- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Cleveland kidnappings: We must be our brother’s keeper
The exterior of the house where three women who had disappeared as teenagers approximately ten years ago were found alive on May 7 in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo by Pugliano/Getty Images
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and you said, “Oh my God.” Most of the hummus recipes…
Palestinians mark Nakba with West Bank protests
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which they call the “catastrophe,” with marches and protests.
- HOLLYWOOD
The Office’s best Jewish moment
Funny music, sad life
On an otherwise unremarkable day in 1938, a chubby but charming student at John Burroughs Junior High in Los Angeles “cracked the code of his comic gift and discovered his…
Filmmakers reveal magician’s secretive world
A British journalist recalls how she once sat down at a cafe with the legendary magician, author, historian, actor and, perhaps, the greatest sleight-of-hand artist on the planet in the documentary…
- LIFE & CULTURE
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and…
Survivor: Irene Rosenberg
“Mommy, I’ll be right back.” Irene Rosenberg — then Irene Grunfeld — said as she was leaving the apartment of her cousin Mancy Weiss, where she and her mother were…
The Divine Wedding and Kiss - Parashat Naso
“O for your kiss! For your love / More enticing than wine, / For your scent and sweet name – For all this they love you. Take me away to…
- BLOGS
What would my Israeli grandmother think?
When I hear about the latest events in Israel – the air strikes on weapons facilities in Syria, the flare-ups over women donning prayer shawls at the Western Wall –…
A hot topic, a great panel, and chance to learn and discuss—immigration at issue
It's a critical time for immigration reform in this country. Washington is getting set to make major changes, the likes of which haven't been seen since the 1980's under President…
State 194: A Documentary About Palestine
Opening this weekend at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 is a very hot-button new documentary called State 194, which follows the recent history of Palestine. Many will approach this film with…
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Wall Street legend Byron Wien’s life lessons learned in his first 80 years
Resistance and rescuers: Holocaust books for kids
When children approach their parents with inevitable questions about death, divorce, homosexuality or how babies are made, adults often turn to books to find the right words to start the discussion. The same is true of another sensitive subject that defies simple explanation: the Holocaust. There are a few thousand memoirs, biographies and novels for young people on the Holocaust published around the world, and surprisingly, more than 100 picture books, too. It is clearly a popular subject.
Steve Zimmer holds middle ground
After surviving opposition funded by the mayors of America’s two biggest cities, newly re-elected Los Angeles Unified School District board member Steve Zimmer says his win has preserved a “system of checks and balances” in running L.A.’s huge school district.
Dept. of Education outlines outreach plan to private schools
The U.S. Department of Education outlined new efforts to bring non-profit schools into federally funded programs, an initiative that had been sought by Orthodox Jewish groups, among others.
March 13, 2013
Empowering our children with vocational skills
Imagine asking your 16-year-old daughter and day school student, Maya, “What did you learn today?”
School board race pits unions against billionaires
Probably the greatest impact of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $1 million gift last week to the Coalition for School Reform, an independent political group supporting a slate of three reform-minded candidates for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board seats, was on the potential for re-election by LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer.
Israeli-Palestinian textbook study sparks controversy
A U.S. State Department-funded study on Israeli and Palestinian textbooks released in Jerusalem has set-off a wave of insults, charges and counter-charges. Israel’s Ministry of Education called the detailed report “biased and unprofessional” while the International Society for Political Psychology called the Israeli government’s description “highly distressing.”
Israeli economics 101
Ofek Lavian has two passions: business and Israel, his native land. What he felt that he was missing when he went to college at the University of Southern California was an opportunity to learn about his home country while interacting with people who shared his same interests in it.
Orthodox woman, a first
In a groundbreaking appointment, the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJR,CA), has selected Tamar Frankiel as its new president, making her the first Orthodox woman to lead an American rabbinical school. Frankiel, 66, is a professor of comparative religion and an expert on Jewish mysticism.
LINK to daylong learning
On any given night, upward of 75 Jewish men and women cram into a building at 1453 S. Robertson Blvd. to study Torah, discuss religious texts and educate themselves on what it means to live a Jewish life.
Sepulveda Pass class
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.
Studying Sephardic roots
Adina Jalali, a 15-year-old student at Yeshiva High Tech in Los Angeles, has many Ashkenazi friends, but when her parents recently offered her the chance to visit Israel for the first time, she opted for a trip that would resonate with her Sephardic upbringing.
The Mensch List 2012
Last month, for our seventh-annual mensch list, we again invited all of you to submit your nominations of extraordinary volunteers, and again the outpouring of suggestions of amazing people was overwhelming.
