Bella Brannon

Editor-In-Chief

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Bella is the Editor-in-Chief of Ha'Am, and is a Junior studying Public Affairs, Religion, and Digital Humanities. As an author, Bella is interested in Jewish punk rock, religious liberty law, and Jewish thought.

Too Both for Either

The Israel-Palestine conflict is often presented as a zero-sum game, an existential struggle between Jews and Arabs dating back to 1948. As the son of an “off-the-derech” (secular) Arab Muslim and an Ashkenazi Jew from Pennsylvania, and as a student…

Satire- Six Additions to Your Seder Plate to Prove Your Moral Superiority 

Passover is a time for celebrating our freedom, ancient rituals… and reminding everyone at the table that you’re spiritually evolved and ethically advanced in ways they could only hope to be. So, why stop at the traditional Seder plate? I’m…

Opinion: UCLA Must Enforce SJP’s Suspension—Not Just on Paper

This weekend, UCLA recommended an indefinite ban for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) following their suspension. However, if the university continues to fail to impose consequences on students who violate the rules, the ban will remain nothing more than…

Anti-Israel Demonstrators Occupy and Vandalize Engineering Building During Finals Week

This morning, UCLA Palestine affinity groups called for the “occupation” of the Engineering IV building, stating their intent to rename it the Adnan Al-Bursh Liberated Zone after a Palestinian orthopedic surgeon who died in an Israeli prison in April 2024.…

Bridging Faiths, Defending Truth: Christian Zionists in the Emerson Fellowship

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” The Christian, StandWithUs Emerson Fellows are not just friends of the Jewish people; they are bound by a deeper recognition…

Jewish Values, American Ideals: A Shared Legacy of Liberty

In Judaism, it is a commandment to thank one’s hosts in the Birkat Hamazon prayer after a meal. Between Friday night meals with my honored Rebbetzin, my roommate’s homemade soup when I was sick, and the hospitality of strangers who…

Statement by Bella Brannon and Eli Tsives on the Resignation of Alicia Verdugo

By Bella Brannon and Eli Tsives Restoring a truly inclusive campus climate requires accountability and Alicia Verdugo’s resignation is a step towards that goal. While she has framed her departure on their own terms, the reality is that her tenure…

Statement by Bella Brannon and Eli Tsives on the Resignation of Alicia Verdugo

By Bella Brannon and Eli Tsives Restoring a truly inclusive campus climate requires accountability and Alicia Verdugo’s resignation is a step towards that goal. While she has framed her departure on their own terms, the reality is that her tenure…

Satire: Everything I Don’t Like Is a Nazi

Orwell said it best: “The word Fascism has no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable.’” Some call his prophetic wisdom a societal indictment, but I call it mighty convenient. If someone has a point I…

Our 2025 Ins and Outs

By Bella Brannon and Megan Freeman Ha’Am is saying “chai” to 2025 with our list of 18 ins and outs for the new year, curated by Bella and Megan. In Out