Sex + God = Hot + Holy

By Ilana Angel
Published on June 18, 2013

Family inspiration

Published on June 5, 2013

Above all else, Rachel Arditi, 17, is passionate about helping others.

Envisioning a new Los Angeles at Valley Beth Shalom [VIDEO]

Published on May 20, 2013

This is an excerpt from a program given at Valley Beth Shalom on Tues., May 14th titled "City of Angels-Envisioning a New Los Angeles" with special guests, mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti

Q&A with Rabbi Ed Feinstein

By Susan Freudenheim
Published on May 8, 2013

On May 11, Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, will be feted for his two decades of service to the synagogue. He talks in this edited version of an interview about changes in synagogue life, his theology and what he prays for.

Benjamin Reznik: L.A. based lawyer who takes on Goliath

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on October 26, 2012

Among land-use attorneys working in Los Angeles, Benjamin Reznik is better known than most, perhaps because of his success at suing the City of Los Angeles.

High holy days and high political offices: an L.A. roundup

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on September 27, 2012

A Mid-summer Night Shabbat, at the Ford, draws 1,000

By Ryan Torok
Published on August 27, 2012

Shul counseling center costs little, does much for many

By Ryan E. Smith
Published on May 15, 2012

Even a rabbi needs a little help sometimes, which is why Rabbi Harold Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom (VBS) was inspired decades ago to promote the creation of a counseling center run by temple volunteers.

This year, more Angelenos than ever get Passover aid from local agencies

By Ryan Torok
Published on April 11, 2012

This year, more than 1,000 Los Angeles families in need received food from organizations that provide assistance specifically for Passover.

Mezzo-soprano sings of ‘Color’ despite blindness

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on March 7, 2012

L.A. contingent has plenty to say at AIPAC Policy Conference

By Danielle Berrin
Published on March 7, 2012

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 5, it became clear why more than 13,000 Americans...

Finding their place [VIDEO]

By Julie Gruenbaum Fax
Published on February 22, 2012

Lauren Levine is settling in with a group of friends apartment to watch “American Idol,” when a look of panic comes over her face. She rummages around, finds her keys and darts out.“I left the hair thing on,” she says when she returns, breathless, from her own apartment downstairs. “I was straightening Jasmine’s hair before we came up here, and I forgot to turn it off. Wow. That was close.” Levine has wide blue eyes accentuated with sparkly eye shadow, and her voice is spiced with a sense of interested wonder.

Opinion: Debbie Friedman’s gift

By Susan Freudenheim
Published on January 18, 2012

One evening last February, 1,500 people poured into the vast sanctuary of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, filling every inch.

MK Einat Wilf outlines new Israeli contract with the Jewish world

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on September 12, 2011

VBS’ beloved adult Hebrew tutor has a way with words

By Rachel Heller
Published on April 20, 2011

Yossi Dresner has coached teens for their b’nai mitzvah at Valley Beth Shalom (VBS) for 40 years. He has run the adult b’nai mitzvah program for 26. As ritual director, he also conducts VBS’ morning and evening minyans and coordinates holiday services.

LIVE BROADCAST: Debbie Friedman Tribute at Valley Beth Shalom [SUNDAY, FEB. 13]

By JewishJournal.com
Published on February 11, 2011

JewishJournal.com will livecast Valley Beth Shalom's Debbie Friedman Tribute, "Lechi Lach," on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 7:30pm.

Interfaith volunteers feed homeless on MLK Day

Published on January 19, 2011

Volunteers from Valley Beth Shalom (VBS) in Encino and Family of Faith Christian Center (FFCC) in Carson fed 150 homeless people from the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission in North Hollywood in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the National Day of Service on Jan. 17. This is the second year the church and synagogue have come together to feed the homeless on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a tradition they plan to continue. “Our tradition is as much about action as belief,” VBS Rabbi Noah Zvi Farkas said.

Judaism Through Arts for Adults With Special Needs

Published on September 2, 2009

As her daughter Amy was nearing graduation two years ago, Pattie Earlix was crushed by the thought that her religious education was ending.

Schulweis selected for L.A. County humanitarian award

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on October 1, 2008

Rabbi Harold Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino will be honored Oct. 23 with the John Allen Buggs Humanitarian Award, given out annually by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

Community Briefs

Published on September 16, 2004

Community Briefs

Holocaust Reflections

By Rabbi Baruch Cohon
Published on May 10, 2001

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony (LAJS) needs a concert hall. It has an outstanding conductor in Dr. Noreen Green, talented and accomplished musicians, and a loyal following. I've heard LAJS perform with increasing brilliance at venues, including the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, University Synagogue, and Sun., April 29, at Valley Beth Shalom. Without doubt, a hall makes a difference.

A Safe Spot

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on May 10, 2001

For the child whose parent has been diagnosed with cancer, each day becomes fraught with uncertainty -- will Mom or Dad be there today when I get home from school, or back in the hospital? Will Dad be too sick to come to my softball game? Why does Mom have to take that medicine that makes her feel so bad? Isn't medicine supposed to make you feel better? All kinds of questions culminate in that most sinister and heartbreaking of all queries, lurking like a spider in the corner of the child's mind: Is my Mom (or Dad) going to die?