Arthur Stern, scientist, humanitarian, peace activist, dies at 87

Published on May 30, 2012

The Los Angeles Jewish community lost one of its most distinctive and distinguished members on May 24. Arthur Stern, award-winning engineer, visionary leader, and beloved family member and friend, died at 87. In his professional life, Arthur was responsible for a stunning range of scientific breakthroughs, from his pioneering work on the first transistor radio to his significant hand in helping to develop the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Bearing witness a world away from L.A.

Published on November 1, 2007

Email excerpts from Janice Kamenir-Reznik and Tzivia Schwartz-Getzug of Jewish World Watch as they travel to Chad to assess the success of a program to provide refugees from Darfur with solar cookers.

Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on October 12, 2007

Olga Bitterman’s story: Survivors helping survivors

By Sarah Price Brown
Published on November 22, 2006

When Olga Bitterman, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, found out that another survivor needed help, she knew what to do. For a year, Bitterman left money in the other survivor's mailbox without leaving a trace of its origins.

Spirit and Chocolate Top Temple Emanuel Installation

By Norma Zager
Published on September 7, 2006

Circuit news; Spirit and Chocolate Top Temple Emanuel Installation; Big Fun in Big Apple; Rabbi on Board; Kids Raise the 'Roof'.

Spectator - A ‘Return’ With Echoes

By Robert D. Jaffee
Published on May 18, 2006

While Levitin's novel, "The Return," won the PEN Award and National Jewish Book Award, one might ask if this is apt material for a musical.

Levitin had never written a play or even lyrics before, but calls the musical the "most wonderful, creative form," an egalitarian template that can depict and appeal to anyone.

Why the iPod Generation Cares About Darfur

By Jeff Goodman
Published on May 4, 2006

The power of the rally was not necessarily its numbers, but its message: The "apathetic youth of America" are, well, not so apathetic. The event was coordinated by Teens Against Genocide (TAG), a group of greater Los Angeles high school students dedicated to raising awareness about the situation in western Sudan. These teenagers joined the group, and the cause, because they feel so strongly about the issue.

The Circuit

By Norma Zager
Published on April 13, 2006

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayal met recently and placed a call to congratulate new Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. They, along with Ayal's wife, Anne, extended congratulations on the Kadima Party victory.

Come Fill Fatima’s Cup With Hope

By Rabbi Lee Bycel
Published on April 21, 2005

Ten days ago, I was in the Al Serif Camp in Darfur, Sudan, with Fatima, the girl you see in the photograph. She lives there with 15,000 other refugees.

The Graves Of Sudan

By Ruth W. Messinger
Published on November 25, 2004

In this remote region, more than 1.5 million African tribal farmers have been violently driven from their homes by the government of Sudan and the militias they armed, called Janjaweed (evil men on horseback). Despite repeated calls from humanitarian organizations and U.N. agencies warning of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today, there continues to be a systematic program of expulsion, rape and murderous violence that has taken at least 100,000 lives.

Jews Aid in Quake Despite Iran Rebuff

By Rachel Pomerance
Published on January 1, 2004

Beggars apparently can be choosers -- or so the Iranian government seems to believe.

The Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran, which is struggling to recover from the Dec. 26 earthquake that killed at least 20,000 people and damaged an entire region, has announced that it will not accept humanitarian aid from the "Zionist entity."

However, U.S. Jews and Israelis still are finding ways to help the victims. And one of the few U.S. nongovernmental organizations running relief on the ground is led by an Iranian American Jew.

Kosher Pig-Out

By Michael Aushenker
Published on April 24, 2003

Eat-4-Israel was the brainchild of Monique Grunberger, a high school senior at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto, who developed the idea with two local Yeshiva University of Los Angeles students, Yitz Novak and Zvi Smith.

by Eric Silver Jerusalem Correspondent

Published on March 27, 2003

If there is one thing Israelis have learned -- from the two and a half years of the present intifada and from all the battles that preceded it over 54 years -- it is that there are no surgical wars.

Bringing Tolerance to the World

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 9, 2002

French multimedia mogul Jean-Marie Messier will spearhead a five-year project to build a European Museum of Mutual Respect in Paris, modeled largely on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance.

The chairman and CEO of Vivendi Universal announced plans for the museum while accepting the Wiesenthal Center's 2002 Humanitarian Award at its national tribute dinner May 2 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.