- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Kerry says Israelis, Palestinians must make tough decisions
Israeli and Palestinian leaders must decide soon on whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
Industry is best bet for peace, Israeli billionaire says
On a new industrial park in Israel's largest Arab town, a software plant belonging to a multibillion-dollar U.S.-listed firm sits cheek-by-jowl with two small Arab-owned businesses: a metal factory and one producing tools for brain surgery.
Adelsons donate $40 million to Birthright
Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated $40 million to the Birthright Israel Foundation.
- HOLLYWOOD
Billy Crystal to star in Larry Charles’ FX series
Looks like FX is going to be injecting some humor into their lineup. Not a bad idea, we think, after many seasons of the awesome yet dark series “Justified” or…
Civility replaces violence in ‘Last White Night’
In June 1965, during the most violent days of the civil rights movement, 21-year-old Paul Saltzman drove from Toronto to Mississippi to become a freedom fighter with the Student Nonviolent…
Spielberg to produce ‘Halo’ television series, plus other news from the Xbox One announcement
Microsoft Corp gave the world a first look at its new Xbox One on Tuesday, announcing that its first gaming console in eight years will come with exclusive video and…
- LIFE & CULTURE
A talent agent turns yogurt maven
Amy Salko Robertson — producer of such films as “The Oh in Ohio,” “Lab Rats” and “When Do We Eat?” a comedy set at a Passover seder —realized that she…
Maccabi Tel Aviv back on top but coach future uncertain
Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have reasserted their dominance of Israeli soccer but media reports on Tuesday suggested they might have to continue their revival without coach Oscar Garcia.
Angelina’s breast cancer victory isn’t for celebrities only
Actress Angelina Jolie just announced that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she was genetically predisposed to cancer. Her disclosure was a powerful show of solidarity with…
- BLOGS
Propaganda lies in a disguise
Muhammad al-Durrah, the little boy who became the symbol of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, is returning to the headlines after a decade. A photo of him, crying, leaning against a wall…
Male Eating Disorders: A Real Thing
Recently, People Magazine came out with an article about Ashley Hamilton talking openly about his struggles with an eating disorder. I applaud Ashley for coming out about having an eating…
Religion at the End of The Big C
Last night, Showtime’s The Big C aired its final episode. After three seasons of half-hour installments, this comedy returned for a shortened final season consisting of four hour-long episodes. Subtitled…
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No kabbalah (yet) for Mila Kunis
Although it has yet to become official, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are dating.
Bibi’s popularity on upswing
As Israelis began the observance of Sukkot, a weeklong religious holiday celebrating the end of the harvest, talk on the streets was of travel plans and family visits. Many Israelis build a sukkah, an outdoor hut open to the stars, as commanded in the Bible, where they eat their meals — and where some even sleep — for the week.
Cuban Jewish leaders visit Alan Gross
Two Cuban Jewish leaders visited jailed American contractor Alan Gross and said they found him in “good spirits.”
Rosh Hashanah, Israeli-style
It’s Sunday night, Erev Rosh Hashanah, and Hebrew chatter fills the air of a Masonic center on Westwood Boulevard. Approximately a dozen round tables covered in white cloths fill the large room.
Without shelter on Pico
It’s a Wednesday in September. Brad Baker stands in front of Elat Market on Pico Boulevard, holding out his baseball cap. People exit the supermarket, pushing shopping carts and carrying bags with groceries. Some look at Baker. Some don’t. For Baker, this is just another day.
Politics, poverty and prosperity
“With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilized men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed and the sick; we institute laws for the indigent, and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of everyone to the last moment. ... No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will ever doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man.”
Jews asked to pray for end to Iranian nuclear threat
Jews are being urged to pray during Yom Kippur services for an end to the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
September 16, 2012
Resilience: We can learn from our trials
How life teaches us! We read the wisdom of books and study the lectures of professors and we think we are ready for what life brings us. Armed with our learning, we venture into the world and discover that the formulas of the brain don’t help bind the wounds of the heart.
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5 theories you meet in heaven
What is the singular essence of Rosh Hashanah? The core meaning of Rosh Hashanah is the sovereignty of the divine. By sovereignty of the divine, I don’t mean any particular level of Jewish practice. Jewish pietistic literature is well aware that anyone can go through the motions of outward observance. By sovereignty of the divine, I mean finding a way to find a standard for the duties and habits of the inner life.
