Guerilla filmmaker brings verite ‘Pleasure’ to robbery

By Pat Sierchio
Published on June 12, 2008

For Safdie, filmmaking is an extended family affair. His brother Benny, whose own short film was screened at Cannes, is part of the merry band of movie makers at Redbucket Films, which Sadie describes as "kind of like a tree house for kids who wanna grow old together."

What not to do after you are married

By Mrs. Shoshana F
Published on June 10, 2008

Muggings in Pico-Robertson raise concern in Orthodox community

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on June 7, 2007

Fifteen years ago, Mordechai Naor walked to Congregation Shaarei Tefila in the Fairfax district with a handgun as his companion. Six years after moving to the Pico-Robertson neighborhood and leaving those fears of mugging behind, Naor is considering re-kindling an old relationship.

Television: Will Shabbat dinner drama hold ‘Nine’ viewers captive?

By Shoshana Lewin-Fischer
Published on November 16, 2006

A new series, "The Nine," created by siblings Hank ("Without a Trace") and K.J. Steinberg ("Judging Amy"), tells the story of nine strangers at a L.A. bank and a robbery that will "only take five minutes" -- until, in TV fashion, something goes horribly wrong. The flashbacks -- very small ones that lead every episode -- only hint to the whole story of what happened during the 52-hour standoff.

Faults and Failures

By Rob Eshman
Published on July 22, 2004

Last February, the head of the Mossad lost his cell phone. He left it in his car -- that's right, the head of Israel's renowned top secret spy agency left his cell phone in his car. When he returned, he found someone had bashed his windows and stolen it. On it were the numbers of, well, everyone on whom Israel's security and defense relies.

A Tale of Two Cities

By Gaby Wenig
Published on November 6, 2003

On Oct. 14, Joseph Javaheri, a Jewish man from Pico-Robertson was tending the counter at Avalon Discount, a grocery-slash-everything store in the area patrolled by the LAPD's Newton Division -- considered Los Angeles' third worst neighborhood in terms of crime.

At 8 p.m., closing time, Javaheri, 59, had already locked one of the security gates, and was in the process of locking the other, when two black males in their mid-20s forced their way into the store. One lingered at the entrance; the other dived across the counter and stuck his hand in the open cash register, pulling out a fistful of cash. He jumped back toward the entrance, which was only a couple of feet away from the register. As he and his accomplice started to make their getaway, Javaheri accosted them in an effort to get the cash back, according to some sources. One of the men took out a handgun and shot Javaheri at point-blank range in the chest.

Javaheri was dead. The men got away with less than $100. The murderers remain at large.