Stein Scores Grammy

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on March 3, 2005

In the midst of all of the glamour of the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, one could easily miss the hurrahs of one local cantor. But it was a proud moment for Chazzan Mike Stein of Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills, one of a group of musicians honored Feb. 13 with an award in the Best Children's Music category for ""cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins."

Breast Cancer Tips Doctors Don’t Share

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on October 14, 2004

Trader Joe’s Pulls Empire Chicken

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on May 6, 2004

The battle for the lucrative kosher consumer market took a strange twist last month. Shortly after the end of Passover, Jewish shoppers were shocked to find Trader Joe's markets had eliminated their selection of Empire kosher chicken, substituting instead the company's own organic, nonkosher chicken.

Cracking a Controversial ‘Code’

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on April 8, 2004

When Rabbi Rachel Bovitz sat down a few months ago to read the novel, "The Da Vinci Code," she was curious about the buzz surrounding the controversial best-seller. But what she wasn't prepared for was how profoundly disturbing she would find the book.

Alzheimer’s Home

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on May 9, 2002

Imagine you are 90 years old and the world you once knew, even your own home, feels like a frightening and unfamiliar place. Sometimes you find it hard to recognize even your closest family members. You don't understand why people get angry when you wander away or when you cannot finish a sentence. You may be fit physically, but psychologically you are at a loss -- and so are your family and friends. Imagine you move to a small, lovely village. There are strangers there, but they are gentle and caring. There are places to walk, and no one gets angry if you get a little lost. They just calmly lead you back to where you need to be. When you are in the mood, there is plenty to do, but no one gets angry when you just want to sit. Best of all, your family doesn't seem so worried anymore. This scenario is the aim of the new Goldenberg-Ziman Special Care Center located at the Jewish Home for the Aging's Eisenberg Campus in Tarzana.

Valley Secession: Better for Jews?

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on March 28, 2002

For the Jewish community, like the rest of Los Angeles, the issue of Valley secession boils down to one key question: Will we be better off after secession than we are now?

Who Wrote the Torah?

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on March 28, 2002

If two Jews equal three opinions, what do you get when you mix five rabbis of various denominations to answer a topic as important as the origins of the Torah?

Answer: A rather heated discussion, to say the least.

Eulogies:Rabbi Melvin Goldstine

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on January 17, 2002

Eulogies:Rabbi Melvin Goldstine.

L.A. ADL Talks of Split

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on January 17, 2002

Following the recent dismissal of Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Regional Director David Lehrer, Los Angeles members continued to discuss the prospect of splitting off from the New York organization. Close to 100 people attended the meeting of the executive board of the Pacific Southwest Region of the ADL on Wednesday, Jan. 9, to discuss Lehrer's dismissal.

Shalom Leases

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on January 17, 2002

An announcement last week by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that it will not renew leases for its West San Fernando Valley properties will have an impact on two Jewish institutions: Kadima Hebrew Academy and the Rabbi Max D. Raiskin West Valley Hebrew Academy.

From Three to One?

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on January 3, 2002

Can one Jewish Community Center (JCC) serve a population as vast as that of the San Fernando Valley?

That is the question facing Jewish communities from Burbank to Calabasas, and so far, the answer is a resounding no -- even from some of the people who launched the idea in the first place.

Grand Marshal,  Grand Lady

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on November 29, 2001

Sitting in her seat at the Max Factor Family Foundation Recreation Center of the Jewish Home for the Aging (JHA), 103-year-old Sylvia Harmatz cannot recall the first state to give women the right to vote. But, she remembers very clearly the first day she voted, in 1936. "I wasn't a citizen until I married my husband, and so I used his papers and got a ballot so I could vote for [Franklin D.] Roosevelt," she said. "I was very active in politics from that time on."

A War of Words

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on November 1, 2001

Students, faculty and staff members at CSUN were up in arms last week regarding an exhibit sponsored by the university's Muslim Student Association (MSA). The "Museum of Intolerance" exhibit, part of planned activities for the campus' Islam Awareness Week (Oct. 21-27), showed photographs of Muslims under attack in several nations including what it called Palestine, with prominent pictures of Israeli soldiers and of Palestinian Arabs throwing rocks.

Special Needs Family Retreat

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on May 17, 2001

Families of individuals with special needs often feel a sense of helplessness and isolation from the community, as well as confusion about how to best help their loved ones. In an effort to give families the tools to cope with these issues, Etta Israel Center (EIC) will hold its second annual retreat May 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shaarey Zedek Congregation in North Hollywood

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?

Photo Finish

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on April 5, 2001

April 10 is the ultimate day at the track for the nation's second-largest school district. Never before has so much ridden on the backs of campaign horses as in the current race for positions on Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) Board of Education.

Community

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on April 2, 1998

While many note the westward journey of Jews into areas such as Calabasas, West Hills and Agoura, few realize there's a small renaissance going on in the East Valley.