VIDEO: Chazzan Chaim Adler—‘Kaddish’ @  Selichot services in Tel Aviv

By The Web Guy
Published on September 21, 2008

Chazzan Chiam Adler, Chief cantor at Tel-Aviv's Great Synagogue, sings the Kaddish. Recorded at first Selichot service. September 21 2008 midnight. Great chazzanut and wonderful singing by the congregation. Towards the end, you can hear a little Kol Isha. Is that our videographer, Y227, up in the womens' balcony?

GOP platform offers strong support for Israel, veers right domestically

Published on September 3, 2008

The Republican Party platform endorses positions at odds with those of most Jewish voters -- but not when it comes to Israel.

Kaplan, Eshman, Carlin and Tom

Published on July 17, 2008

" . . . Yes, there are times when it is a judgment call and a good one to make: Carlin was the exception to the rule. Though he was not Jewish, he was Jewish enough to be included in The Jewish Journal. I enjoyed the article . . ."

Brooks Arthur brings stars’ hearts and humor to ‘Jewish Songbook’ CD

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on June 18, 2008

Music producer Brooks Arthur turns nostalgic with a new CD of classic Jewish music

‘Hybrid’ Actor Crafts ‘Everyman’ Show

By Robert David Jaffee
Published on April 13, 2006

Ameenah Kaplan, who calls herself a "hybrid" -- the product of an African American mother who converted to Judaism and a Jewish father -- is directing, choreographing and co-producing "Everyman for Himself." Appearing weekends at the Unknown Theatre in Hollywood, the show is a hybrid itself, in that it blends music, dance, theater and capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense maneuvers.

PASSOVER: Don’t Be a Slave to Tradition

By Joel Haber
Published on April 6, 2006

Here was my dilemma when I came of age and began making my own seders: Should I maintain tradition even though I didn't have the same associations with these foods that my mother did? Since Passover celebrates freedom (another traditional name for the holiday is Zman Cheiruteinu, or The Time of Our Freedom), I wanted to express my freedom by making foods of my own choosing, rather than feeling bound by a menu that was "traditional" only due to its roots in Eastern European cuisine.

PASSOVER FOOD: Treats to Leaven Desire for Dessert

By Judy Zeidler
Published on April 6, 2006

Something new for the holiday, use the charoset ingredients to make a Passover Fruit Cake filled with nuts and dried fruit that offers a tasty and a crunchy treat. It is similar to the Italian delicacy known as Panforte that originated in Sienna. The mixture is tossed together in a large bowl, spooned into parchment-lined baking pans, and baked for an hour and a half. The good news is that these loaves will easily keep for the eight days of the holiday.

PASSOVER: You Say Charoses and I Say Charoset

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner
Published on April 6, 2006

I was so excited when a publishing house in New York accepted my children's book for publication. Geared to preschoolers, it's a short piece that recounts the steps of the Passover seder in simple, upbeat verse. What I didn't realize was that the work would need to be translated.

PASSOVER: Try to Avoid Asking the Fifth Question

By Rabbi Stewart L. Vogel
Published on April 6, 2006

While there are only four questions posed in the haggadah, most seders struggle with the unasked fifth question, "When are we going to eat?" It is asked, not only by hungry children, but also by adults who feel disconnected to the rituals of their ancestors.

Spectator - My Husband,  the Rabbi

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on March 2, 2006

The first time the word "rebbetzin" appeared in The New York Times was in 1931, in a review of a book about Yiddish theater. The term stood untranslated; the reviewer and his editors assumed that readers would understand the meaning.

Valentine’s Day.com

By Amy Klein
Published on February 9, 2006

"J-ated," as in "jaded," might be the best way to describe the ennui that has set in among many JDaters these days, singles tired of the merry-go-round of endless possibility and disappointment.

In spite of that, or because of it, new dating Web sites seem to pop up every day.

Letters

Published on January 5, 2006

Letters to the Editor

Still Smarting

By Amy Klein
Published on November 3, 2005

Dowd's basic theory posits that "The Rules" -- that once-silly guidebook on how to entrap a man, which is now read nonironically, as in The Torah of dating -- was just the beginning.

