September 18, 2007 | 6:55 am

Talkin’ ‘bout my Generation 26

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Every woman estimates her expectations for an occasion by the way she dresses. I decided that jeans and smoky eyeshadow would be appropriate attire for a benefit concert in ever-cool-and-casual California—until I arrived. With a valet parking line wrapped around two blocks and hundreds of Jewish youth emerging from cars that rivaled their clothes, I realized I had grossly underestimated the evening, at least on the level of appearance. I was doomed to stand out like a sore thumb.

But my vantage point lent itself to peripheral appreciation. I could watch and observe how 500 demographically distinct young Jews mix pleasure with philanthropy. “Generation 26” call themselves a “young and progressive leadership” and according to Gematria, the mystic label for Hebrew numerology, 26 is the equivalent of G-d. A lofty goal for a Saturday night benefit in West Hollywood, but it illuminated how the L.A. Jews party: celebrating their good life and improving the lives of those less fortunate.

At the door, where the posh Persian crowd was throwing double zero bills at the bouncer (ticket price was $100 per person benefiting Meir Panim, an organization that feeds hungry children in Israel), I had another realization: I would stand out as the rare American in the set. Ebony tresses and smoldering cat eyes swept upon the scene like a sea. Glittering jewels hung in plunging necklines of silky dresses. Dapper young fellows tended to their ladies, who in a flock, fluttered their tanned arms onto D.J. Tal & D.J. Eliran’s dance floor. The sushi bar was wiped clean by 10 p.m. The bars were desiccated of vodka by the time The Gypsy Kings headlined with their French-infused rumba flamenco. But no one seemed to notice or even care.

And that’s because this group of well-to-do young Jews were out for a cause. By the looks of the turnout, hundreds of hungry children in Israel will have full plates for the holidays. Call it glamorous generosity.

Apparently, my blonde and denim didn’t give me away and several people inquired if I was Persian. By the end of the night I answered “yes,” just for kicks. I figured, if Madonna can call herself Queen Esther…so can I.

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September 17, 2007 | 4:59 pm

Flag day

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

It’s Monday. Uch. It’s the Monday after a long Jewish holiday weekend. Big throaty uch.

I know it’s been a long day, but it’s 4:55 p.m. as I write this post and most of you will be heading home soon. Joy! Here’s a suggestion to end your yucky Monday on a yummy high note:

missFlag, the Israeli all-boy group that’s being compared to Coldplay in a good way and rackin’ up visits on myspace (www.myspace.com/missflag), is playing at the Knitting Factory tonight.
If you were listening to KCRW this morning, you would have heard them jammin’ on Nic Harcourt’s famous “Morning Becomes Eclectic” show. But if you were already hard at work, you have the chance to catch these crooning Jerusalem boys live and in person.

7:30 p.m. $8. 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 463-0204. www.missflag.com.

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September 13, 2007 | 4:59 pm

All I want for Rosh Hashana…

Posted by Danielle Berrin

New year, new possibilities, new resolutions. “On Rosh Hashana it is written,” so we ask: what will you do differently this year?

I’m resolving to give up Buddhist Juseige chanting for Lent.
-adam wills, senior editor

STOP THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION: Fight flood of blogs, e-mails, cell
phone calls, political analyses, commercials and all kindred b.s.
-tom tugend, contributing writer

Taste less of my foot
-“the jay” firestone, intern and comedian extraordinaire

Get down to my playing weight.
—The God Blog a.k.a. brad greenberg, staff writer

Unpack the boxes that are still in our living room from when I moved in—
two months ago.
-shoshana lewin, copy editor

I want to fill my life—and the world—with more joy in 5768; to be happy is a
mitzvah!
-dennis wilen, web director

This year I’m sticking to my resolution not to make New Year’s resolutions.
-jane ulman, contributing editor

Read Herodotus, learn trope, give more.
-danielle

Reach a new level of closeness in my relationships with loved ones, especially my sister and my b’sheret.
-dikla

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September 12, 2007 | 12:34 am

L’chaim for Chabad

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

I have to admit, the head-to-toe black-clad, bearded, effervescent clan of Chabad rabbis milling about the guest lounge at the 27th annual Chabad Telethon were a little intimidating.

I wasn’t sure if they would be grateful to have the largest Jewish newspaper in Los Angeles covering their event or annoyed that The Jewish Journal sent two young, very secular females to write about an organization they knew little of.

But, alas, my fears were unfounded. The telethon and everyone involved were bubbling over with joy and good will and warm welcomes. One of the many sons of Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, the patriarch of the family and the head of West Coast Chabad, greeted me with a genuine smile and shared an anecdote to illustrate his magnanimity towards people of all persuasions.

On Saturday mornings on his way back from synagogue, he would often walk past diners at a local Jewish deli. Noticing how uncomfortable they appeared as he, observing the Sabbath, strolled past them, not observing the Sabbath, he decided to dispel the tension by smiling and saying pleasantly, “Shabbat Shalom.” Their gracious response was not a surprise to him. But it was to me.

