“I very frequently hear from people: ‘I’m so glad that you do what you do…even though I hate all of it…because I wouldn’t know what’s happening [in my community] if I didn’t [read your articles]. I wouldn’t be able to…
The Tabernacle and the freedom to serve
The freedom to practice the religion of one’s choosing is of paramount importance to modern-day Americans. It is not a right to be taken for granted, since historically, it was often not afforded to people. However, our modern emphasis on…
SSI invites South African speakers for apartheid lecture
In light of week four’s Palestinian Awareness Week, in which Students for Justice in Palestine set up their annual “Apartheid Wall” comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South African apartheid, Students Supporting Israel (SSI) teamed up with StandWIthUs on Feb.…
Can Hillel really be the center of Jewish student life for all Jewish students?
The Zionist (and anti-Zionist) public eye has recently been focused on the Open Hillel movement. Open Hillel is an organization that promotes pluralism of ideas and political opinions within the Jewish community and encourages organizations, such as Hillel, that lead…
The Western Wall wails
The Titanic of Today Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994) of righteous memory, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the seventh and last leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, never visited Israel. He also never gave a definitive reason as to why. Legend…
Interfaith Shabbat and confronting dialogue
This past Friday night, February 5, Hillel at UCLA hosted “Interfaith Shabbat,” an evening with programming for non-Jewish visitors interested in learning about Judaism and Shabbat and/or building rapport with Jewish students. The evening began with a choice of Orthodox…
Taste of Torah: Slavery and societal development
One of the many beauties of studying Torah is tracing an idea to its origins thousands of years ago and seeing its final effect in our society. This week’s parshah (Torah portion), Mishpatim, opens with the laws of treatment of Hebrew slaves. The…
Kosher Korner: homemade falafel
With the 2016 presidential elections heating up and recent political divisiveness on campus, it’s nice to find something that everyone can agree on, like the need for immigration reform, the need for better management of public transit in LA, and…
Rock in the Red Zone: a reflection
On Wednesday, January 20, I had the opportunity to attend an on-campus screening of Rock in the Red Zone, a documentary directed and produced by Laura Bialis. The documentary chronicles the experiences of Bialis as she moves to the Israeli city…
DJ Khaled: The Jewish keys to success
“Time to take the elevator up to the Most High.” “Bless up.” “Lets see what Chef Dee got for breakfast: egg whites, turkey sausage and water!” “Bless up.” “Key to more success is water.” Unless you have been living in…