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L.A. gets ready to be the center of Jewish universe

In just three weeks, more than 3,000 leaders of the international Jewish community, including the prime minister of Israel, are coming to Los Angeles. This season\’s best-kept secret among L.A. Jews seems to be that the 75th annual General Assembly (GA) of the United Jewish Communities is being held in Los Angeles — the first time in 26 years this city will host one of the largest annual gatherings of Jews in North America.

Rabbis Fail to Bridge Denominational Gulf

Nearly a year ago, Jack Wertheimer, provost of the Conservative movement\’s Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and a scholar of demographic trends, put a challenge to a former student.

Jews around the nation are deeply involved in interfaith initiatives, Wertheimer noted. But they avoid involvement with their own religion\’s different movements, letting ideological differences get in the way of conversing with each other over issues dear to each. Do something to mend that divide before the gulf is unbridgeable, he urged Stuart Altshuler, a JTS graduate and rabbi of Mission Viejo\’s Congregation Eilat.

Lecture Stirs Anger

A public lecture by a visiting scholar on the UCLA campus usually doesn\’t make much of a ripple, but nearly all of the 1,800 seats in Royce Hall were taken and the atmosphere was electric when professor Edward W. Said stepped up to the lectern.

King and Heschel Remembered

Abraham Joshua Heschel is marching in line with Martin Luther King Jr. and a number of other key civil rights demonstrators. At the end of the demonstration, a journalist asked Heschel to describe his feelings about marching with King. He answered: \”My feet were praying.\”

Heschel was prominent as a scholar, teacher and theologian, and widely respected because of his numerous publications. He was also well known as a result of his participation in Vatican II. Vatican II was the gathering in the early 1960s during which the Catholic Church introduced many significant internal changes. One of the changes included a historical reckoning: a formal process was begun that would eventually lead to the public announcement by the Church that \”the Jews\” did not kill Christ. From his participation in Vatican II, Heschel received the nickname from Catholics throughout the world of \”Father Abraham.\”

Jerusalem Mayor’s Visit Sparks Snub

Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert will appear in San Diego Oct. 15, but there will not be any official representatives from the Jewish community to welcome him at the $1,000-a-plate dinner.

Understanding and Responding to Evil

The subject of evil is something that has entered my mind often this past year. Since Sept. 11, and also from the ongoing news coverage from Israel, I have had many questions and have engaged in frequent discussions about this subject.

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More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.