Visiting My Father

By Ilana Angel
Published on August 15, 2012

Mothers, Fathers, Memories & Bar Mitzvahs

By Ilana Angel
Published on December 8, 2011

Obituaries: Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2011

Published on October 25, 2011

Obituaries

This time, I remember

By Gina Nahai
Published on November 7, 2008

It's been 30 years since I left Iran, and I still know I'm going back some day, because I have to see that house again, to stand before the yard door and discover if it's indeed 12 feet high, or if I've imagined it so, to ring the doorbell and see if I can hear its chime echo up and down the street.

We remember 9/11

By The Web Guy
Published on September 11, 2008

Young Manhattanite’s diary of old is new again

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on September 3, 2008

She learned that her building was expanding its bike room and had cleaned out an area where these trunks, whose owners had moved on, had sat unopened for decades. Amid the chaos, a building porter told her that he had found a young girl's diary and gave her the small book with its crackling leather cover and chrome lock.

Passover in Palestine—memories of seders in an Israel on the cusp of statehood

By Jessica Steinberg
Published on April 17, 2008

On the eve of Passover 1948, Rabbi Moshe Saks, known as Bud to his family and friends, was stationed in Jerusalem's Talpiot neighborhood, trying to figure out how to get Passover supplies and ammunition to the embattled Haganah soldiers in the Makor Haim neighborhood.

The Archivist

By Dara Lehon
Published on July 19, 2007

My poor handwriting quickly morphed into a sans serif, size-10 font and postage became obsolete. What had gone into my diary, I started blogging; what I used to hold inside, I'm e-mailing; and when I used to call to say "hi" and plan, I'm texting. Enter the almighty Smartphone and high-speed Internet and suddenly, I'm compelled to my QWERTY.

Teens can learn from Shoah survivors

By Jonathan Kuperberg
Published on March 1, 2007

For some of us, a "problem" is getting seven presents for Chanukah, not eight. However, 70 years ago, these so-called "problems" would have been luxuries for the millions of Jews and other minorities living, and dying, during the Holocaust.

My December visit with ‘lady’

By Gina Nahai
Published on February 22, 2007

When I first started writing, I sat with Khanum for hours at a time, asking questions. I was 21 and on leave of absence from law school. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, but I knew some stories from Iran, and had begun to write them. They were scattered pieces of people's lives, bits of conversations I had overheard through the years, rumors that had been whispered too many times and taken on a reality that may or may not have been deserved.

Composer Martin Bresnick’s classically unique style turns 60

By George Robinson
Published on January 18, 2007

Even today, Bresnick "listens to everything," and his own compositions have a uniquely American eclecticism.

Theater: Troy vs. ‘Tsuris’

By Robert David Jaffee
Published on December 14, 2006

When asked whether he is Jewish, Mark Troy responds, "You will be needing proof of that?"

Israel: This year, Last Year

By Jack Weiss
Published on August 10, 2006

Just one year ago, we had proudly taken our first family vacation in Israel. The places where my kids had the most fun -- Haifa, Nahariya, Rosh Hanikra, Safed, Kiryat Shemona -- were bearing the brunt of the Katyusha attacks.

Overcoming Germanophobia During the World Cup

By Ivor Davis
Published on July 19, 2006

I must admit that in countless trips to Europe, I had carefully avoided visiting Germany, having no desire whatsoever to see the Fatherland that had left me with such dark memories. But then came the summer of 2006, and as a football (soccer to you) devotee, I headed to Germany to cover the World Cup for a Southern California radio station.

Déja Date

By Amy Klein
Published on May 4, 2006

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but I'm thinking that when you meet so many strangers in so short a time, familiarity might just breed comfort. You see a guy's picture 20 times, you begin to feel you know him. Maybe the first time he wrote to you, you weren't sure about him -- maybe he even creeped you out -- but a year or two later he practically seems like family (possibly that family member you want to avoid, but family nonetheless).

Memories and Music

By Roberto Loiederman
Published on April 27, 2006

In Los Angeles, as in other American cities where Jews have moved out en masse from their old neighborhoods, they not only left dwellings behind, they also left behind synagogues, social centers, stores and street corners that connected them to a certain time in their lives and to a particular era in their collective past.

