- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Cleveland kidnappings: We must be our brother’s keeper
The exterior of the house where three women who had disappeared as teenagers approximately ten years ago were found alive on May 7 in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo by Pugliano/Getty Images
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and you said, “Oh my God.” Most of the hummus recipes…
Palestinians mark Nakba with West Bank protests
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which they call the “catastrophe,” with marches and protests.
- HOLLYWOOD
The Office’s best Jewish moment
Funny music, sad life
On an otherwise unremarkable day in 1938, a chubby but charming student at John Burroughs Junior High in Los Angeles “cracked the code of his comic gift and discovered his…
Filmmakers reveal magician’s secretive world
A British journalist recalls how she once sat down at a cafe with the legendary magician, author, historian, actor and, perhaps, the greatest sleight-of-hand artist on the planet in the documentary…
- LIFE & CULTURE
7 Rules for Perfect Hummus
When was the last time you opened a tub of hummus and swooned? When was the last time a restaurant put a plate of hummus in front of you, and…
Survivor: Irene Rosenberg
“Mommy, I’ll be right back.” Irene Rosenberg — then Irene Grunfeld — said as she was leaving the apartment of her cousin Mancy Weiss, where she and her mother were…
The Divine Wedding and Kiss - Parashat Naso
“O for your kiss! For your love / More enticing than wine, / For your scent and sweet name – For all this they love you. Take me away to…
- BLOGS
What would my Israeli grandmother think?
When I hear about the latest events in Israel – the air strikes on weapons facilities in Syria, the flare-ups over women donning prayer shawls at the Western Wall –…
A hot topic, a great panel, and chance to learn and discuss—immigration at issue
It's a critical time for immigration reform in this country. Washington is getting set to make major changes, the likes of which haven't been seen since the 1980's under President…
State 194: A Documentary About Palestine
Opening this weekend at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 is a very hot-button new documentary called State 194, which follows the recent history of Palestine. Many will approach this film with…
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Autism musical sells out
Normally, a two-day run is nothing to boast about — but no one who saw the new musical “A Chorus Line of Another Kind” at the Highways Performance space in Santa Monica would say it was anything but a resounding success.
Zionist leader offers doubt about Shangri-La verdict
After the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica and its owner, Tehmina Adaya, were found guilty in August of discriminating against a group of Jews who had come to a party held on the hotel pool’s deck, Steven Goldberg, national vice chair of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), announced his group’s intention to protest outside the hotel.
Judge denies Hotel Shangri-La’s motions, appeal likely
Zionist group to honor anti-Islam activists at Hotel Shangri-La
When the Muslim part-owner of a Santa Monica boutique hotel was found guilty last year of discriminating against a group of Jewish patrons, the hotel announced it would host a party for a Jewish group as part of its efforts to repair its reputation.
Shangri-La juror said to have hidden her Jewishness
In court papers filed Jan. 7, attorneys for the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica and its owner allege that of 12 members on the jury that unanimously found their clients guilty of discriminating in 2010 against a group of Jewish patrons, one juror concealed her own Jewishness during jury selection.
Richard Bloom sworn in
After weeks that saw Richard Bloom’s lead in the race for the Westside’s new 50th Assembly District both grow and shrink, the former Santa Monica mayor was sworn in as a member of the California State Assembly on Dec. 3.
A Richard Bloom win in the 50th Assembly District?
Since Election Day, when Richard Bloom closed out the night with a slim lead of 218 votes over his opponent, incumbent Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, in the race for the 50th Assembly District, the mayor of Santa Monica has found himself in an unusual position.
Cheers turn to jeers at GOP event
Amid life-sized cutouts of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Republicans gathered in a backroom at the Daily Grill in Santa Monica on Tuesday night to watch Fox News election returns on two large screens. The mood was festive as the evening kicked off with drinks and appetizers and the waiters set down oversized plates of pasta and chicken on tables decorated with red, white and blue tinsel centerpieces.
Dreamators Ltd. (the movie crew in our minds)
Hotel Shangri-La, ZOA find common ground
On Aug. 21, on the heels of a jury decision that found the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica, along with one of its part-owners, had discriminated against a group of Jews during an incident in 2010, the Western Region of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) sent out a notice that it was planning a protest in front of the Hotel Shangri-La on Aug. 26, to "express outrage."
ZOA calls off Hotel Shangri-La protest after ‘concessions’ from owner
The story behind the Hotel Shangri-La anti-Semitism trial
It was late in the afternoon on Aug. 15, a Wednesday, when the jury delivered its verdict to a Santa Monica courtroom.
ZOA to protest outside Hotel Shangri-La
Third full day of deliberations in FIDF v. Hotel Shangri-La trial ends without a verdict
Closing arguments in Hotel Shangri-La discrimination trial
Shangri-La hotel owner testifies in FIDF discrimination trial
Hotel Shangri-La trial raises specter of anti-Semitism
Is the word "Jew" offensive? What about "f---ing Jew"?
