Murder-suicide by despondent senior reported in Sherman Oaks

By Tom Tugend
Published on April 25, 2013

Left without a JCC, Valley Jews look to start anew

Published on March 6, 2013

For Amanda Prosin, Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Sherman Oaks was her Jewish home when she was growing up. She went there for summer camp, learned about Jewish holidays and made lasting relationships. For her, it made Judaism, well, fun.

L.A. Jews in ‘Forward 50’

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on November 15, 2012

Four Angelenos are among the 50 American Jews selected by the Forward newspaper for its annual list of newsmakers, which was published on the New York-based newspaper’s Web site on Nov. 12.

California primary sees fiercest contests in a decade [UPDATED]

Published on June 6, 2012

California voters turned out in low numbers on Tuesday for a primary that could pave the way for a shakeup of the state's congressional delegation following election rule changes and an overhaul of the state's political district boundaries.

Swastikas marked on three Sherman Oaks homes

By Ryan Torok
Published on March 15, 2012

At 11: 30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, Jennifer Niman pulled out of her driveway on Leghorn Avenue in Sherman Oaks. Talking on her cell phone, the longtime San Fernando Valley resident was heading to her job as a real estate agent at Prudential California Realty.

Democratic party vote sends Berman v. Sherman contest to convention

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on January 22, 2012

Opinion: Obama’s numbers could swing 30th district race

By Bill Boyarsky
Published on September 28, 2011

Rep. Brad Sherman doesn’t intend to follow Rep. Henry Waxman’s advice to give up his San Fernando Valley congressional race against Rep. Howard Berman.

Berman vs. Sherman?

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on July 19, 2011

Over the past two months, political observers have been keeping close watch on draft maps being released by California’s new, citizen-led redistricting panel. Though Jewish leaders haven’t been actively lobbying the Citizens Redistricting Commission on behalf of the community (see sidebar)...

Everyone needs a happy ending (no, not THAT kind of happy ending)

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on March 18, 2011

Shabbat our way

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on March 16, 2011

Laurie Saidiner grew up in the same Sherman Oaks house in which she is now raising her children. But the family that fills this home with Legos and books and the scent of Shabbat dinner today is somewhat different from her childhood family. Laurie, 50, is married to Nina Jacobs, 55, and together they are raising Hannah, 11, and Avi, 7, whom Laurie conceived with the help of a sperm donor. April marks the couple’s 22-year anniversary. This is how the Saidiner-Jacobs family celebrates Shabbat, in their own special way.

Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman delivers mixed review of Obama’s Israel policy

Published on April 8, 2010

“I know why you’re here, and I want to address it, but I think it’s a tempest in a teapot,” Brad Sherman, the Democratic Congressman from Sherman Oaks said Wednesday evening at a town hall at Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills. The meeting was called to focus on U.S.-Israel relations.

Emek Breaks Fundraising Record

By Julie G Fax
Published on February 10, 2005

The middle school girls of Emek Hebrew Academy-Teichman Family Torah Center in Sherman Oaks raised almost $35,000 (yes, that figure is correct) for Chai Lifeline, a national organization that provides support, services and programming for families with seriously ill children.

Small Shul With a Big Heart

By David Finnigan
Published on July 22, 2004

Since opening in December 1958, Congregation Beth Meier has been a quiet, unassuming little staple of Jewish life near the corner of Moorpark Street and Colfax Avenue. The shul -- its name honors not Schimmel, but Mishnah writer Rabbi Meier Ba'al Ha'Ness -- has about 150 families. While Beth Meier's exterior replicates the Tomb of Rachel, its brown, wooden interior intentionally was designed to resemble the Little Brown Church in the Valley, the Sherman Oaks church where Ronald and Nancy Reagan were married. Only on the High Holidays was Beth Meier's cozy sanctuary traded for the larger Studio City Theater on Ventura Boulevard, now a Bookstar.

The Mayor’s Eyes and Ears

By Mike Levy
Published on September 6, 2001

Jennifer Stein wears two hats at City Hall. You could say one of them is a kippah.

The recent Stanford University grad, 23, is the South Valley Area director in Mayor James Hahn's Office of the Neighborhood Advocate. She is also Hahn's liaison to the Jewish community.

Not in My Back Yard

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on October 15, 1998

Councilman Michael Feuer, a strong supporter of the project, said he was thrilled with the vote and hoped to eventually overcome the homeowners' objections.