From Darkness to Light: UCLA’s Oct 7 Memorial
Leonard Cohen once wrote, “there’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” It’s impossible to find a silver lining on the anniversary of the deadliest massacre of Jews since…
The Hunt for LA’s Best Kosher Challah
By Jonas Holdaway, Jacob Pearl, and Alex Rubel “Let them eat Challah” — a French…
Are Gen-Z ‘Activists’ Protesting or Performing?
In the sweltering summer of 1983, Seneca Falls, New York—a town steeped in the legacy…
From Darkness to Light: UCLA’s Oct 7 Memorial
Leonard Cohen once wrote, “there’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” It’s impossible to find a silver lining on the anniversary of the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Shoah. But UCLA’s community is a source…
The Hunt for LA’s Best Kosher Challah
By Jonas Holdaway, Jacob Pearl, and Alex Rubel “Let them eat Challah” — a French princess once famously opined. For us, the real question is: which one? To find out, our team took to the Jewish neighborhoods of Los Angeles…
No Room for Israel: How the “Drop Hillel” Movement Misses the Mark on Judaism
Since 1923, Hillel has been a safe haven for Jewish students where they can worship, learn, grow, and have a Jewish space away from home. As the largest Jewish organization serving college campuses, Hillel has been there for Jews throughout…
Are Gen-Z ‘Activists’ Protesting or Performing?
In the sweltering summer of 1983, Seneca Falls, New York—a town steeped in the legacy of women’s rights—once again became a crucible of protest. Ten thousand women from around the world set up camp there, where they would remain for…
From Shul to the Polls: Ha’Am’s Election Day Playlist
Political pundits and undergraduate students have dubbed today, “the most important election in recent memory.” From multiple assassination attempts to Biden stepping down before the convention to never looking at cats the same way, it’s been a whirlwind campaign season.…
Combating Antisemitism: A Bipartisan Failure
In a year where violent anti-Israel protests have dominated the news, any Presidential candidate would hypothetically be jumping at the chance to win over the most targeted group: Jewish voters. For the past century, American Jews have consistently voted Democratic.…
Dear Undecided Jewish Voters…
With the most pivotal election of our times rapidly approaching, you’d think everyone would be sprinting to cast their ballots come November 5th. This sadly couldn’t be further from the truth. The majority of Jewish students I come across are…
Inclusivity Excluded: Disabled, Jewish Student Highlights Lack of Accommodation at Cultural Affairs Event
In a room with a sign proudly proclaiming ‘no isms/phobias,’ one student found herself excluded for precisely the thing the event vowed to fight against, ableism. But for a disabled Jewish student, this wasn’t just ironic; it was routine. On…
Protesters Defy UC-wide Encampment Ban as Ben Shapiro Event Sparks Controversy at UCLA
Just months after a UC-wide ban on encampments, anti-Israel students at UCLA set up tents in Dickinson Court North at 6:30 pm on Oct. 21, alongside a Gaza solidarity Sukkah— a religious structure that traditionally commemorates the Jewish exodus from…
The Evolution of the Rophe: How the Power of Healing Transfers from God to Man in Jewish Tradition
As the followers of the world’s first monotheistic religion, the Israelites placed resolute emphasis on God’s omnipotence, especially within the domain of healing. The descendants of ancient Israel continued to observe Hebrew law and tradition, but refined their interpretations of…
Four Jewish Students Banned from ‘Fuck Your Bans’ Event
By Bella Brannon and Mia Toubian, Cover Image by Grace Overman UCLA’s Cultural Affairs Commission promotes its open mic series as “inclusive,” but if you wear a Jewish star, you may be barred at the door. On October 23, four…
New Anti-Israel Encampment Takes Form of Sukkah
By Benjamin (Benjie) Katz and Samantha Reavis At approximately 9 AM, Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA announced via Instagram their Sukkah and encampment for Palestine. While the sukkah is traditionally a temporary structure dedicated to commemorating the…
A Father’s Fight: Yehuda Cohen’s Plea for Peace on the Anniversary of His Son’s Kidnapping
On October 7, 2024, the anniversary of his son’s kidnapping, Yehuda Cohen wasn’t laying low or grieving in silence. Instead, he was speaking to Americans, urging them to push for a ceasefire. He says that this is the only way…