College Minus Boys, Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll

By Jennifer Garmaise
Published on March 17, 2005

Then, after a summer studying in Israel, she decided to transfer to Maalot, an accredited college program for Orthodox women who want a traditional Jewish environment and also wish to study Judaic topics while earning their bachelor's degree. Maalot, a branch of the Maalot Aidner Institute in Jerusalem, on Third Street just west of La Brea Avenue, has granted approximately 35 bachelor's degrees since it opened in 2000. There are currently 60 women enrolled.

Challah Lesson a Huge Slice of Simcha

By Judy Zeidler
Published on March 10, 2005

For the past 50 years, I have given cooking classes that include recipes for contemporary and traditional dishes, as well as menus for all the Jewish holidays.

Welcome to Our Wedding!

By Joan G Friedman
Published on December 9, 2004

A very nice added attraction to your ceremony is the wedding booklet. This is a personal supplement to your wedding that the ushers will give to each guest as they are taken to their seats. The bride usually chooses a white or ecru linen material with black ink.

The cover states "The Wedding of ... " and usually has both the English and the Hebrew dates. We recommend art of flowers and we added the quote "Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li" -- "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

Colonial Cuisine

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on October 28, 2004

Knishes, brisket, borscht, flanken and overstuffed corned beef on rye. Imagine American Jewish food, and one envisions Ashkenazi fare brought by the 2.5 million Eastern European immigrants who settled here between 1881 and 1921.

Same-Sex Marriage Poses Key Questions

By Sandy Frank
Published on July 8, 2004

I can't prove that allowing same-sex marriage would be bad for society.

Pariah or Trendy?

By Sandra Hurtes
Published on June 24, 2004

I was born into a world of one-size-fits-all lifestyles: either I'd marry and have children or be a subject of gossip and humiliation.

A Prayer Book of Many Colors

By Gaby Wenig
Published on January 1, 2004

Lori Justice-Shocket thought that the traditional praying experience was just a bit too black and white. Not the prayers, themselves, per se, but the siddurim (prayer books), with their plain black typeface on white pages and the archaic traditional language, made davening, for her at least, formal, stiff and lacking in the visual and emotional engagement that she thought prayer should have.

So Justice-Shocket, vice president of conceptual development at the Los Angeles-based nail polish company, OPI, decided to take matters into her own presumably well-manicured hands and create a prayer book that could visually and intellectually inspire worshippers.

‘Fabulous Invalid’

By Tom Teicholz
Published on December 18, 2003

I used to have this Thanksgiving Day ritual in New York: no matter what I was doing, or where I was going, I would find a way to be near a radio around 11:30 a.m., to tune in to WNEW-FM 102.7's broadcast of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," in its entirety, in all its musical and comedic glory.

Thanksgiving’s Sukkot Roots

By Linda Morel
Published on November 20, 2003

Did you know that Thanksgiving is really a Jewish holiday?

A Shul Torn Apart

By Julie G Fax
Published on November 13, 2003

For years, members of Mogen David, a traditional synagogue on Pico Boulevard near Beverwil Drive, watched young Orthodox families trek down the hill past the brick building at the westernmost end of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood on their way to other synagogues. Lay leaders of Mogen David, which according to the shul's executive director, Rabbi Gabriel Elias, had a dwindling membership of about 600 families -- 80 percent of them older than 80 -- knew that if they were to survive they would have to get those families in the front door.

So after much soul-searching and with a painful dose of pragmatism, the board decided four years ago to carve out separate men's and women's sections in the sanctuary, get rid of the microphones and start a search for a Modern Orthodox rabbi.

Ease Out of the Yom Kippur Fast With Salmon and Potatoes

By Judy Zeidler
Published on October 2, 2003

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is a time when Jews are required to fast for 24 hours. At the end of this period, family and friends gather for the traditional break-the-fast meal.

This year at the conclusion of services our family and friends will arrive at our home at various times, since they are coming from synagogues that stretch from San Fernando Valley to West Los Angeles.

The transition from fasting to feasting should be a gradual one. Light, simple food is best. These two quick recipes are perfect for the holiday. Just add a few side dishes to complete the menu.

Cooking Middle Eastern Memories

By Judy Bart Kancigor
Published on September 25, 2003

Reading "A Fistful of Lentils" is like wandering through a family album. Instead of food photos you find dozens of family portraits, touching stories and the fascinating history of a rich and unique culture.