This story pretty much sums up the impression I got from the Chabad telethon. The Chabad community may appear foreign or distant, judgmental and aloof, but in reality, they are open-minded and open-hearted, generous, kind and eager to touch the lives of everyone around them, Jewish or not.

On Sunday, Chabad raised $7.18 million (and still counting I believe) for nonsectarian programs such as drug rehabilitation, senior aid, youth programs, crisis intervention and services for disabled children.

To that, I say kol hakavod and l’chaim!

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September 10, 2007 | 2:02 pm

HIP holy days

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Looking for a community to call your own? Synagogues all over town are receiving a barrage of membership inquiries - because this time of year, everyone wants to belong.

But for those who haven’t yet felt the urge to join up, there are myriad options for how to spend the holidays in a warm community embrace. And lucky for us Jewish Angelenos, the nation’s most innovative religious gatherings are happening in our backyard! Whether you’re allured by the forces of nature, the majesty of music or traditional temple worship, there is a perfect place for every Jew in L.A. The following listings are low-or-no cost services welcoming one and all to share in the spirit of the New Year. L’shana Tovah!

Rosh Hashana Live!
“Where the old becomes new, and the new becomes holy.” For the first time in its history, Sinai Temple is opening its doors to the whole community for Erev Rosh Hashana services. Blending Friday Night Live’s musical worship with high holiday liturgy, this promises to be a honey-sweet start to the New Year! Free. Wed., Sept 12. 8 p.m. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Nashuva in Nature:
Taschlich at Venice Beach
Sink your feet in the sand and watch waves crash on the shore at the largest Jewish drummer’s circle in the nation. Join the Nashuva community and Rabbi Naomi Levy for a shofar-sounding spiritual uplift before you cast your sins into the sea. Bring a percussion instrument and bread to throw. Free. Thu., Sept. 13, 4 p.m. Venice Boulevard & Venice Beach. Whisper “Nashuva” to the attendant for free parking.

Nature walk and hike
“Two roads diverged in a wood…” and you can travel the softer-on-your-thighs spiritual trail or the more physically aggressive path. Either way, the roads converge in a windy meadow beneath sycamore trees where everyone will join together for a soul inspiring prayer service under the open sky. Free. Fri., Sept. 14, 9 a.m. hike, 10 a.m. service. Temescal Gateway Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. For more high holiday options, please visit www.nashuva.com.

Chai Holidays with the Chai Center
Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz is leading his formidable following of young people in prayer. Services are in English with “meaning, melody and humor.” Kicking off the Days of Awe is a “Jewish New Year’s Eve” singles party and yuppies everywhere are invited. Free. Wed., Sept. 12. 6:30-8:30p.m. (service) 8:30-11 p.m. (party). Thu., Sept. 13 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Shofar blowing at 12:30 p.m. The Writer’s Guild, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills. For more information, please visit www.chaicenter.org.

AISH
An accessible option, led by Rabbi Dov Heller includes insightful explanations of the liturgy, songs and translations. For ages 21-32 these services are topped off with delicious eats. $36 for all services, Rosh Hashana luncheon & Yom Kippur break-fast. Wed., Sept 12, 6:30 p.m. Thu., Sept 13, 9 a.m. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1150 S. Beverly Drive, Los Angeles. For more info, please visit www.aishla.com

New Year Blast!
JConnectLA and Isralight invite you to a “dynamic and interactive” holiday experience led by Rabbi Jonathan Samuels, Rabbi Shlomo Seidenfeld, David Suissa and Cheston Mizel (founder of JConnectLA). $50 includes all services and kiddush. Sept. 13 & 14, 9 a.m. Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, 9120 W. Olympic, Beverly Hills. Registration required, please call (310) 277-5544 or visit www.jconnectla.com.

And yet more options…

IKAR offers a plethora of services and anyone may attend, but be sure to reserve an “IKARd”  because seats go fast! For more information, please visit www.ikar-la.org

Chabad welcomes all Jews, at no cost, for traditional services and lots of celebration! For complete schedule, visit www.chabadla.org

Bayit Shelanu boasts Jewish musical superstar Debbie Friedman and Rabbi Jan Goldstein. $180 gets you entry to all events. $60 per service. Ackerman Grand Ballroom, UCLA Campus. For more info, visit www.bayitshelanu.org

Hillel at UCLA offers free services for all students and discounted tickets for young adults. For more info, please call (310) 208-3081 or visit www.uclahillel.org.

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September 7, 2007 | 3:27 pm

Shabbat Shalom, Hey! (Bim Bam)

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Are you ready to rock? Because I promise you’ve never heard the grade-school smash Bim-Bam quite like this.

A bunch of wildly eccentric boys by the name of “Netzer” have rockified this traditional Jewish tune, staging it as a campy jam in a classroom using all the available props. Electric riffs are interspersed with footage of clergy reading Torah. Headbanging puppets alternate between fainting and singing, and zombie-inspired hora dancing make this a Shabbat musical trip to an alternate galaxy. Albeit, an uproariously funny one.

