Hezbollah building up weapons in Lebanon, leader says

Published on December 6, 2011

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, whose backers Syria and Iran are at the center of heightened regional tension, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday marking the Shi'ite Muslim festival of Ashura and said his group was building up its arsenal.

Idea of Dumb Bush Voters Lacks Reality

By Cathy Young
Published on December 3, 2004

As the furor over the election dies down, with unseemly whining from sore losers and unseemly gloating from sore winners, certain stereotypes of Bush voters continue to command currency among disgruntled liberals. One of them is that Bush supporters, and conservatives in general, are dumb, ignorant and out of touch with reality.

Spy vs. Spy

By Rob Eshman
Published on September 9, 2004

Over the past few weeks, as the anniversary of Sept. 11 approached, the FBI and the Department of Justice, along with investigative reporters at CBS, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, have focused their resources on what they must figure is a real threat to American security: the folks at AIPAC.

Edwards Garners Jewish Praise

By Matthew E. Berger
Published on July 8, 2004

U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) doesn't need to represent a state with a lot of Jews to understand the needs of the Jewish community, supporters say.

"In a lot of ways, John Edwards transcends North Carolina," said Lonnie Kaplan, a former president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who backed Edwards when he sought the Democratic nomination for president earlier this year.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who defeated Edwards to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president earlier this year, named the trial lawyer-turned-legislator as his running mate Tuesday.

Is It Safe?

By Rob Eshman
Published on April 15, 2004

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, now into his third year in office and facing what is shaping up as a tough re-election bid, is not that kind of pol. He is friendly enough, but otherwise aloof and detached. When I've seen him at events, banquets and the like, he seems to prefer going only lightly noticed, a strange trait for the mayor of the second-largest city in the most populous state of the most powerful country on earth. Los Angeles, City of the Stars, has a mayor who shrugs off the spotlight.

Who Has Kerry’s Ear?

By Ron Kampeas
Published on February 19, 2004

Now that he's running for president, Sen. John Kerry's openness to a broad range of Jewish opinion is making some in the pro-Israel community nervous -- and others hopeful.

Fervid Moderation

By Stuart Schoffman
Published on October 9, 2003

The horrifying images on Israel's Channel 10 were probably the most graphic I had ever seen on television. A suicide bomber, a Muslim religious teacher from Hebron -- himself the father of young children, had blown up a Jerusalem bus filled with ultra-Orthodox men, women and children on their way home from worship at the Western Wall. Twenty-one innocent people were murdered, scores were wounded and maimed, many of them -- so many of them -- children. The following morning, the mass-circulation Yediot newspaper ran front-page photos of some of the victims, a heart-breaking picture of a 5-month-old baby girl in intensive care and the opening paragraphs of four Op-Ed pieces, including one by Israel's most famous author, Amos Oz.

Mothers’ March

By Naomi Segal
Published on July 24, 2003

A single mother's 120-mile hike to protest Israeli government cuts in social welfare benefits has captivated public and media attention and spawned similar pilgrimages in the country.

The Final Push

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on October 31, 2002

In the final days before the Nov. 5 election, secession supporters are facing a tough battle. The latest public opinion poll shows Valley voters backing Measure F, which would create a separate city, by a narrow margin.

A Los Angeles Times Poll earlier this month found only 42 percent of likely Valley voters in favor of secession. However, a more recent study by Survey USA for KABC-TV found Valley cityhood supported by 58 percent of likely voters in the Valley and 40 percent citywide.

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Torah Outreach Develops Programs for Underserved

By Journal Staff
Published on October 3, 2002

The Torah Outreach Program, an independent Placentia-based nonprofit organization, will attempt to offer educational programs for unaffiliated Orange County Jews without the stigma of a denominational orientation.

A Code of Civility in Jewish Public Discourse

By David N. Myers
Published on June 6, 2002

One of the most distressing aspects of the recent Middle East conflagration has been the retreat of both sides -- Israelis and Palestinians, as well as their supporters -- behind towering rhetorical walls.

This retreat evokes the verbal wars of the 1970s, when Israel meant racist and Arab connoted terrorist. When trapped beyond such rhetorical walls, we can only imagine, not see, what the other side looks like. And the imagination often runs wild, depicting the enemy in absolute and demonic terms.

Rules of Engagement

By Rob Eshman
Published on May 30, 2002

The return of suicide bombings following Israel's military campaign in the West Bank demonstrates, among other things, that Israel and its supporters are in this struggle for the long haul.

And as the time span increases, so does the chance of dissension within the Jewish community.

Last week in Los Angeles, the inevitable crack turned into something more like a compound fracture. An article written by Middle East commentator Avi Davis and posted on the Web site standwithus.org took issue with UCLA Hillel Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller's statements and actions regarding Israel's current crisis.

Synagogue’s Biggest Hit

By Carin Davis
Published on May 30, 2002

It's 20-19 in the seventh, two outs, runners on first and third. The unrelenting Valley sun beats down on four-time league champions Temple Judea, who have allowed Kol Tikvah Black to score three runs in the game's final inning and narrow the margin to one. With a clean crack of the bat, the Kol Tikvah hitter connects with the pitch. Victory, bragging rights and synagogue pride cling to the long fly ball. But an outstretched Judea glove snags the fly, and with it the week's win.

‘We Knew We Had to Come’

By Michael J. Jordan
Published on April 18, 2002

It was 90 minutes into the community's largest public mobilization in 15 years, and Jews from around the country continued to stream toward the U.S. Capitol, clamoring to get into the pro-Israel rally.