fbpx

GET HOME DELIVERY! CLICK HERE »

ADVERTISE
pick up locations
HOME DELIVERY
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

November 12, 2018

Jewish Federation Launches Hotline, Fundraiser After Wildfires

Leave a Comment / Online /

On Friday, Nov. 9, The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles launched a hotline for those affected by the fires so they can seek all forms of support.

Support can be anything related to housing, food, legal questions, insurance questions or just someone to talk to you.

“If somebody belongs to a synagogue a rabbi has connection to them. If they don’t belong to synagogue we only hear from them if they let us know,” Federation CEO Jay Sanderson told the Journal. “Getting word out to people…it’s wildfire emergency hotline. Someone will answer it between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days. As long as it is needed.”

Anyone who calls will speak to a staff member from the Federation. This includes members of the Jews in Need initiative who are trained in knowing specific issues.

The Federation has already received many calls over the weekend.

The non-profit also launched The Wildfire Relief Fund Monday, Nov. 12 where 100 percent of all money raised will go to victims of the fires and institutions that have received significant damage.

“We will be working with those institutions to help them raise additional funds, to help them with their planning go forward, whatever they need we are going to help them,” Sanderson said.

To donate, click here. To reach the Hotline, dial (323) 761 – 8100.

Jewish Federation Launches Hotline, Fundraiser After Wildfires Read More »

UCLA Chancellor: SJP Conference Won’t Be Canceled

Leave a Comment / Online, United States /
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced in a Nov. 12 Los Angeles Times op-ed that the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) conference on Nov. 16-18 will not be canceled despite sharp criticism from many in the community.

Block explained that even though there are concerns about anti-Semitic statements issued by members of SJP, they are bound by the First Amendment to allow all forms of speech to be spoken on campus.

“Preserving the right to speak about such issues does not validate the content of that speech,” Block wrote. “All too often affording a group their constitutional rights is falsely perceived as an institutional endorsement of their message.”

Block acknowledged that he disagrees with the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement that SJP supports, saying that anti-Israel rhetoric can turn “into hostility against the Jewish people.”

“Much of what will be said at that conference may be deeply objectionable — even personally hurtful — to those who believe that a complex conflict is being reduced to a one-sided caricature, or see a double standard that demonizes the world’s only Jewish state while other countries receive less condemnation for dreadful behavior,” Block wrote.

However, Block argued that SJP still has a legal right to host its conference at UCLA, even if they espouse anti-Semitic rhetoric.

On Nov. 6, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on UCLA to cancel the conference. City Councilman Paul Koretz told Block in a letter that he was “shocked and disappointed” that UCLA is allowing the conference to occur.

“Although UCLA has a responsibility to allow freedom of speech, our campuses should never become an environment where students of any origin are harassed, bullied, or prohibited from learning,” Koretz said.

Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a statement to the Journal that Block “makes the compelling case for why Students for Justice in Palestine should not be allowed to run their national conference at UCLA” but then conflates the First Amendment with the gift of legitimacy from a major American institution.

“SJP students regularly and stridently mouth off against the Jewish State and their supporters on many campuses across America including UCLA. No one has attempted to block their right to be heard on the quad or in the halls of the University,” Cooper said. “But Chancellor Block, by green-lighting their national conference at a UC school, violates the spirit of the UC principles even outlined in the op/ed. What’s next? Antifa and Neo-Nazi conferences?”

Cooper added, “Make no mistake that SJP promotes and endorses violence against the largest Jewish community it the world.  There is no compelling reason why UCLA has to provide the space for their national gathering.”

Judea Pearl, chancellor professor of computer science at UCLA, National Academy of Sciences member and Daniel Pearl Foundation president, said in an email to the Journal, “This is ‘viewpoint neutrality’ UCLA style.”

Pearl added: “When xenophobic Milos Yiannopolous requested to speak at UCLA, Chancellor Block wrote (paraphrased): I can’t stop you legally but be aware, you are not exactly welcome on this campus, you are in fact disgusting, your values clash with ours.

“When anti-Semitic-Zionophobic NSJP requested to speak at UCLA, Chancellor Block wrote (paraphrased): I can’t stop you legally, but I won’t stop you even if I could, here’s why, here’s why, here’s why.”