A Hidden Child Tells Her Tale

By Sarah Price Brown
Published on April 20, 2006

Almost from the time she was born in 1941 in Milhars, Kaufman had to be invisible, she recounted. Her parents had come from Poland, where they had suffered under Nazi oppression.

The Leah Doll

By Caroline Cobrin
Published on March 16, 2006

Tante Mina sat on her couch and slowly tore away the wrapping. When the paper fell and she saw the porcelain doll her nieces had molded, painted and dressed for her, her breath caught in her throat and she let out a little gasp. As Tante Mina continued to stare at the doll, Mali, my mother, told her 81-year-old aunt about the next step.

David Karp: A Guide for Unity in Scouting

By Marc Ballon
Published on January 5, 2006

"David Karp made it possible for us to have this program," said attorney Yacov Greiff, scoutmaster of Troop 613 at Shaarey Zedek. "Aside from personal kindness and modesty, exemplary menschlichkeit and tireless efforts on behalf of the Jewish community, he deserves particular recognition for going out of his way to reach across sectarian lines."

Holy Toledo!

By Beverly Gray
Published on January 5, 2006

Spain's Toledo contains -- along with spires, damascene jewelry and scrumptious marzipan -- a treasure trove of Jewish memories.

Senior Moments - Great-Grand Marshal

By Ellie Kahn
Published on November 24, 2005

One thing that pleases Harmatz about being the grand marshal is riding in a convertible. In fact, last year when it rained on the parade, someone suggested they put up the top, but Harmatz wanted it left down.

Hava Flashback

By Jewish Journal Staff
Published on November 3, 2005

Authors Roger Bennett, Jules Shell and Nick Kroll discovered in one long B.S. session that nothing quite engaged their friends, Jew and non-Jew alike, as a trip back down memory lane to the day of their or their friends' bar or bat mitzvah.

Culling Your ‘Stuff’ Can Be Painful Task

By Ellie Kahn
Published on November 3, 2005

Moving from a familiar home and letting go of things owned for years can feel like an additional loss. It's not just the loss of the objects that has an impact; it's the connection with the past that these objects symbolize.

Maccabiah Games Bring Golden Times

By Roxana Pourshalimi
Published on October 13, 2005

The hope of the organizers is that the games foster a sense of Jewish unity, awareness and pride among the athletes from around the world. In that spirit, this year's games were the first to feature delegations from China, Macedonia and Grenada.

Family History at the Holiday Table

By Schelly Talalay Dardashti
Published on October 6, 2005

Reconnecting long-lost family often begins with a relative's random comment during a holiday gathering as generations gather around a dinner table.

Shabbat - Prepare a Meal,  Preserve a Memory

By Beverly Levitt
Published on June 23, 2005

In our family, Shabbat is always a potluck.

‘Down’ on the Valley

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on June 9, 2005

To capture flat Valley spaces that retain old West emptiness, Jacobson decided to shoot the movie in anamorphic widescreen. But while scouting locations, he discovered the kind of childhood scenarios he remembered had moved to the North Valley.

Books - ‘Love’ Tries to Solve Mystery of the Heart

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on June 9, 2005

Masterfully, Krauss ties together the stories of Gursky and the young Alma as each searches for clues about "The History of Love."

Soothing Music Memories

By Ellie Kahn
Published on May 26, 2005

"What I wanted was music that touches people's souls and hearts in many different ways in their time of need," Len Lawrence said.

L.A. Visit Excites Shoah Survivors

By Karin Kloosterman
Published on April 28, 2005

For Israeli Shifra Fyne, 83, this week’s journey to Los Angeles will be her first time leaving Israel in 56 years, and her first trip ever on an airplane.
Yehuda Goldstein is making the same trip. He hopes to reconnect with John Gordon, an L.A. resident he met last year in Israel. They think they grew up in the same pre-World War II neighborhood in Budapest.

Tell Me a Story

By Ellie Kahn
Published on April 21, 2005

Passover is a time for families to gather, to enjoy each other's company and to recall the story of our shared ancient history.