The male “virtuosos” are twenty-somethings (one from San Diego) and don Elizabethan wigs of long and curly locks that cause them to appear anachronistic. Altogether subverting the theoretic concept of style, these would-be tenor boys raving away the Sabbath is at once a parody and a pop-song. This is where lunacy meets vaudeville meets techno meets Judaism.

A comment on youtube read, “don’t quit your day job, but it was a joyful noise.” This one, you really should see for yourself…

Shabbat Shalom Los Angeles!

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September 6, 2007 | 4:22 pm

Kings for hunger

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

The Gipsy Kings, a fresh sushi buffet, an all-night open bar and an autographed leather Lakers jacket as a raffle prize…now that sounds like a spicy night out!
But here’s the real kicker: proceeds from this WeHo shindig are going to feed thousands of starving children in Israel through Meir Panim. How’s that for a tear-jerking cause?

“Kings Jam For Hunger” is being organized by Generation 26, a relatively new Jewish activist organization waving the flag of diversity. Their goal is to unite Persians, Russians, Moroccans, Israelis and every other shade and shape of Jews in Los Angeles in order to ward off modern threats to Judaism, such as intermarriage, terrorism and anti-Semitism.

Join this warm-hearted group of take-actioners for a night of hip-shakin’ music, tummy-fillin’ cuisine, date-hungry young Jews, and a great big mitzvah to end your year!

(And be sure to say hello to my other half Danielle, who will most likely be found devouring delicious rolls of yellow-tail scallion with dollops of wasabi and low-sodium soy sauce)

Saturday, Sept. 8. Doors open at 9 p.m. $100. Neman Hall, 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., West Hollywood. www.groovetickets.com/gipsykings.  

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September 5, 2007 | 11:09 am

The inside track

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

I recently did an in-person interview and a phoner with the core members of the Hip Hop Hoodios, a very talented Jewish-Latino hip hop crew, for an article that will be in this week’s Jewish Journal. The article focuses on the group’s August release, a 5-track digital-only album titled “Viva la Guantanamera,” which benefits Amnesty International’s efforts to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison. Josh Norek, 32, and Abraham Velez, 31, dished out lots of interesting tidbits that didn’t quite fit into the article, space-wise and tone-wise. So here’s their less formal, more personal side:

* Abraham on being at his New York office in the middle of the summer: “The French are across the ocean drinking fucking wine because it’s August and we’re over here toiling away.”

* Surprisingly, the crew is enormously popular in France despite its anti-Semitic reputation.

* “Kike on the Mike” was Hoodios’ way of reclaiming the Yiddish word for circle. “Fine, call me a circle,” said Josh of his attitude in the popular song.

* Hoodios have never performed in Israel because it’s too expensive to fly their 8-piece ensemble to the Holy Land; however, both Josh and Abraham have visited Israel.

* Abraham went on the Birthright trip in 2001 when he was 25 years old. “I stepped off the plane, saw the welcome sign in Hebrew, and started tearing up. It was a very emotional feeling knowing I was in the homeland. We have this enormous craving to belong somewhere, but I’m still a skeptic. What does it mean to belong to one thing or place?”

* Abraham on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “We talk on and off about tackling the issue, but it’s such a complex topic and there’s quite a bit of public dialogue about it already. The question is, what do we have to say about it that’s new?”

* “We all hate Bush,” said Josh while explaining some of the motives behind their politically-minded single. He lost three high school buddies in Iraq.

* “The distance is good for us,” LA-based Josh said about collaborating with NY-based Abraham. ” I don’t think it would work any other way!”

* “We’re working in a completely new way through technology,” said Abraham. “But there are downsides to communicating only through computers and phones. I would like to hug Josh more.”

* Abraham on the process of creation: “There’s nothing better than getting a bunch of us guys together in a room. Sooner or later it devolves into hysterical laughing and fart jokes. In that atmosphere, we create our greatest stuff like ‘Dicks and Noses’.”

* Abraham on working with Wildog Abers of Ozomatli on their latest album: “He’s very pro. He’s down to business. Wildog is so modest - he’s a man without guile and very inspiring to be around. But he’s also got a lot of humor. I would always get voicemails from him when he’s on the shitter. I would hear the flushing sounds…I guess that’s when he had time to call.”

* Who’s hotter, I asked Josh, Israeli or Latina women? “Wow, that’s a hard one. I would have to say Israeli women are very hot. And smart. That’s sexy.”

* “I’m aware of the burden on my shoulders,” said Josh on the subject of perpetuating the Jewish race. “But it’s not necessarily important for me to marry Jewish.”

* Abraham’s wife is neither Jewish nor Latina. She’s from “the great tribe,” said Abraham. “She’s just great.”

* Abraham: “I don’t really care what ethnic group people are from. We walk this funny line with our band: we’re proud of who we are and our ethnic heritage, but we don’t want to emphasize the lines between cultures. I’m a citizen of the earth.”

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