UCLA Hillel Executive Director Aaron Lerner told the Journal in an email that UCLA Hillel “appreciates the Chancellor’s concern.”

“When we first heard about the conference, Hillel immediately sought legal advice,” Lerner said. “Even our attorneys felt that UCLA would have no choice given SJP’s registered student group status. Going forward, however, universities need to clarify whether student groups aligned with hate groups such as Hamas have a legal right to be on campus. They might, but the matter requires further investigation.”

Lerner added, “In the meantime, the Chancellor has made his voice heard, and confirmed his opposition to BDS. That’s a win.”

UCLA Chancellor: SJP Conference Won’t Be Canceled Read More »

Surviving Devastation in Malibou Lake

Leave a Comment / Online /

Among the thousands of residents evacuated from their homes in the deadly Southern California wildfires, Rabbi Ron Li-Paz of Valley Outreach Synagogue in Calabasas counts himself among the lucky ones.

“There are 12 houses on our street. Nine are gone and ours is one of the three remaining,” said Li-Paz, who lives in Malibou Lake. “The view from my house — God willing, our house remains standing — from every window, I just see devastation. It’s like a war zone. Everything was leveled to the ground.”

Li-Paz described the scene as if it were an apocalyptic film: “Cars are melted in front of our house, and our chickens are pecking on the hill. We have sheep and goats, and we thought they’d be dead or gone, but they’re here. For now, we’re just counting our blessings.”

Photo provided by Rabbi Ron Li-Paz

Li-Paz was out of town when the fires broke out on Nov. 8, but his 20-year-old son was at home preparing to evacuate. “I raced to get to the house, and in the middle of the night [my son] was organizing photo albums, baby pictures, documents, everything we needed, so when I got home I could just help him.” Li-Paz said.

When a sheriff’s deputy knocked on their door on Friday, Nov. 9, at 4 a.m., they were ready.

“The view from my house — God willing, our house remains standing — from every window, I just see devastation. It’s like a war zone.” – Rabbi Ron Li-Paz

When asked what advice he had for others, Li-Paz said it was really important to follow the directions of public safety officials. “I see people bragging to each other online that they’re getting around them,” he said. “It’s silly to make ourselves possible victims. Trust that they are taking care of us and that’s all that they’re doing.”

He also urged people to stay in touch as much as they possibly can. “I think what community can offer is a really important piece of this,” he said. “A sense that even when we’re dealing with losses and tragedy we’re not alone. That’s obviously one of the great Jewish contributions to these moments in our lives.”

This is the second time Li-Paz and his family have gone through an evacuation due to a wildfire threat. The first was when they lived in Oak Park 15 years ago. That experience helped him know what was important to grab. “Family first, then your pets,” he said. “We left all these things behind that seemed to be so important, until you realize you have a few minutes to grab everything that really matters. Take the people you love and that’s all.”

Photo provided by Rabbi Ron Li-Paz

Surviving Devastation in Malibou Lake Read More »

Jewish Summer Camps Destroyed By Woolsey Fire

Leave a Comment / Online /
Remains of Camp Hess Kramer. Photo by Ben Poston/ Los Angeles Times

Camp Hess Kramer, its sister camp, Camp Hilltop, in Malibu Hills and Camp JCA Shalom have been destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

“Although the full extent of the damage to Camp Hess Kramer and Gindling Hilltop Camp won’t be determined for some time, we know that it is severe,” the camp said via Facebook post, Sunday.

Hess Kramer lost Baruh Hall, Gildred Hall, the climbing wall, Leadership Library, the dance platform, and the ark, along with several staff residences and all but two of the cabins. Hilltop lost all the structures with the exception of two cinder block staff housing units.

The camp team which includes, Alberto Valner, Steve Leder, Donna Nadel, David Eshel, Doug Lynn, Seth Toybes and Jake Glucksman, reassured families and members of the community that the Torah scrolls survived the fires.

Camp JCA Shalom also went to Facebook following Shabbat on Sunday to say they had been affected by the fires.