Art Gone Wrong: A Case for the Role of Women in Orthodox Judaism
On September 21, 2024, I eagerly woke up for the first Shabbat of the academic year, excited to attend Hillel’s Shabbat services organized by the OU-JLIC branch. After the morning prayers, I headed to the OKT lunch room for the…
A Letter to the Friends I’ve Lost Since October 7
To the friends I’ve lost since October 7— my childhood best friend, a high school love, the girl who introduced me to my favorite band, among others. I never imagined that a day would come when I would have to…
My Father’s Restaurant
Nagila Pizza, located on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles, holds a place of prominence among kosher pizza establishments across the United States. For me, it’s more than just a renowned restaurant; it’s a cherished part of my upbringing linked to…
Finding ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ in Seoul: A Moment of Jewish Unity Abroad
September 14, 2024 was a hot, yet incredibly humid day in Seoul, South Korea: I am surrounded by buses, lights, and cheerful conversation. I nervously navigated to the infamous Gwanghwamun station, a station known to be the home of countless…
Satire: Ha’Am Recognizes Rabbi Linda Goldstein for Inaugural Tikkun Olam Award
Written by Bella Brannon and Jonathan Cohn. Ha’Am recognizes Rabbi Linda Goldstein as our inaugural Tikkun Olam award recipient. Rabbi Linda Goldstein, the renowned Chief Rabbi of Gaza and advisor of Jewish “Issues” to Ismali Haniyyeh, represents a region flourishing…
World Arts and Cultures Department Displays Pro-Hamas Artwork: Jewish Student Perspectives on Their Culture’s Exclusion
World Arts and Cultures (WAC) at UCLA prides itself on establishing a community that embraces diversity. However, within the halls of Kaufman, the home of WAC, laid a more sinister display. Laden in the central walkway for all eyes to…
Opinion: UCLA SJP Post Implies Violence Against All Israelis
As of this morning, UCLA’s SJP chapter has posted a series of screenshots to their Instagram story originally posted by the account savesheikhjarrahnow. One post reads that “the notion of a good ‘Israeli’ settler is every bit as absurd and…
Satire: Keyboard Warriors Unite, From Overnight Geopolitical Gurus to Dancefloor Diplomats
Following the UCLA administration’s not-so-stellar handling of pro-Palestinian encampments, any organization with a keyboard saw a golden opportunity to appear well-informed by issuing statements of solidarity. By the magic of copy-paste from Instagram’s finest, these groups transformed overnight into geopolitical…
My College Dream Turned Nightmare
“College is going to be the best four years of your life.” When I was in high school, I had heard this statement countless times and spent my senior year envisioning what the next chapter of my life would look…
Free Exercise from Smith to Fulton
Not long ago, if you were to survey religious liberty litigators regarding the biggest obstacle to defending religious liberty, many would have pointed to a Supreme Court case called Employment Division v. Smith. In Smith, the Supreme Court determined that…
Unraveling Unity: How Chaos Won at Universities
When was the last time you defended something that you believed in? Was it discussing dinner with your partner? Perhaps talking about an upcoming election or standing up for a friend in need? Now, think about why you defended it. Was…
Satire: Statements by Student Organizations Provide Moral Clarity, Actionable Solutions for UCLA and the Middle East
Notes: This story is inspired by recent events in the larger world and on campus. The situation in this story is not meant to resemble any one entity in particular. The views expressed in this post reflect the views of…
Opinion: Good Discussion Requires Good History
Rational discussion about the Israeli-Palestine conflict has been overridden by morally loaded language that hinders achieving productive dialogue. The rise of social media and the subsequent spreading of misinformation has exacerbated this problem. Morally loaded language such as “apartheid”, “settler-colonialism”,…
At UCLA, Waving the White Flag Turned Campus Dark
Image captured by Hailey Zill Oscar Wilde once famously said: “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he’ll tell you the truth.” Late on Tuesday night, April 30, precisely such a…
From Shoah to Our Shelves: Nazi-Looted Books at UCLA