Kick Off the Year Rolling in Dough

By Rivka Tal
Published on September 25, 2003

As most people know, challah is the braided egg-rich loaf of bread that we traditionally eat on the Sabbath and holidays -- two loaves of challah at each of the three Shabbat meals.

De-Stress the Simcha

By Judy Zeidler
Published on March 13, 2003

On Monday evening, we will celebrate Purim, the holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Jews in ancient Persia, and reminds us of
the triumph of Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, over Haman, the wicked prime minister.

Love Spelled G-O-L-D

By Liz Harris
Published on February 13, 2003

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."

Silence on Israel Is Not Golden

By Rabbi Susan Laemmle
Published on January 9, 2003

For Avi Davis, truth is a blazing light threatening to blind the unprepared.

There are no moderating factors or gradations, just a division between those who can handle its assault and those who can't.

In contrast to Davis' unitary absolutism, traditional Jewish wisdom tends to frame things in twos and threes. So we read in Pirke Avot 1:18, the teaching of Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel, that "the world is established on three principles: truth, justice and peace."

Menorah Lights Our Way

By Marisa N. Pickar
Published on November 28, 2002

For three years, I lived in an apartment in Jerusalem next to a bus stop. The rhythm of my life quickly adapted to the bus schedule.

The Festival of Lite

By Mike Levy
Published on November 21, 2002

Even "heart healthy" or "light" menu options can be filled with hidden fat, sodium or other dangers for those on special diets or trying to eat healthy.

The Musical Sound of ‘Lights’

By Ellen Jaffe-Gill
Published on November 21, 2002

Not all Chanukah music is kiddie music -- even when it's played by kids. On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Skirball Cultural Center will host the West Coast premiere of Russell Steinberg's suite, "Lights On!"

Art of the Scalpel

By Sharon Schatz Rosenthal
Published on November 14, 2002

Archie Granot is very careful and precise when making incisions with his scalpel -- yet he knows he'll never be sued if he makes a mistake.

Brotherly Love

By Yehuda Lev
Published on October 3, 2002

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, in the early afternoon, I visit my younger brother at his nursing home, a mile from my home in Providence, R.I.

Something to Talk About

By Andrea Adelson
Published on September 5, 2002

Their subjects will range from anti-Semitism to baseball's Ted Williams, from the messianic era to Disney's "The Lion King."

‘Marriage’ Material

By Michael Aushenker
Published on May 23, 2002

Somewhere in the middle of the Israeli import "Late Marriage," a 12-minute sex scene unfolds between the main characters.

The Waves of Judaism

By Brett Aronowitz
Published on March 21, 2002

Twice a year, the high tides of Judaism crash on the shores of the disenfranchised. The chill of fall and the early blooms in spring are two occasions when I seek refuge from the waves of not belonging.

Holiday Halvah

By Gina Nahai
Published on March 1, 2001

Holiday Halvah

The Melting Wok

By Anthea Gerrie
Published on February 15, 2001

It was Friday night in Shanghai, a major linchpin of the Jewish Diaspora, and folks from all over the world were dropping in to wish Rabbi Greenberg "Shabbat shalom."

A Traditional Shabbat

By Mike Levy
Published on February 8, 2001

A half-hour before services were scheduled to begin, the lobby of Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch was packed with eager worshipers, with as many as 1,400 expected.

Mysteries of the Jews

Published on January 6, 2000

The big surprise of the holiday season, if you caught it, was Jerry Seinfeld's wedding.
It turns out the man whose television persona perfectly embodied men's fear of commitment was, in real life, simply waiting for the right Jewish woman. Once he found her, baddaboom, baddabing, you've got a traditional Jewish wedding, chuppah, broken glass, the works. It's so traditional, the crabmeat canapes come out only after the rabbi leaves. They even saw to a kosher Jewish divorce for the once-married bride. Who knew television's darkest satirist was such a sentimental traditionalist offscreen?

Dear Journal

By Deborah Berger
Published on September 30, 1999

Sharon Ann Dror, born deaf, didn't enjoy seders with her hearing family while growing up in a traditional Jewish home in Santa Monica.