The history in Jewish education
Money has a way of dominating issues. This is true of politics and presidential elections, and it’s also true of Jewish education. Just say the words “Jewish education,” and the first word you’ll typically hear is “unaffordable.”
Israel celebrates education gains, but challenges remain
Just before 1 o'clock on a sunny afternoon, students streamed out of the Amirim Public School and headed for home. But for their teachers, the workday was far from over.
This week from Israel
Hebrew to be nixed as foreign language in U.K. schools
The British government reportedly is planning to exclude Hebrew from a list of recognized foreign languages in the national education system.
In Europe, big gaps exist among security precautions at Jewish institutions
Within hours of Israel's assassination of a top Hamas commander, the situation room sprang into action, anticipating retaliatory attacks and preparing instructions to keep civilians out of harm's way.
This week from Israel
Gifted diaspora teens
Growing up in Los Angeles, Asaf Shasha, then 16, had everything a teenager could want: a loving family, good friends and a comfortable home. Still, Shasha couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to life than the fancy gadgets prized by the kids at his Jewish day school.
Day school affordability
In religious Jewish communities, the affordability of day schools is one of the most discussed social challenges. Supporting vibrant, successful, viable Jewish day schools is no less than supporting the Jewish future — our children are our future, and the values we demonstrate and pass on will determine what they will do with the torch when they are its bearers.
This Week from Israel
Five challenges facing the American pro-Israel community in the next four years
The American pro-Israel community has a lot of work to do. While many pro-Israel organizations in the United States, including AIPAC, Christians United for Israel, Stand with US and Hasbara have been extremely effective in defending the Jewish State, there is always more we can do. Here is a list of the five greatest challenges facing the American pro-Israel community in the next four years.
Jews push for Prop. 30
With recent polls showing that support has fallen below 50 percent for Proposition 30 — Gov. Jerry Brown’s temporary tax hike initiative that would help fund education across California — Jewish organizers working on behalf of the measure are working hard to convince Californians to approve the measure.
Palestinian students to take makeup SATs
Palestinian students in the West Bank will take their SAT exams two weeks late.
Shofars blasting, Bend the Arc urges yes on Prop. 30
Bend the Arc is urging Jewish voters in California to rally behind Proposition 30.
Malala Yousafzai and Pakistan’s dilemmas
Malala Yousafzai, the girl at the center of a loud nationwide debate in Pakistan, is silent. At least for now she is recovering from gunshot injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham in Britain.
Women’s Participation in Ritual: Time for a Paradigm Shift
Media Enrichment Academy: Seeing potential
Students at the Media Enrichment Academy in Sherman Oaks often arrive with a variety of labels: Autistic. Isolated. Troublemaker.
CON PROP. 30: Is it crucial for higher education?
On Nov. 6, California taxpayers will once again be asked to bail out Sacramento. As the Orange County Register points out, years of fiscal mismanagement means these “will be the 12th, 13th and 14th times over the past decade that Californians are being asked to increase their taxes.”
PRO PROP. 30: Is it Crucial for Higher Education?
We’re worried. That’s what we Jews do, of course. Often, for good reason. While we’re pleased to see California voters currently favor Gov. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 initiative to restore a measure of fiscal stability to the state, polls show that support is precarious.
Alumni celebrate Fairfax High’s rich legacy
Fairfax High School, whose history reflects the changing Jewish demographics of the Fairfax District, has evolved over the decades as a diverse place of learning, mirroring Los Angeles’ racial tensions and triumphs in the process.
Leonard’s story
Years ago, I created a class, “Writer’s Marketplace,” dedicated to the business side of writing. It was inspired by all the I-wish-I’d-known-then-what-I-know-now moments in my own career, the realization that good writers often are clueless about how to sell their work, and that writing schools are often remiss in communicating the practical aspects of the profession to their students.
Proposed Albert Einstein Elementary charter to get a new hearing
The Saugus Union School District is set to hold a third hearing on Sept. 19 regarding a petition to establish an Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts & Sciences (AEA) charter elementary school in Santa Clarita. If approved, the school would be the second in the AEA family of charter schools, along with a charter high school in Santa Clarita that started its third year in August. It would also be one of a handful of charter schools on the West Coast where Hebrew is taught as a second language. Classes in Mandarin would also be offered.
Britain’s Hague condemns Israeli gesture on West Bank university in Ariel
Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned a symbolic decision by the Israeli Cabinet to change the status of the Ariel University Center in the West Bank into a full-fledged university.
