United we stand; and why we’ll never fall
As I made myself some tea and schmoozed at the coffee station after Shabbat lunch this week, I heard a surprising announcement. “Let’s take a moment of silence to honor the people we lost in today’s tragedy.” I waited for…
Candlelight vigil for Pittsburgh synagogue shooting held at Federal Building
Jews and people of other faiths gathered at the Federal Building at the intersection of Veteran Avenue and Gayley Avenue Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil in solidarity with the Pittsburgh Jewish community after 11 people were killed in a…
Rabbi Menachem Schrader on Vayera: Maturation is a Part of the Experience
Rabbi Menachem Schrader studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshiva University. He has a BA in Philosophy from YU, an MA in History from NYU, and received his Smicha from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In the year 2000 he…
U.S. Representative Brad Sherman on Israel and SJP: Interview by Grayson Peters
Congressman Brad Sherman is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California’s 30th Congressional District. Congressman Sherman is Jewish, a member of Encino’s Valley Beth Shalom synagogue, and a strong advocate for Israel. As a Congressman,…
12 Best Kosher Foods to Buy at Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s is well known for their healthy and cheap options, but in the Jewish world, they are well-known for the large variety of Kosher and pareve products on their shelves. With such a wide variety, here are a few…
The Impossible Kosher Cheese Burger
A cheese burger – the quintessential non-Kosher food. And now, it has arrived for the Kosher consumer. In late May, the Impossible Burger received Kosher supervision. The patty is a plant based meat substitute, which the company advertises as tasting,…
Taste of Torah: Vulcans, Kohanim and the “Thus shall you bless” in Nasso
photo by Alexander Mayer We are in Jerusalem in the year 600 BC. An old man walks up a narrow alley to speak to a scribe. As he looks up he can see the smoke rising from the holy alter in…
Hear Me Out: Thoughts about Thoughts about Israel and Palestine this Week
photo by Scott Clarkson A cursory glance at your Facebook over the past week might have yielded a stream of posts about the unprovoked Israeli murder of five dozen unarmed peaceful protestors in the Occupied Gaza Strip. Or perhaps you…
Don’t be misinformed by Algemeiner’s latest Jewish college rankings
Breaking news! UCLA was named 22nd worst college for Jewish students in the U.S. That’s what Algemeiner’s list of THE 40 WORST COLLEGES FOR JEWISH STUDENTS IN 2017 (which came out last week) ranked our school. us. In fact, pretty much all…