Israel and Nov. 29

By Tom Tugend
Published on December 5, 2012

“The Vote,” the best show in town, opened at 7:45 p.m. on Nov. 29 and, after 23 acts, closed down 60 minutes later. During that one hour, speakers, actors, musicians, singers and dancers commemorated the day, 65 years ago, when the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to partition Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state.

A benediction for the Democratic National Convention

By Rabbi David Wolpe
Published on September 5, 2012

We are grateful that our nation is founded on the highest principles of freedom and resourcefulness and creativity and ever renewed strength. And we understand that those worthy ideals stand alongside the commitment to compassion, to goodness, our sacred covenant to care for those who are bereaved and bereft, who are frightened, who are hungry, who are bewildered and lost, who seek shelter from the cold.

Democratic convention picks Rabbi Wolpe

By Tom Tugend
Published on September 2, 2012

A new Zionism waiting to be born

Published on April 3, 2012

Power corrupts. But so too does powerlessness. The narrative of powerlessness, of perpetual helpless victimhood, corrupts moral vision. In his cover story, Rabbi Wolpe does a masterful job of diffusing the political arguments of Peter Beinart’s book, The Crisis of Zionism. But he does not address the fundamental and disconcerting questions at the heart of Beinart’s concern: How has the narrative of victimhood warped contemporary Zionism and American Jewish identity? How has it distorted our collective discourse? What new narratives are made possible by sovereignty in Israel and political power in the US? And what shall we do with all our power? Like the Wicked Son of the Haggadah, Beinart is castigated, but his question goes unanswered.

Friday Night Live’s Road to the Ford

By Ryan Torok
Published on June 28, 2011

A bona fide institution in Los Angeles’ Jewish community, Friday Night Live is one of the biggest Shabbat celebrations in town. Blending the religious with the musical and offering an environment conducive to socializing, Sinai Temple’s monthly service regularly attracts up to 1,000 people.

Rabbis measure response to Bin Laden’s death

By Julie Gruenbaum Fax
Published on May 2, 2011

As details of the special operation that took out Osama bin Laden continue to unfold, rabbis in Los Angeles are pulling from biblical verses, Jewish traditions and their own gut reactions to help formulate an appropriate Jewish response to the news. Early Monday morning, Rabbi David Wolpe posted this on Facebook:

Christian charity in Haiti is the Jewish thing to do

By Rabbi David Wolpe
Published on January 19, 2011

Dona is a 14-year-old boy in Port-au-Prince. When his mother was pregnant with him, she hid in fear from his father. In time, he found her and insisted she have an abortion. She refused. They fought, and she ran.