Educators’ conference focuses on Holocaust
Educators from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Luis Obispo participated in a weeklong professional development workshop on Aug. 6-10 on Holocaust education at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).
What Do You Want to Know About Synagogues?
Israel opens schools with record number of students
Israeli schools opened for more than 2 million students, a record for the country.
Takin’ it to the schools: Outreach efforts go public
When Rabbi Adam Raskin arrived at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Md., last year, he was determined to reach out to teenagers uninvolved with the Conservative synagogue's youth activities.
The Israeli Family
Israel’s universities file Supreme Court lawsuit against West Bank college
Israel's seven universities have asked the country's Supreme Court to reverse a decision to make the Ariel University Center in the West Bank a full-fledged university.
American Hebrew Academy facing ambitious challenges in bid for elite status
Sitting at an oblong table, 11 students, each with a school-provided computer tablet, discuss John Steinbeck’s "Of Mice and Men," parse the four types of classic love and veer off into talk about sex -- all the while interrupting each other and their teacher.
Worry about your kids’ character, not their grades, says author Madeline Levine
Not long ago, psychologist Madeline Levine gave a lecture at a Jewish day school near her home in Marin County, Calif. The topic: "Your Average Child."
Brazil’s Jewish community announces creation of Anne Frank ‘educational network’
Brazil's Jewish community sent directors of five Brazilian schools named after Anne Frank on a Holocaust study tour in Amsterdam.
This week in power: Paul Ryan, Hungary Jew, Temple Mount, Blurry glasses
Federation offers $2 million for educational programs
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has some money to give away for programs targeting Jewish youth. Federation has put out a request for proposals for formal and informal Jewish educational programs based on four age groups it has identified as needing the most attention: birth to preschool, preschool to first grade, the years surrounding bar and bat mitzvah, and the later teen years leading into college.
Jewish studies flourish in China
The last quarter century has witnessed a veritable explosion in the academic field of Jewish studies. During that time, Israel solidified its place as the global center in the field, while in the United States virtually every university and college of note has established its own program, center or chair.
Philanthropist Zev Wolfson, supporter of traditional Jewish educational institutions, dies
Zev Wolfson, a philanthropist who supported Torah institutions worldwide, has died.
One Israeli Creation for the Weekend
Tradition meets future at Yeshiva High Tech
Yeshiva High Tech, a new Jewish high school opening this fall, will offer students a blended-learning curriculum -- a form of education that gives technology a central role in the classroom. The first blended-learning project founded west of the Mississippi, the Pico Boulevard school combines traditional forms of teaching with technology-driven activities, which is its main difference from online learning.
Breaking down classroom walls with resilience theory
Why is the summer's poetry slam on the loss of the Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple) seared into our educational memories, while the details of yesterday's Jewish history class can hardly be recalled? Why do the ultimate messages of pride and unity felt at the end of a massive color war ring deeper than silently reading what Rambam has to say about the topic?
Focus on kids’ character, not grades
Not long ago, psychologist Madeline Levine gave a lecture at a Jewish day school near her home in Marin County, Calif. The topic: "Your Average Child." Nobody showed up.
Ongoing education at the click of a mouse
It seems like only yesterday that my friend Teri was telling me that if she could do college all over again she would take different courses: literature, poetry and just a greater variety of subjects. Well, I’ve got some good news: turns out that you can now take an amazing variety of courses, many of them offered by universities that most of us couldn’t get into today, such as Harvard, Oxford and Stanford, many of them free. What’s the hitch? Just this: the courses are online.
Healthy, kosher hot lunches rare in L.A. Jewish schools
On a Thursday this past March, at around 11:40 a.m., the alluring scent of chicken schnitzel – freshly breaded and pan-fried — wafted through the parking lot of New Community Jewish High School (NCJHS) in West Hills.
Hebrew U. scores in academia survey on best places to work
A survey of the best places to work in academia ranked Jerusalem’s Hebrew University as the second-best place to work outside of the United States.
This week in power: Bulgaria fallout, Jewish vote, Germany circumcision, Mindy Meyer
This week in power: Bulgaria, Government disbanding, Adelson petition, Condi rumors
Passionate Judaism
In case you haven’t heard, Orthodox Judaism has pretty much taken over Jewish life on U.S. college campuses. I say this not because I’m smug and happy about it, but as a wake-up call to the Conservative and Reform branches to get their acts together.
Survey finds young Frenchman unfamiliar with WWII Jewish roundup
Most young Frenchmen never heard of the World War II roundup of Paris Jews, a survey shows.
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