Sharansky’s Kotel plan loses support from both sides

Published on April 30, 2013

Natan Sharansky’s proposal to reduce tensions at the Western Wall has lost support from Orthodox and non-Orthodox leaders.

Shofars blasting, Bend the Arc urges yes on Prop. 30

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on October 17, 2012

Bend the Arc is urging Jewish voters in California to rally behind Proposition 30.

Politics, poverty and prosperity

Published on September 27, 2012

“With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilized men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed and the sick; we institute laws for the indigent, and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of everyone to the last moment. ... No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will ever doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man.”

High Holy Days: STREET SHOFAR

By Jeffrey Hensiek
Published on September 6, 2012

At joint iftar celebration, Muslim-Jewish High School Council launched

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on August 15, 2012

A recent break-fast meal, held in the courtyard of the Westside Jewish Community Center, began with the blowing of a shofar. The sun hadn’t yet set, so the baskets of pita and dried dates placed on every table remained untouched.

Finding Torah in the American wilderness

Published on May 29, 2012

When the sun set on Saturday, Zelig Golden blew his shofar, calling more than a 100 people of all ages and backgrounds to assemble in a giant circle in Bort Meadow, a campground in Chabot Anthony Regional Park.

Opinion: Make the shofar blast a call to serve

Published on October 3, 2011

Those who observe the Jewish High Holidays have begun a period of intense introspection and “judgment.” On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, piercing shofar blasts will conclude a 25-hour fast, we will set a course toward making good our obligations to others.

‘Big Bang Theory’ Actress Lives at Intersection of Science, Religion [UPDATE]

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on September 19, 2011

Rosh Hashanah ‘in the house tonight’ dances into the new year

Published on September 13, 2011

Aish brings together rhythem, beats and davening for their 'Rosh Hashanah in the house tonight' dancing spectacle.

Australian rabbi blows shofar at 9/11 ceremony

Published on September 12, 2011

A Sydney rabbi sounded the shofar in a major cathedral in the Australian city to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

They have a blast at shofar-blowing class

By Ryan Torok
Published on September 7, 2011

It was like the beginning of a meeting for a 12-step program. One by one, they said their names, where they live and how they became addicted ... to playing the shofar.

The Shofar saves a Rabbi’s life

By Norman Lavin, M.D, PhD., UCLA Medical School
Published on December 14, 2010

VIDEO: Jamie Sneider is a nice half-nekkid Jewish girl with a 32 D bra size—not to worry

By The Web Guy
Published on November 19, 2008

VIDEO: Alistair Cohen—Shofar Blowing 101

Published on October 2, 2008

Alistair Cohen, aspiring British TV presenter, demonstrates how to blow a shofar.

Yom Kippur Dilemma

By Gina Nahai
Published on October 1, 2008

We have more synagogues and more freedom to use them here in Los Angeles than we did in Iran, but that doesn't mean we're any closer to fulfilling the true purpose of gathering in a house of worship.

VIDEO: Kids make shofars with Chabad in South Carolina

By The Web Guy
Published on September 23, 2008

65 Jewish children from Columbia, S.C. learn how to make a shofar with Rabbi Levi Marrus. The Gipsy Kings, we think, only sing in the video's soundtrack,

Obama conference call with rabbis covers education, the meaning of the shofar, support for Israel

Published on September 18, 2008

Barack Obama told a conference call of rabbis this morning that he supports government funding for after-school and mentoring programs in faith-based schools

A wake-up call from the ‘Master Blaster’ rocks retirement home

By Roberto Loiederman
Published on September 20, 2007

"Master Blaster" Michael Chusid got down on his knees so he could face Ida and Shirley, who sat on a couch at Encino Retirement Home. In Chusid's left hand was a shofar, his spiritual/musical instrument and constant companion during the High Holy Days.

Happy New Year—shofar so good!

By Shoshana Lewin-Fischer
Published on August 30, 2007

Kid's page.

Holiday tunes for when you haven’t got a prayer

By George Robinson
Published on September 21, 2006

The High Holidays provide some of the greatest frissons one can experience in a synagogue. And the music is, indeed, a big part of those rising chills.

There’s A Message in the Sounds of the Shofar

By Arnold M. Eisen
Published on September 7, 2006

The New Year is a time at once joyful and solemn for Jews, because it marks a new beginning for each of us. It carries the assurance that we all do get a second chance and urges us to seize hold of it.

Your Basic High Holiday FAQ

Published on September 15, 2005

Every year they roll around, and every year you're not quite sure what to do. Go ahead, ask us. After years of answering readers' questions, we've compiled the most frequently asked ones below:

Acts of Faith - Farewell Service

By Amy Klein
Published on September 8, 2005

After World War II, two Jewish GIs returned to Los Angeles and founded a synagogue in Westchester. Beth Tikvah, as it was called, finally found a permanent home in 1959 on the Westchester bluffs.

But last month, the Conservative congregation -- known since 1968 as B'nai Tikvah after merging with the nearby B'nai Israel in Baldwin Hills -- held its last service at the historic Westchester building, with its 204-seat sanctuary. On Aug. 20, about 100 people showed up for a final Havdalah service to say goodbye.

Because of dwindling membership and a lack of Jewish families in the area, the congregation decided to sell the property and look for a new location on the Westside.

The Shofar

By Gaby Wenig
Published on September 16, 2004

Davi Cheng had some trepidation when she went to Hillel for the first time. She tried to feel comfortable, but she couldn't understand the language of the services and the liturgical rituals were confusing.

Then she spied something unfamiliar on a bookshelf that made her feel right at home: a shofar.

A Parent’s Mercy

By Dafna Breines
Published on September 16, 2004

It was about this time last year that my 2 1¼2-year-old son decided to begin his terrible twos. At first we hoped that we'd been given a reprieve, but we soon discovered otherwise. He was apparently intent on making up for lost time.

7 Days In Arts

Published on September 2, 2004

7 Days in the Arts

Evolution of Reform Judaism Progressing

By Joe Berkofsky
Published on November 13, 2003

At Temple Congregation Ohabei Shalom in Nashville, Tenn., congregants newly trained in the ancient skill of shofar blowing sounded the ceremonial ram's horn for the first time this past Rosh Hashanah. It was the first time a lay member of the 150-year-old synagogue had blown the shofar.

"It was quite a pivotal moment" for the 800-family congregation, said its rabbi, Mark Schiftan.

Deeply rooted in classical Reform Judaism, the temple's services until recently were marked by choirs and English-only prayer. This Reform movement charter synagogue is undergoing upheaval, and it is not alone.

The Blow by Blow on Shofarim

By Gaby Wenig
Published on September 25, 2003

Yossi Mizrachi stood in front of a class of second-graders at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy with a dark, ridged, 4-foot-long buffalo horn in his hand.

Blowing the Shofar Is a Blast

By Jane Ulman
Published on September 5, 2002

"Go away!" Gabe, 15, yells at his two younger brothers, having been rudely awakened by a blast of the shofar.

The Sound of Yontif

By Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh
Published on September 2, 1999

I forgot to blow the shofar this morning. No, it's not quite Rosh Hashanah and I haven't missed this year's round challah or apples dipped in honey.

Chabad’s Shofar Factory…

By Ruth Stroud
Published on September 25, 1997

Thousands of Los Angeles-area youngsters participate in hands-on workshops.