Confessing our sins
Few prayers are as well known to Jews as Ashamnu (“We have sinned ...”) and Al Chet (“For the sin ...”), the twin confessions of Yom Kippur. Belief in human sinfulness is more central to Judaism than we think. Sin may not be “original,” as it is in Christianity — inherited from Adam, that is, as a sort of genetic endowment ever after. But it is at least primal: It is there, patent, indelible and unavoidable. We may not be utterly depraved — the teaching with which American Protestantism grew up — but we are indeed sinners.
High Holy Days: In the rabbis’ words
This year, we return to the wisdom offered by our rabbis during the High Holy Days in years past. What follows are excerpts from some exceptional sermons and High Holy Days writings; many more voices could have been included, of course, but we hope this will inspire you to revisit your own synagogues’ archives.
At 60 for Zikna
The High Holy Day liturgy includes the poignant plea: "Do not cast me off b'eyt zikna," which is usually translated as "when I get old." It is a fear many of us have, but are often afraid to articulate. We live in a youth-intoxicated culture where older people are sometimes invisible.
Free High Holiday Services 2012
For other services, visit our Alternative, College, Family, Kever Avot, Selichot and Tashlich calendars.
High Holy Day Services: 2012 Guide
High Holiday Services: 2012 Guide
High Holy Day Services: Tashlich
For other services, visit our Alternative, College, Family, Free, Kever Avot and Selichot calendars.
High Holy Day Services: Selichot
For other services, visit our Alternative, College, Family, Free, Kever Avot and Tashlich calendars.
High Holy Day Services: Kever Avot
For other services, visit our Alternative, College, Family, Free, Selichot and Tashlich calendars.
No immediate threats for High Holy Day security, but warnings to stay vigilant
The Los Angeles Jewish community is not facing any security threats related to the High Holidays, but local institutions should still be vigilant, the Anti-Defamation League's Pacific Southwest division said at a community briefing Tuesday.
Rosh Hashana in India: Torah, sequined saris, chapati and perhaps a secret recipe for peace
I have prayed in synagogues in many foreign countries around the world including Italy, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Belgium, Kenya, Egypt, Australia, and Russia, but this was my first time chanting the “Shema” with a group of Jewish women all wearing saris.
Friends, Love, God & the High Holidays
Amends for Yom Kippur
I’ve written 40 profiles of singles for mysinglepeeps.com — and almost as many have been for the My Single Peeps column in The Jewish Journal.
Taking seven steps to ‘Sukkot happiness’
But are you happy? No, this isn’t your mother wanting another update on your life.
Opinion: Make the shofar blast a call to serve
Those who observe the Jewish High Holidays have begun a period of intense introspection and “judgment.” On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, piercing shofar blasts will conclude a 25-hour fast, we will set a course toward making good our obligations to others.
Israel shuts West Bank for holiday, rockets strike Israel
The Israeli military announced a closure of the West Bank for Rosh Hashanah as two rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel.
Food banks short, SOVA amps up High Holy Days appeal
Adire situation is looming at regional food banks and distribution centers, as ever-increasing demand collides with government cuts, threatening the food supply chain for the neediest.
An insider’s view of also being an outsider
Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t a variant of Gresham’s law at work in the arts and letters of the digital age: Is bad writing driving out good? The sheer volume and velocity of the blogosphere, for example, seems to hide the moments of discernment and reflection.
10Q Project: Answer life’s big questions online … Then reread next year
It might seem odd that 10Q, a project bent on promoting deep personal reflection and penetrating spiritual insight, would engage Joel Stein, a somewhat nihilistic humor columnist, as one of its endorsers.
If you seat them, they will come
Twice a year, many synagogues find themselves dealing with a wonderful but very practical problem: how to handle the huge numbers of people who show up for the High Holy Days and don’t fit in the sanctuary.
Acting rabbi brings rebirth to 1920s shul
For more than 35 years, Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock existed without a rabbi. No longer.
Yom Kippur without fasting: How kids can atone, too
For most adults, the central experience of Yom Kippur is fasting. By abstaining from food and drink, we exercise control over our bodies and do not give in to our most basic impulses. This makes it pretty easy to feel the “affliction” that the Torah mandates.