It is also the perfect time to preserve your family's greatest treasure: the memories and stories of your own family elders.

Card-Table Tales

By Sharon Rosen
Published on April 14, 2005

I confess that most of my childhood Passover memories have nothing to do with the Passover story itself. How could they when seders were family dramas enacted against a backdrop of matzah and gefilte fish? Like most American Jewish kids, I started out observing the proceedings from a card table, fidgeting while the grown-ups read from the haggadah.

Catskills Memories

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on March 24, 2005

Rita Lakin's new musical, "Saturday Night at Grossinger's," fetes the businesswoman behind the food and the entertainment, Jennie Grossinger (1882-1972).

All-American Jew

By Toni Weingarten
Published on March 10, 2005

Growing up, I always stood out as a Jew in my predominantly WASP community.

The Good, the Bad and the Confusing

By Ed Shevick
Published on February 3, 2005

You cannot spend time and energy wondering where the years went. They are finished.

Seniors must concentrate on now. Enjoy life now. Do what you can within your abilities. Life is precious and good. Tomorrow will come at its own speed.

A Holiday Redemption

By David Finnigan
Published on December 23, 2004

I woke up Christmas Day morning with no tree, toys or eggnog, and I understood how Jewish children could feel left out on Christmas mornings as non-Jewish neighbor kids ride new bikes and try out other presents. Like Jewish kids, I had no gifts that morning.

Singing Klezmer Isn’t Hard to Do

By David Finnigan
Published on December 2, 2004

Neil Sedaka has had a noteworthy place in American music for four decades; he became a comfortable perennial who did not let himself turn into a tortured titan like Sinatra or a forgettable one-hit wonder like The Imperials, Haircut 100 or Luscious Jackson.

Rolls of Veterans Groups Dwindling

By David Finnigan
Published on November 11, 2004

The paucity of Jews serving on front lines may explain the dwindling numbers of members belonging to Jewish war veteran organizations.

Chocolate Cake

By Lisa J. Solomon
Published on September 30, 2004

The 3-by-5 file cards are yellowed with age, carefully covered in Saran Wrap and taped in the back.

Cleaning House

By Tom Teicholz
Published on September 30, 2004

As long as I focused on the task at hand, the time went by. Deciding on what was going to the auction house vs. what to charity, tossing out a bag of shoes that no one would take.

Ease Your Kids Into Holiday Services

By Sharon Schatz Rosenthal
Published on September 16, 2004

Ah, the High Holidays. The mere words conjure up memories of long services, uncomfortable clothing, endless Hebrew passages, Mom and Dad dozing off, semi-fasting against my will, and, most of all, not quite taking in what the holidays were all about. What can I say? I was a kid.

‘Memory’ Shapes Life and History

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on September 9, 2004

Tony Eprile opens up the complex terrain of a changing South Africa in "The Persistence of Memory."

This is an ambitious novel, a novel of many ideas. Eprile is a gifted storyteller who delves into the inner life and family, and also politics, social commentary and warfare. The literary thread that links these different kinds of stories -- whether accounts of sensual meals, embarrassing school episodes or brutal battles -- and propels the narrative is suggested by the title: the way that memory, the act of remembering, shapes life and history.

Wonderousness of the First Time

By Joan G Friedman
Published on August 12, 2004

When the date was set, everything came into focus. He really will become a bar mitzvah. How exciting the whole year became. Bobby knew his prayers and haftarah very well. No one was concerned about that. He began to work on his sermon and master that, too.

A Great Beginning

By Andrea Adelson
Published on July 1, 2004

Block's father owned the lithograph collection, because he was a childhood friend of Abraham Rattner's publisher, New York art dealer Bill Haber.

Olins Reaches Out to Teens, Pet Owners

By Julie G Fax
Published on June 24, 2004

"It was very helpful to have a rabbi help us grieve and to understand what we were going through, because she has that feeling toward pets," said Vicky Goodman, who with her husband Chip raised Maggie with their two daughters.

