March 20, 2009 | 1:45 pm

LIVE FROM THE TORAH SLAM: A Monday Night Special

Posted by Jay Firestone

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[UPDATE] This is a recording of a LIVE broadcast.

For a full recap of the event, click here.

On Monday night, March 23 at 7:30pm JewishJournal.com streamed LIVE from our special event series, “Torah Slam 2,” a community dialogue with some of LA’s top religious leaders.  Tune in to hear a discussion on “What Is a Good Jew?”

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Have a comment?  Join the conversation here.

Visit this page tomorrow for complete coverage of the event.

Tonight’s guests include:
Rabbi Elazar Muskin (Young Israel of Century City)
Rabbi Ed Feinstein (Valley Beth Shalom)
Rabbi Sharon Brous (IKAR)
Rabbi Eli Herscher (Stephen S. Wise Temple)
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila (Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel)

Moderated by David Suissa (JewishJournal.com)

For information on last year’s Torah Slam, click here.

Sponsored by Akeena Solar.

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March 12, 2009 | 3:36 pm

LIVE VIDEO TONIGHT: A Dialogue with Roger Cohen and the Iranian Jewish Community

Posted by Jay Firestone

[UPDATE] This is a replay of LIVE broadcast from Thursday, March 12, 2009. 

JewishJournal.com presents a LIVE broadcast of a dialogue with Roger Cohen (New York Times) and the Los Angeles Iranian Jewish Community, moderated by Rabbi David Wolpe and hosted by Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.

For background information on this topic, click here.

If you are having difficulty viewing the video, try refreshing the page.

Have a comment? Join our conversation on our reader forum.

To be notified of other JewishJournal.com LIVE broadcasts, click here.
Follow complete coverage of this story at JewishJournal.com.

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March 11, 2009 | 12:31 pm

The Purim Hangover….A VideoJew Classic

Posted by Jay Firestone

This is an oldie from Season 1 of “VideoJew Plays His Hits.”

Unfortunately, I really didn’t do that much for Purim this year.  I heard the tail-end of the megilla reading…just in time for the hanging (my favorite part).  I also haven’t received any mishloach manot…what’s the deal with that? I’m a good person - I do good in the community - Don’t deserve a basket of junk I’ll never eat?

By the way, if you have any leftovers, feel free to send them to:

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
ATTN: VideoJew Jay Firestone
Address here.

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March 9, 2009 | 8:27 pm

Old Jews Telling Jokes - Emissions

Posted by Jay Firestone

God, I love these videos.

Old Jewish Telling Jokes

If you liked that video, you might also like this story.

For more Old Jews, click here.

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March 9, 2009 | 2:25 am

Protest Outside AIPAC fundraiser

Posted by Jay Firestone

Christina Gonzalez of Fox News recently covered a protest outside an AIPAC fundraiser at the Universal Hilton. While Gonzalez labels the protestors, “peace activists,” she fails to mention that many of those featured in this report are actually members of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network.  Danielle Berrin and I covered one of their other protests at the Israeli Consulate in January (to watch that video, click here - for Danielle’s story, click here). 

My only question: don’t these checkpoints help keep the peace?  I really think these “peace activists” are protesting on the wrong thing. Then again, I don’t think anyone would want to see a protest that simulates a rocket attack.

I also would have liked to have seen a stronger effort to hear an AIPAC or pro-Israel comment, whether it was in person or phoned in.  But I guess not everyone can cover a protest like VideoJew.

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March 5, 2009 | 1:55 pm

[VIDEO] Holocaust Survivor Identifies Herself in Museum Photo

Posted by Jay Firestone

It’s not so unusual to casually surf websites like Facebook and MySpace and find random photos of yourself on other people’s profiles.  But when it’s not a social networking site, but a Holocaust exhibit, it’s a little different. 

Video by Jay Firestone.  Interviews by Julie Gruenbaum Fax

Here’s an excerpt from the original article:

That’s how she explained the smile on her face in a photograph of herself some 65 years ago, just after she was selected for labor at Auschwitz. And that is probably why she snickered on a recent afternoon, as she pointed herself out in that same photograph, now hanging on the wall of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, a beneficiary of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. more.

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March 3, 2009 | 5:28 pm

Meshugene Men - It’s How Mad Men Does Purim

Posted by Jay Firestone

Advertising genius and mystery man, Dan Draperberg unravels the secrets of making mayonnaise the next herring or chopped liver to the Jewish world. I’ll admit, I’ve only seen Mad Men a few times, but if it’s anything like selling condiments to Jews, I’m in.

A promo for Purim show, “The Shushan Channel,” I’d say Meshugene Men is on par with some of their previous efforts (Jewno and Jewish Girls Gone Wild).

March 9th at 92Y Tribeca (shows at 8 and 10:30, tickets at www.92yTribeca.org),co-sponsored by Hazon (www.hazon.org) (show directed by Mike Shapiro).

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February 19, 2009 | 4:09 am

LIVE VIDEO - Survival of a Jewish Nonprofit

Posted by Jay Firestone

On Thursday morning, Feb. 19, JewishJournal.com will broadcast LIVE from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Tune in at 8:30 a.m. to watch “The Lean Years: Strategies for Survival,” a conference dedicated to creating a greater conversation about surviving the economic crisis as a Jewish nonprofit. 

Exclusive to JewishJournal.com, watch and listen to a briefing and discussion of the findings of the 2008 Survey of Jewish Organizations (conducted by Jumpstart, Natan and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation in December 2008).  This first-ever survey will offer critical data for understanding the world of Jewish nonprofits in the midst of an economic crisis that has rippled through the Jewish philanthropic and nonprofit landscape. 