“We now know the damage is indeed significant and devastating – many structures are partly or completely gone. We do not know about the entirety of the property as we are still unable to gain access due to the mandatory evacuation still in place,” the team wrote.

This past Sunday night, Camp JCA Shalom held a gathering at de Toledo High School in West Hills to provide comfort to those who lost their homes and summer camps in the fires.

The camps are owned by Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“The location will be a different and temporary one, but we will be together this summer. There will be camp. Then, we will rebuild. Hess Kramer and Hilltop will endure,” Camp Kramer wrote.

Jewish Summer Camps Destroyed By Woolsey Fire Read More »

Community Gathers in Response to JCA Fire Losses

Leave a Comment / Online /
Photo by Aaron Bandler

Camp JCA Shalom, a program of the Shalom Institute is just one of the institute’s camps that is reeling from the fires that have ravaged Southern California since Thursday. Camp Hess Kramer also suffered extensive damage.

On Sunday, Nov. 11, Camp JCA Shalom held a community gathering at de Toledo High School in West Hills. It was an opportunity for people to come together, to grieve and support one another.

Attendees of all ages linked arms to sing camp favorites including, “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Lean on Me,” and to talk about their reactions to the fire.

Camp Director Joel Charnick told the packed auditorium of close to 100 people that while the full extent of the damage to the campsite has yet to be determined, “the news is not good. It’s a substantial amount of damage. It’s devastating.”

Charnick said the camp was evacuated early on the morning of Nov. 9. They managed to take all the animals, the Torah scrolls and some other equipment with them.  

Charnick said one of the Torah scrolls was similar to a tree he had been looking at before the camp grounds were evacuated. The tree had survived numerous fires, just like the Torah scroll had survived the Holocaust.

“Do we feel safe in our homes? Do we feel safe in our synagogues? Do we feel safe at all? We’re all a little bit more vulnerable.” — Jay Sanderson

And just like that tree and that Torah scroll, Charnick said the community would survive. He predicted that in 30 years, people wouldn’t be talking about the fire. “We’ll be talking about how our community came together and overcame,” he said.

Shalom Institute Executive Director Rabbi Bill Kaplan told attendees that personnel had gone to the campsite at 3 a.m. on Nov. 9 after the call for voluntary evacuations went out, and “moved into action” at 6 a.m. after they heard the fire had jumped the 101 Freeway.

Kaplan was confident that they would be back at the campsite shortly thereafter, but sheriff’s deputies called on everyone to evacuate. Decker Canyon was in flames shortly thereafter. “It was scary,” Kaplan said.

He thanked staff for helping with the evacuations and called the outpouring of support from all over the world “amazing. We will rebuild, we will come back,” Kaplan said.

Gil Breakman, president of the Shalom Institute, reminded everyone that despite the devastation, “Camp is not about buildings. It’s about community. For as long as I’ve been involved, the camp has never needed a community and a board like they need [it] today,” Breakman said.

Jewish Federation President and CEO Jay Sanderson noted how the past couple of weeks have been tough for the Jewish community, especially in light of the Tree of Life synagogue shootings on Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh. “Do we feel safe in our homes? Do we feel safe in our synagogues? Do we feel safe at all?” Sanderson asked. “We’re all a little bit more vulnerable.”

Sanderson also reminded everyone that “at the end of the day, our lives are around the people we know and the people we love,” particularly those at Camp JCA Shalom.

He went on to say that eventually the time will come to transition from grieving to dreaming. “If you close your eyes and you dream about what camp could really be with a brand new kitchen and brand new bunks, this is the beginning of the next chapter of JCA Shalom, he said.

The Federation, he concluded, “plans to be in the front seat of the car that drives this camp to the next destination.”

Community Gathers in Response to JCA Fire Losses Read More »

Weekend Chuppah in the Midst of a Fire

Leave a Comment / Community /

As the Woolsey fire ravaged Malibu on Nov. 9, Lindsey Cooper and Laura Berman’s plans for their wedding, set to take place on the evening of Nov. 10 at Point Dume Beach near their Malibu home, literally went up in smoke.

Making last-minute adjustments, Cooper, 28, and Berman, 31, went ahead with their wedding and exchanged vows on the beach in Santa Monica on the evening of Nov. 10, instead.

