The Occupation We Choose to Ignore

For thousands of years, my ancestors referred to an arid strip of desert land as our home. Our language bespoke the pain and joy of our national history. We practiced the religion of our ancestors, and we organized our society…

SJP and StandWithUs team up to cool campus climate ;)

Had my only contact with Palestine Awareness Week been the formulaic reactions offered by Tammy Rubin and USAC President Emily Resnick, I would have tread carefully across Bruinwalk the following Monday, wary of falling into the gaping wounds in our…

March 11: UCLA Center for Jewish Studies brings Jewish music to campus

Proudly presents a Recital of Jewish and Jewish-themed Music   Performed by members of the UCLA voice and instrumental departments, as well as members of the UCLA Chorale                                     Concert will include works by Maurice Ravel, Lazar Weiner, Leonard Bernstein,…

Israel in the Media – Two Brief Reviews

Stepping into the fray of a debate about the Middle East is always a nerve-racking experience. Tensions run high, and well-meant words can easily be misconstrued. Despite this, I would like to pass comment on two articles relating to Israel…

The Jewish Casualties of Adler’s Assassination Comments

The Atlanta Jewish Times is looking for a new owner. The reason? Its founder and original publisher, Andrew Adler, is facing investigation by the FBI and United States Secret Service. In a piece dated January 13th, 2012, Adler decried the…

Orthodox Judaism in the western world: a harmonic business deal

Businessmen Steven Spira and Paul Cohen address a roomful of students at the JAM building at UCLA. (photo by Tessa Nath) Observant Judaism and the modern world are not always seen as a completely cohesive pair; people often equate the…

Comments on retraction of Israeli expatriate ads

Last month, a set of advertisements aimed at encouraging the return of Israelis living abroad, were removed from the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption’s YouTube channel. As a part of a resolution adopted by the government in 2010, these advertisements…

J Street Director Comes to UCLA

On Monday, J Street U at UCLA kicked off  the quarter with a discussion with Jeremy Ben-Ami — former presidential adviser and president of J Street. The presentation consisted of a summary of J Street’s policies and a Q&A session with students,…

Survivors’ Message Immortalized Through Storytelling

Leon Weinstein and his daughter Natalie Gold Lumer in a loving embrace. (photo by Clifford Lester/Jewish Journal)A 101 year-old man died on December 28th, 2011 in his bedroom in the early hours of the morning. His daughter, a phone call…

Free Speech, Social Media, and how we can all stand up to Twitter terror

Social media is quickly becoming the lifeblood of all communication, permanently altering the way people connect. Trendsetting behemoths such as Facebook and Twitter permeate every nook and cranny of our virtual and corporeal lives, saturating every fiber of human interaction…