Berman presses Egypt on lulavs
U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, a leading congressional Democrat, wrote the Egyptian prime minister urging him to export lulavs in time for Sukkot.
Make this the year of the apology
In the words of Elton John, why is it that “sorry seems to be the hardest word?”
Yom Kippur: It’s fourth and long
Yom Kippur, the fourth quarter of the High Holidays, is coming and time is running out. Our seats are waiting, the gates are closing.
The surprising appeal of Kol Nidre
On his way to converting to Christianity, philosopher Franz Rosenzweig attended Yom Kippur services and was so moved that he decided to remain Jewish. One look at the most famous prayer for the occasion makes it hard to believe that he did not abandon Judaism all the quicker.
Dozing on the Days of Awe
Don’t let Maimonides catch you napping on Rosh HaShanah.
New machzor delves into heart of Rosh Hashanah
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, has published enough books to earn his many titles — around 20 tomes, ranging from scholarly commentaries to analysis of contemporary culture.
Free High Holy Days services 2011
High Holy Days event calendar
Rosh Hashanah remix to the Muppets’ ‘Mahna Mahna’
Shana Tova!
Opinion: When rabbis politicize the High Holy Days
Every year, Jewish listeners to my radio show write to me from around the country about their rabbi using the High Holy Days to deliver political sermons.
Rabbis, scholars compile materials to guide civility drive
A group of leading rabbis and scholars has compiled sermons and other materials to help Jewish leaders talk about civility during the High Holidays and all year.
Obama, Biden to consult with Jews before Rosh Hashanah
President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will consult with Jewish leaders on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
Jewish interfaith leaders urge Shabbat sermon about Islam
A group of Jewish interfaith educators is asking rabbis to talk about Islam next Shabbat.
Go ahead, make my High Holy Day
Fearing jihadists will attack synagogues during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a group of badass rabbis has developed a program to turn your average shul-goer into a lean, mean fighting machine.
Rabbis and Guns - a Rosh Hashanah Safety Video
Center Provides Chasidut for All
As the High Holy Days approach, some Jews might dread sitting for hours on end in shul, crowning God as their King while their minds inevitably wander off to their missed calls, their mortgage payment or their next meal. Davening, the Yiddish term for prayer, may feel like a constant battle.
Economy forces tough dues decisions for congregants, synagogues.
With Rosh Hashanah 5770 fast approaching, the synagogue membership renewal season is in full swing. Throughout the summer months, billing statements with letters explaining dues, fees — and often increases — arrive in congregants’ mailboxes.
American Idol’s Adam Lambert sings “The Prayer”
Sunday afternoon flag
The Heart of Jewish Joy
We've come to expect that anything authentically Jewish must be hard, painful, difficult. No chrain, no gain.
A healthy hut—lighter side of Sukkot cooking
A growing number of new cookbooks are oriented towards the more health conscious Jewish cook. One such book is Nechama Cohen's "Enlitened Kosher Cooking," published just this year.
Better late than never, Theodor Herzl, children reunited in death; Ex-N.J. Governor McGreevey’s Isra
Briefs courtesy Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
What are you thinking about this Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah resolutions.
September is a struggle for interfaith families
The difficulties of being in an interfaith family.
Live in the ‘hood: words of awe
All sermons, whether Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, are there to promote something "good." But how do they get there?
Tri-ing to raise funds for Israel; gems of wisdom for 5767
Tri-ing to Raise Funds for Israel; Gems of Wisdom for 5767.
Live in the hood: ‘last time the shoulder no good’
If you want to get the full flavor of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, there's no better season than this time of year.
Polish the Soul for Elul
Elul is traditionally a month for polishing the soul. During this time, we search ourselves for blemishes. Then, through the process of teshuvah, we polish and refine ourselves. The culmination of this refinement is the fast of Yom Kippur, from which we hope to emerge shining and radiant.
God Is in the Details—Even in the Busy Carpool Lane
The Genesis of a Holiday Sermon, And Other Stories
How Do Rabbis Choose Their Topics For High Holiday Sermons?
What they don't do is gather together and get a list of topics from on high. But about a month or so before the major holidays -- like Passover and Rosh Hashanah -- the Board of Rabbis of Southern California sponsors a pre-holiday conference for rabbis to come together to study as well as become inspired and motivated.
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