“In the midst of the fires that burned, there was something poetic about being with two people whose love burned so brightly as the sun was setting,” Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami, who married the couple, told the Journal.

Cooper and Berman’s love story has been a roller-coaster ride, so the Santa Monica Pier Amusement Park was a fitting background for their nuptials. They shared their first kiss welcoming 2014 on New Year’s Eve, started texting nine months later (Los Angeles-native Berman moved to New York for grad school) and didn’t officially become a couple until the spring of 2015. Cooper, who grew up in Toronto, was living in Los Angeles and for months, the couple was unable to sync their schedules.

They spent a year in a long-distance relationship before Berman moved back to Los Angeles. In May, Berman proposed, surrounded by their families, in Palm Springs. They quickly began planning their perfect wedding for six months later.

But on the morning of Nov. 9, they were forced to evacuate their Malibu home, 24 hours before their nuptials. They quickly called their families and their wedding planner, and then headed to Berman’s family’s home in Encino.

“In the midst of the fires that burned, there was something poetic about being with two people whose love burned so brightly as the sun was setting.” — Rabbi Paul Kipnes

It took Cooper, who drove with her sister, five hours to get there. Berman, who said she took short cuts, still couldn’t make the drive in under three hours. In addition, cell service was spotty, so there was almost no communication. Yet, there was so much to do. Wedding guests who were flying in from around the country and Canada, needed an alternative place to stay. And the couple needed a new ceremony location.

As Berman and Cooper were stuck in gridlocked traffic with others escaping the fires, their families came together, re-planned their rehearsal dinner, found places for guests to stay and figured out where to host their wedding.

“They planned a better wedding for us than we planned in six months,” Berman said.

“My stepsister, who had a baby five weeks ago, coordinated a new rehearsal dinner,” Cooper added. “It was the first time our siblings, parents and grandparents were going to be able to be together, and that was one of the most important things for us.”

By the time Cooper arrived at Berman’s family’s home after her long drive, Berman was in the swimming pool. “I took my shoes off and jumped in the pool,” Cooper said, “and I gave her the biggest hug and kiss and I was crying. And everything was pretty much figured out.”

“That’s the story of our relationship,” Berman added. “We had so many people in our corner; our families and friends are constantly showing up for us.”

“It’s that, and it’s God,” Cooper added.

“It was the most perfect wedding I could have imagined,” Berman said. “I was so happy and present, I had the best time of my life. And I think if I had had it in Malibu, and it had gone the way we [planned], I would never have had as much fun or as beautiful an experience. Everything fell apart and came together in the way it was supposed to.”

In the mad scramble to pull off the wedding, the couple forgot their wedding rings. But during the ceremony, a friend slipped off her own rings and ran them up to the couple.

Kipnes said despite all the rearranging, it was a joyous event. “I wish you could have seen the look on the faces of these two wonderful young people,” he said. “It didn’t matter where they were, because they had each other.”

The feeling was mutual. Cooper and Berman posted under one of their wedding pictures: “We are the luckiest to have an incredible family and rabbi that made our wedding even more beautiful than we could have planned!”

Weekend Chuppah in the Midst of a Fire Read More »

Families Open Their Homes to Fire Evacuees

Leave a Comment / Online /

As fires raged through Southern California, thousands of families had to evacuate their homes, and many in the Jewish community stepped up to provide shelter and support.

Among those who opened their home were Sherman Oaks resident Elizabeth Yung, her husband and her three children, ages 5, 11 and 13.

The Yungs took in Westlake Village residents Sonja Hillman Suchy, her husband, her 13-year-old step-daughter, her mother and the family’s cat and dog.  

Yung was checking Facebook on the evening of Nov. 8, when she saw a post from their Rabbi Sarah Hronsky at Temple Beth Hillel that said, “If anybody needs assistance with some place to stay, please get in touch with me and I’ll help.”

This, despite the fact that the Hronsky’s were dealing with their own problems. Hronsky’s husband is Yuri Hronsky, who is the head of Ilan Ramon Day School, which suffered major damage in the fires.  

