Alex Rubel
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Addition by Subtraction

In high school, I remember my algebra teacher used to tell our class: “to subtract a number, add its opposite.” At the time, I appreciated the advice only for its cliched simplicity. As I got older, this statement stuck with…

New Year, Still The Same Old

Not again. As we gear up for the start of winter quarter amid a nationwide spike in Omicron cases, most UCLA students may also be experiencing symptoms of déjà vu. Memories of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic gather…

Jewish World Series

There is a famous scene in the 1980s classic film Airplane, where an elderly woman asks the flight attendant for some “light reading.”  Cleverly, the flight attendant hands her back a leaflet titled “famous Jewish sports legends.”  From actors to…

COVID Aliyah

In August 2020, despite global lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the rampant spread of COVID-19, I had the unique opportunity to take a gap year and study at a yeshiva, a program for post-high school students to pursue Judaic studies in…