Since 2021, UCLA Jewish and Israel Studies Librarian Dr. Diane Mizrachi has been uncovering Nazi-looted books in the UCLA Library collection. While the repatriation of Nazi-looted art has been a subject of debate, there has been a dearth of academic…
Believe Israeli Women
Recently, Amit Soussanna, an Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th, held hostage for 55 days, and eventually released as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, said that a Hamas terrorist raped her at gunpoint.…
“The Place”
Growing up, I attended Jewish day school where I interacted with Jewish wisdom, community, and culture on a daily basis. Since coming to UCLA I have felt more distant from the Jewish community and have had to define what Judaism…
Opinion- An Encampment of Ignorance
Written by Bella Brannon and Adam Thaw There’s something almost too ironic for jest about setting up a faux refugee camp in a city where 75,000 face homelessness, miles away from Rodeo Drive. As of this morning, UCLA’s SJP has…
Melodies of Memory: Inna Faliks’ Tribute to Jewish Heritage
Jewish pianist, composer, writer, and professor Inna Faliks continues to highlight themes of collaboration and unity in her artistic output. Immigrating from antisemitic persecution and violence in the Soviet Union’s Ukraine to Chicago, Faliks was musically gifted from a young…
Purim 5784: Our place in Jewish history
Upon a surface-level study of Megillat Esther, one quickly realizes that the Scroll of Esther — read twice a year on the evening and morning of the Purim holiday — is a book unlike any other in our literary canon.…
Jewish Pride at the Bayit
The resurgence of rampant antisemitism has clouded the Jewish community’s experiences, thoughts and conversations. This shift has been felt on UCLA’s campus, where some UCLA Jewish students feel uncomfortable to publically share aspects of their Jewish identity. Just this month,…
Upon Three Things…
There is a classic Jewish teaching that has become mainstream to such an extent that, I believe, it rarely gets the full contemplation it deserves. Yet, in our current day and age, when many of society’s building blocks are being…
Opinion: Unmasking Antisemitism Expressed by USAC’s Cultural Affairs Commissioner
Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo encourages protesters to wear masks to conceal their identity but doesn’t try to hide antisemitic sentiments in social media posts made on their UCLA-affiliated social media account. USAC’s Cultural Affairs Commissioner should represent the cultures…
“Ben Gurion Looks at the Bible” Holds Wisdom for the Current Chapter of the Jewish Story
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, was a socialist who rejected the Marxist belief that all important struggles are economic. Rather than believing that religion, nationalism, and moral ideals obscure economic struggles, he saw intellectual and moral struggle as important…
On Campus, Jewish Students Now Confront the Quintessential “Covenant of Fate”
When he delivered his essay Kol Dodi Dofek to an audience of American Jews on the eighth anniversary of Yom Ha’atzmaut in 1956, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik formulated his vision of post-1948 religious Zionism by referencing the terrors of Treblinka,…
Daily Bruin Investigation on Israel Rally Reveals Bias
Written by Bella Brannon and Adam Thaw On January 16th, the Daily Bruin published a front-page article titled “Documents reveal details behind planning process of Bruins for Israel rally.” The title suggests a grand exposè. Language describing a “deep search”…
The Language of Hate: Confronting Antisemitism at UCLA
Never again is now. For almost three excruciating months, we as Bruins have sat idly by and witnessed the delegitimization, implicit praise, and neutrality to the horrors of October 7th, where Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel and slaughtered, kidnapped, raped, tortured,…
Am Yisrael Chai- UCLA Jewish Community Stands Together Amidst Terror Attacks in Israel
This article contains information about the attacks in Israel. For those who wish to avoid recounting the events of the past few days, or have lost friends and family, we recommend you stop here. ———— On the 50th anniversary of the…
Bruin Bash on Yom Kippur
Growing up attending Jewish day schools, I never had to worry about choosing between my education and my Judaism. While my friends in public schools stressed about missing classes in order to attend High Holiday services, I had days off…