Trial begins in FIDF v. Hotel Shangri-La discrimination case
Showing Kindness is Not Hard, it is Required
Santa Monica nativity ban hits menorahs, too
The Santa Monica City Council has banned all future nativity, anti-nativity and Chanukah displays at the oceanfront Palisades Park. The 5-0 vote on June 12 ends a nearly 60-year winter tradition.
Polio survivor’s new film explores sexual surrogacy
Does Loud & Greasy = Old?
Santa Monica’s Planet Raw goes kosher
Kosher foodies have a new option in downtown Santa Monica. Raw foods restaurant Planet Raw recently adopted kosher certification by Kosher Vegan Raw, which oversees the vegan and raw foods industry.
Santa Monica and Brentwood are targets of swastika graffiti
The great California foreskin fight of 2011
As luck would have it, the day local Jewish leaders gathered in Santa Monica to discuss the community’s response to a proposed ballot measure aimed at banning circumcision in that city was the very same day the proposition was rescinded by its proponent. Twenty-five people came to the meeting at the Milken Family Foundation offices on Fourth Street on June 6, including high-ranking Jewish professionals, local rabbis of all stripes and other Jewish community leaders.
Rep. Brad Sherman will introduce bill outlawing city circumcision bans
Reacting to recent efforts to advance ballot measures banning circumcision of underage males in California cities, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) is set to introduce a bill that would prevent municipalities nationwide from prohibiting the procedure.
Top 10 sharpest circumcision ban headlines
Circumcision Opponent Abandons Santa Monica Ballot Initiative
The realities of the circumcision debate
There is nothing esthetically appealing about a Brit Milah, the circumcision procedure performed on an 8 day old Jewish baby boy. To witness a barely one week old child strapped down with Velcro to a “Circ Board” in sight of everyone gathered is visually unappealing, if not spiritually uninspiring. If that were not enough, some officiants still engage in Metzitzah—the oral suction of blood from the circumcision. If not done by mouth directly, a pipette is used.
Battle over circumcision shaping up in California
In November, San Franciscans will vote on a ballot measure that would outlaw circumcision on boys under the age of 18. Although experts say it is highly unlikely the measure will pass, the mere fact that it reached the ballot, and in such a major city, has caused much concern for Jews and their allies.
San Francisco’s Curious Attachment to the Male Foreskin
Chabad bombing suspect pleads ‘not guilty’
Ron Hirsch, a transient accused of setting off an explosive device outside of a Chabad in Santa Monica last April, pleaded not guilty to four felony charges in a downtown Los Angeles federal court on May 23. A trial has been set for June 28.
Petition filed for anti-circumcision measure in Santa Monica
An anti-circumcision group will circulate a petition in Santa Monica, Calif., to place a measure seeking to ban male circumcision on an upcoming ballot. A Notice of Intent to Circulate a Petition, proposing a ballot initiative prohibiting “Genital Cutting of Male Minors” for the November ballot in Santa Monica, was filed with the city, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles reported. The filing comes on the heels of an anti-circumcision measure approved for the November ballot by San Francisco city officials last week.
UPDATE: Anti-circumcision movement reaches Santa Monica
Santa Monica residents may get to vote soon on whether circumcisions can be done in the beach city.
Suspect indicted in Santa Monica synagogue bombing
A homeless man was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of detonating an explosive device outside a Southern California Chabad House. Ron Hirsch, 60, also known as Israel Fisher, was indicted in Los Angeles on Tuesday for the April 7 blast at the Santa Monica Chabad House, which forced the evacuation of the Jewish center and synagogue during early morning prayers.
[UPDATE]: Suspect arrested in connection with explosion near Santa Monica Chabad
[UPDATED on April 12, 7:10 a.m.]: Authorities are reporting the suspect Ron Hirsch, sought in connection with the explosion near the Santa Monica Chabad last Thursday has been arrested. More information here.
Explosion near Chabad of Santa Monica may have been a bomb [UPDATE]
A device believed to be a pipe bomb exploded about [6:45am]. Thursday in the parking lot of a Jewish temple in Santa Monica, authorities said. No details were available regarding injuries or damage.
Abraham unlocks nuances of Shylock in ‘Merchant’
F. Murray Abraham’s performance as Shylock, praised by New York critics as the greatest in memory, owes much to the fact that the actor is almost invariably taken as Jewish. That pardonable error, he says, is central to his portrayal of the much-vilified Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” which opens April 14 on The Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica Shabbat service advocates for gun control
Politics and religion were intermingled during Friday night Shabbat services in Santa Monica on Jan. 14. In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., which also left six dead and 13 others wounded, clergy and congregants at the Reform synagogue Beth Shir Shalom addressed the need for gun control. The service also commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and mourned performer and composer Debbie Friedman, who died on Jan. 9 at the age of 59. Yet the Tucson shooting remained the focus of the Santa Monica service, which approximately 200 people attended. Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels spoke fervently, saying, “I can’t tolerate a country that doesn’t take weaponry off the street.”