UPDATE: THIS A RECORDING OF AN INITIAL BROADCAST WHICH AIRED LIVE ON THIS PAGE EARLIER TODAY.

If you are unable to view the player, try refreshing the page.

After the conference, JewishJournal.com will replay the recording throughout the day on our site. 

For more information, visit JewishJournal.com.

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February 10, 2009 | 4:23 pm

LIVE VIDEO ELECTION COVERAGE AT Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles

Posted by Jay Firestone

UPDATE: This footage was filmed and broadcast live at JewishJournal.com earlier today.

If you are having problems viewing the video, try refreshing the page.

Israeli Consul General Yakov Dayan discusses the recent elections in Israel. Dikla Kadosh reports.  Video by Jay Firestone.

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February 3, 2009 | 5:21 pm

National Hug a Jew Day!!!

Posted by Jay Firestone

Have you hugged a Jew lately?  If not, you might have missed a golden opportunity. 

On Monday Feb. 2, Jews around the world embraced each other with outstretched arms and G-rated physical contact.  Unfortunately, I kept to myself yesterday and now have wait a whole year to hug a Jew - I might as well be shomer negiah.

From the official facebook page:

!!!INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN!!!
*Every Jew that you see you must address with a hug

*This is an events for everyone around the world, Jews and non-Jews to hug Jews.

*This group is for anyone to join, that is except Jew-haters.

*Jew, in this event includes any sect or part of Jewishness (half, quarter, traditional, conservative, reform, orthodox, chareide, chabad, ALL JEWS INCLUDED).

* If someone has something that they want to say about Jews, do not post it here, send me a message and we will talk about it.

*Remember, invite all your friends and lastly everyone, HAPPY HUGGING!!

*** some religious jewish people can not touch the other sex so be careful if you have the slightest doubt you may want to ask them if you can hug them

you can hug the same person more than once and can recieve more than one hug. please take as many pictures as you can and send them to me and i will post the ones i think are the best, which would be most of them!

HAPPY HUGGING!

P.S. hug a jew day is the first monday of Feb. every year from now on!

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January 29, 2009 | 2:36 pm

Old Jews Telling Jokes [VIDEO]

Posted by Jay Firestone

Uncle Leo

I just came across this site and it’s as simple as it is brilliant: Old Jews Telling Jokes.  I think its safe to say that we all have a few of these in our families.  And there’s really no point in waiting until the next bar mitzvah, wedding or funeral to hear some cologne-drenched altacocker spray your face with his best “one about the _____.” 

Director, Editor and Co-Producer Sam Hoffman even put his mother, Diane in the spotlight.

From his description:

“Diane Hoffman is my mom. She can do pretty much anything and, at any given time, is doing everything. She’s also one of the few joke tellers to drop the F bomb. Kind of makes me proud.”

Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for another joke.

Click here to see more Old Jews Telling Jokes.

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January 14, 2009 | 5:33 pm

Protesters disrupt consulate work flow

Posted by Jay Firestone

Video by VideoJew Jay Firestone

Here’s a look at yet another protest outside the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Blvd.  Members of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network chained themselves together on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at around 8:30 a.m to protest the ongoing war in Gaza. Their goal was to block all entrances to the building in order to disrupt regular work flow for day.  The protest lasted until around 11 a.m. and with that block of Wilshire Blvd. closed for the demonstration, you can be sure that the damage was done.  Meetings were late, traffic was jammed and city tax dollars were spent on peace-keeping LAPD officers. 

For Danielle Berrin’s full story, click here.

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January 12, 2009 | 2:04 pm

[VIDEO] Pro-Israel rally in Westwood - Jan. 11, 2009

Posted by Jay Firestone

Video by Jay Firestone

Huge numbers gathered together in Westwood outside the Federal Building on Sunday afternoon, January 11 to support Israel and the recent actions against Hamas.  Among the supporters were several Jewish organizations, elected officials and community members from all over Los Angeles. 

Speakers included Roz Rothstein, International Director, StandWithUs; Esther Renzer, International President, StandWithUs; Sam Glaser, Singer; Cantor Ron Li-Paz, Valley Outreach Congregation; Gil Artzyeli , Deputy Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles; Councilmember Jack Weiss, 5th District; Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District; Shoham Nicolet, Executive Director, Israel Leadership Council; Chaim Linder, Council of Israeli Community; John R. Fishel, President, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; Patricia Johnson, Israel-Christian Nexus; and Rabbi David Wolpe - Sinai Temple

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January 8, 2009 | 1:46 pm

[VIDEO] Pro-Israel rally in Westwood - Jan. 7, 2009

Posted by Jay Firestone

A pro-Israel rally in Westwood brings adults and teenagers together in ruach, advocacy and support for Israel. Though no counter protest was present, several pro-Palestinian rallies are expected to occur throughout the weekend. 

Brad Greenberg reports from Westwood.

Video By Jay Firestone and Brad Greenberg

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December 31, 2008 | 6:22 pm

Protesters rally outside the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles

Posted by Jay Firestone

With about 500-600 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and about 250 Israel supporters (my estimates), this was one of the more heated protests I’ve been to.

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December 26, 2008 | 1:42 pm

VIDEO: Guinness Book great dreidel spin in Santa Monica

Posted by Jay Firestone

Can The Santa Monica Synagogue break the Guinness Book of World Record’s record for most simultaneous dreidel spins? 

We go to Simcha Monica to report .  .  .

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