Got a light?  Pass the candle

By Jay Firestone
Published on December 16, 2008

Hitler’s carmaker: How General Motors helped jump-start the Third Reich’s military machine

By Edwin Black
Published on November 30, 2006

Mr. Big Sloan lived for bigness. Slender and natty, attired in the latest collars and ties, Sloan commonly wore spats, even to the White House."Deliberately to stop growing is to suffocate," Sloan wrote in his 1964 autobiography about his years at GM. "We do things in a big way in the United States. I have always believed in planning big, and I have always discovered after the fact that, if anything, we didn't plan big enough. I put no ceiling on progress." For Sloan, motorizing the fascist regime that was expected to wage a bloody war in Europe was the next big thing and a spigot of limitless profits for GM.

‘Paper Clips’ Continues to Link Crowds

By Meira Held
Published on March 9, 2006

Until recently, the riveting and much-acclaimed 2004 documentary, "Paper Clips" -- which chronicles the attempt by the small, rural town of Whitwell, Tenn., to educate its students about the enormous number of Jews killed in the Holocaust -- could be seen mostly at special screenings and community events. After an initial exclusive release of the DVD version to Blockbuster, as of March 7, the DVD has gone into general release so everyone can finally get a copy, which is sure to broaden the film's exposure.

Community Briefs

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner
Published on December 8, 2005

A lively, heartfelt tribute to former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin brought more than 400 people to the University of Judaism to mark the 10th year since an assassin took his life.
When California voters passed a $3 billion stem cell research initiative, they not only opened the door to medical advances but also to a collaboration with scientists from Israel, which is an established leader in the field.

To seed that partnership, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center recently hosted a two-day symposium that attracted more than 300 physicians, scientists, bioethicists and entrepreneurs.

School Bond Measure Gets Failing Grade

By Bob Hertzberg
Published on September 15, 2005

I have a picture on the wall of my office. It was taken at about 4 a.m. in 1998. I'm in the picture with a group of Democratic and Republican legislators. We look tired; we've been up late for a number of nights. But there's also a glint of celebration.

That was a happy and proud moment. We had just negotiated Proposition 1A, which put $9.2 billion of school bonds on the ballot. This bipartisan breakthrough opened the way for three successful state school bonds that raised $34 billion for school construction.

I've also supported local school bonds, and the state and local money that voters entrusted to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is being used to build schools all over the city.

I don't take this progress lightly or for granted. But building for seats is not the same as building for reform. To date, L.A. Unified has done the former but only paid lip service to the latter. And I find myself moving to an uncomfortable and unfamiliar position on the question of the school district's bid to pass $3.985 billion in school bonds this November.

PhD on the Flying Trapeze

By Beverly Gray
Published on September 8, 2005

Edy Greenblatt is best known in Los Angeles as an energetic, knowledgeable folk dance teacher. But in search of a more stable career, she studied organizational behavior at the Harvard Business School, in a joint doctoral program involving Harvard's graduate schools of psychology and sociology.

Exploring Judaism’s Healing Potential

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner
Published on January 20, 2005

Rabbi Donald Goor, senior rabbi of Temple Judea in the West Valley, has identified a deficiency within the Jewish community: There's not enough emphasis on care of the soul.

"In my rabbinate, I see so many people who walk around wounded. They function very well in life, but they carry pain."

This weekend, Goor and approximately 100 others will explore how Judaism can heal this pain when they meet at the third-annual Partner Gathering, convened by the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health. For two days, leaders of the Jewish Healing movement from around the country will discuss how to help those facing illness, loss and other life challenges.

‘Dance’s’ Conflict Is Center Stage

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on April 17, 2003

"The Last Dance" began when Bank, an acclaimed PBS filmmaker whose work often involves Jewish themes, attended a Pilobolus performance in summer 1998.