Pluralism and Tikkun Olam come to Santa Monica, Venice
Jessica Youseffi and Sarah Shahawy, two undergraduate students at the University of Southern California (USC), discussed how the teachings of Judaism and Islam, their respective religions, obligate them to accept people of other faiths and to work toward tikkun olam.
Teriton tenants win battle to stay in historic apartment complex
After a three-year battle with alleged religious nonprofit Or Khaim Hashalom, tenants of the historic 28-unit Teriton Apartments in Santa Monica have won the right to remain in or return to their apartments for up to seven years under their former rent-controlled leases, according to a settlement made public Dec. 4.
MUSIC VIDEO: Tom Lehrer—‘I’m spending Chanukah in Santa Monica’
A Tom Lehrer oldie turned into a video by a fan
California Jewish Voters Guide: Views on state and local issues split on party lines
The presidential race makes the headlines, but there's lots of emotion, energy and money left for the 12 statewide propositions on the California ballot. As in McCain-Obama contest, Jewish voters are sharply split between the Democratic/liberal majority and the Republican/conservative minority.
Zucky’s and SOVA—knishes and compassion
"Hy looked at me and said, 'He's not Jewish,'" recalled his wife, Zucky Altman, 89. "I said, 'So what? He's hungry.' From that moment on, we decided we would just feed everybody."
Premier theater complex blossoms on West Side
"Without people like the Broads,we wouldn't have commissioned work of Mozart and Bach and Beethoven and so many of the great painters. How they use their capital is commendable." -- Dustin Hoffman
Briefs: Body of Santa Monica teacher found in Panama, campers leave the mountains to heal the bay
Joey Lutz, an English teacher at Santa Monica High School and a central leader in a Muslim-Jewish dialogue, was found dead Sunday in Panama
‘Simple Twist of Fate’ finds meaning in artist’s work
From the small religious village of Beit Yatir, just south of Jerusalem, to the far more secular beach city of Santa Monica, Judith Margolis made quite a journey to become Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's artist-in-residence.
Screenwriter Alex Kurtzman ‘Transforms’ filmdom’s giant robot genre
"I go to my inner kid," said Kurtzman, who grew up culturally Jewish. "Where do we find our inspiration? It's the movies that inspired us as kids, and a lot of that was sci-fi, but a lot of that sci-fi was fun."
My December visit with ‘lady’
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.
Everybody’s kosher surfin’, surfin’ USA
"When you're out in the water, when you see the sunrise or sunset, and when you see how small you are in comparison to the massive water, and the current and waves, it humbles you," Shoshtain said. "Everything in nature connects you to spirituality, if it's done properly."
The last Danssa, Conejo eruv fiasco blamed on Jews
Letters to the Editor
Fate of Santa Monica apartment building embroils rabbi and residents in legal battle
Rabbi Hertzel Illulian, a rabbi active in the Los Angeles Persian community, is embroiled in a revolt. It's taking place in the normally laid-back city of Santa Monica and concerns the future of the Teriton apartment building.
7 Days in The Arts
7 Days in the Arts.
Perils of the ‘Perfect’ Student
In New York, parents tell horror stories about the pressure to get their 5-year-old kids into the right kindergartens, the kind attended by Woody Allen's kids. In Los Angeles, the social cachet may be even more skewed.
"So and so from the Lakers' kid goes to some school," says playwright David Levinson, whose play, "Early Decision," at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica, has tapped into the Zeitgeist about the mania surrounding college admissions.
Kids Page
Kids Page
Gamer Geek Goes Lounge Chic
Scoring on a Saturday night just got a whole lot easier for gamers, and they have an Orthodox Jew to thank.
Arena Interactive Lounge offers a 21st century take on the arcade -- a Santa Monica-adjacent, nerd-hip destination that features a modern lounge vibe.
It's the brainchild of 27-year-old Ron Rosenberg, an observant Jew who grew up in Pico-Robertson, attending Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, Yeshiva University High School and USC.
Class Notes - A Model School
Class notes
Letters
Letters to the Editor
Spectator - When Metal Meets Mettle
Jewelry artist Gail Goldin grew up immersed in Jewish culture and scrap metal, a combination that helped inspire her Modern Myths collection.
She comes by this unusual convergence of influences through her father, Steven Goldin, a freedom fighter in Poland who helped fellow Jews escape over the Alps during World War II, before building his own business in the U.S. scrap-metal industry. The family belonged to an Orthodox shul in Detroit, although they weren't Orthodox.
When Goldin put this all together -- stirring in some life experience and a fascination with universal spiritual symbols from world cultures -- she first made silver rings adorned with carved Asian good-luck beads called netsukes. Out of these rings came the idea for her Modern Myths collection. Several Modern Myths pieces combine stones with beads, mounted in ornate bezel designed silver.
Zucky’s Counter Culture
"Zucky's was designed by Weldon Fulton as a prime example of the Googie or California Coffee Shop Modern architectural genre," Biondo said. "In any remodeling, we want to preserve the main Zucky's signboard, exterior ceramic tiles and stonework, the diagonal treatment along Fifth Street, and the brick wall and window sills."
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