira 26 in Dimona and Biladaich in Boston. Israeli folk dancing is all the rage, and is possible almost any night of the week here in Los Angeles. And if you happen to be traveling out of town, no need to put your hobby on hold, chances are good you can dance there, too. Israeli folk dance aficionados can find a way to entertain themselves almost anywhere in the world.