When Hillman Suchy posted that they needed a place to stay, with Hronsky’s post in mind, the Yungs quickly invited them to stay.

“My little one is bunked up with us and they are taking his room and the living room,” Yung said. “My daughter is having a great time, because she has a friend now with her.”

Despite the close quarters, Yung said, “It’s a mitzvah, and I know [Hillman Suchy] would do the same for me too.”

“We are part of the Nashuva community. Everything about the way we think is tikkun olam. That’s how we look at life and how we raised our children.” — Wendy Altman Cohen

 

When news of the fire started to spread on Nov. 8, Santa Monica resident Wendy Altman Cohen reached out to friends she thought might need a place to stay.

One of her good friends, Cherryl Goldstein, lives in Thousand Oaks. Altman Cohen texted her around 10:30 p.m. to see if she and her son, Evan, needed to evacuate.

“My initial instinct was, ‘Are you OK?,’” Altman Cohen told the Journal. “As soon as [Cherryl] wrote back her comment was, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘Come here.’ ”

The two texted back and forth until 1 a.m. but Goldstein said she was OK for the night. However, when Altman Cohen woke up the morning of Nov. 9 and saw the extent of the fires, she texted Goldstein again. This time, Goldstein responded they were on their way.

“She brought her son, herself and a mini-van full of stuff,” Altman Cohen said. “What was really nice was when she and her son went to sleep on Friday night, they felt safe and secure,” she added. The Goldsteins headed back home on Nov. 11 with supplies.

Opening her home, Altman Cohen said, was the most natural thing she could do. “I grew up in a Jewish household in New York, and we are part of the Nashuva community. Everything about the way we think is Tikkun Olam. That’s how we look at life and how we raised our children.”

Families Open Their Homes to Fire Evacuees Read More »

Third Fire Starts in Simi Valley Area, AJU Safe

Leave a Comment / Online /

The Peak Fire, a third fire in the Los Angeles area is forcing people in their cars to turn around, driving the opposite direction on the 118 freeway.

The California Highway Patrol has shut down the 118 in the area and Metrolink has shut down its service between Simi Valley and Chatsworth.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, an immediate evacuation was ordered in the unincorporated L.A. County areas of Box Canyon and Lake Manor.

The fire has blazed at least 20 acres of land and is currently contained at 105 acres.

So far the American Jewish University Brandeis-Bardin campus is safe. Vice President, Enrollment Management & Marketing Joanna Gerber told the Journal that, “Our campus and everyone on it, including staff and livestock, are currently safe and accounted for.”

“We are currently monitoring the situation very closely and in constant contact with our partners in emergency services/law enforcement. We have not been asked to evacuate at this time and will closely follow any instructions from local law enforcement should that situation change,” Gerber said.

CBS L.A. also said that Ventura County fire officials initially named the Peak Fire the Rocky Fire, because they incorrectly reported that it had broken out near Rocky Peak.

This story will be updated.

UPDATE: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. to describe the growth of the fire.

Third Fire Starts in Simi Valley Area, AJU Safe Read More »

Marvel Legend Stan Lee, Dies at 95

Leave a Comment / Entertainment /

Stan Lee, the legendary writer and publisher of Marvel Comics has died. He was 95.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, he died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

An attorney for Lee’s daughter, J.C. Lee, confirmed.

“We at Stan Lee’s Lee POW! Entertainment are saddened by the loss of our friend and mentor Stan Lee, the father of pop culture. His passing today marks a devastating and painful moment in time, but the legacy of Stan Lee, through his creative genius and his universes of characters, will continue to reach the world of true believers for generations to come,” Shane Duffy, CEO of Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, said in a statement.

Stanley Martin Lieber was born on December 28, 1922, born to Jewish-Romanian parents in New York. He started in the book business in 1939 working on small pulp-fiction magazines. By the 1950s, he started co-creating many “flawed-humanity” iconic superheroes including Black Panther, Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man.

Since the merger with Disney, Lee’s made 56 cameos in the Marvel Universe dating back to the live-action TV movie, “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk” in 1989 and “X-Men” in 2000.

Marvel Legend Stan Lee, Dies at 95 Read More »