A Blessing for the Father

By Rabbi Eli Hecht
Published on June 17, 2004

A few months ago I flew from Long Beach to Brooklyn. It was a long, sad and lonely trip. A few days earlier, my mother had turned 82 years old and was looking forward to a special birthday, when tragedy struck. A fire broke out in her home. Quickly, her life was taken by fire and smoke. No goodbyes or time to prepare for closure, just a cruel death.

My father survived the fire but lives daily with his memories. He now spends his time living a day or a week with different children and grandchildren. He recently came to California to join our family for the holidays. Even though the children and grandchildren were here something big was missing. Yes, our dear mother, the grandmother, was missed.

A Father, a Son, a Tzadik

By Robert J. Avrech
Published on June 17, 2004

They told us that we would move through various stages of grief, but they were wrong.

Reagan Had Strong Ties to Jewish L.A.

By David Finnigan
Published on June 10, 2004

The Reagan Revolution that gave the late president unprecedented national Jewish support had strong roots among Southern California's Jewish philanthropists and political strategists.

Loud and Proud Mizrachi Voices

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on May 13, 2004

"The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage," edited by Loolwa Khazzoom (Seal Press, $16.95)

On the last night before her family would flee Libya in 1967, Gina Bublil Waldman recalls that she had to choose between taking her only warm sweater or a photo album with the words "Souvenir of Libya" on the cover. Its hand-painted image of a peaceful seascape was in absolute contrast to the political turbulence and danger her family faced. She packed the photos, remnants of a life she wouldn't know again.

Her essay is included in a compelling collection, "The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage," edited by Loolwa Khazzoom.

Ugandan Jews Keep the Faith in Isolation

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on May 6, 2004

In the documentary, "Moving Heaven and Earth," an American Jew describes spying an African, Gershom Sizomu, amid the white expatriates in a Nairobi synagogue in the 1990s."

Exile the So-So Seder

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on April 1, 2004

Some people like their Passover seders just as they remember them: the same lines recited by the same relatives with the same emphasis, the same songs, jokes and foods, the same delicate glassware that picks up the light in a certain way, reflecting past and present.

Behind Kitchen Door No. 1

By Beverly Levitt
Published on March 25, 2004

Monty Hall spent 27 years making outrageous deals with anxious contestants on his TV game show, "Let's Make a Deal." But the sweetest deal he ever made with his mishpachah was for a plate of pickled herring if they'd join him for Passover seder.

Escape to Shanghai Saved Refugee’s Life

By Marc Ballon
Published on March 4, 2004

At a time when the world shunned them, an estimated 20,000 Jewish refugees from Russia, Germany, Austria and elsewhere made their way to Shanghai before World War II.

In Remembrance of Ringerman

By Carin Davis
Published on February 26, 2004

A mentor to many, Jerry Ringerman left his handprint on California's education, music, camping, environment and Jewish life.

Cooking Middle Eastern Memories

By Judy Bart Kancigor
Published on September 25, 2003

Reading "A Fistful of Lentils" is like wandering through a family album. Instead of food photos you find dozens of family portraits, touching stories and the fascinating history of a rich and unique culture.

No Buddy Quite Like Him

By Hank Rosenfeld
Published on July 24, 2003

The "Encyclopedia of Jewish Humor" includes 14 pages of jokes on death, so when Buddy Hackett passed away in Malibu at 78 on June 30, the chapel at Hillside Memorial Park was packed with every comedy icon that hadn't booked an out-of-town Fourth of July gig.

For the Kids

By Abby Gilad
Published on July 24, 2003

For The Kids

Roadside Distraction

By Teresa Strasser
Published on July 10, 2003

I'm sitting at a Mobil station in Minneola, my feet propped up against the bottom frame of my car door. The door is swung open so I can take in the desert air, exhale my Camel Light into the breeze.

Book Helps ‘Design’ Delicious Simchas

By Judy Bart Kancigor
Published on June 5, 2003

If Pesach signals the emergence of spring, with Shavuot, the season bursts forth in a riot of color and luscious flavors. "Kosher by Design" by Susie Fishbein, captures the beauty of every holiday with a feast for the eye as well as the palate.

Words From the Old Ball Game

By Rachel Brand
Published on May 29, 2003

In his new book, pop songwriter Seth Swirsky pays tribute to the sport that has played such an important part in his life.