Bella Brannon

Editor-In-Chief

18 Articles0 Comments

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.

Satire: Ha’Am Recognizes Rabbi Linda Goldstein for Inaugural Tikkun Olam Award

Written by Bella Brannon and Jonathan Cohn. Ha’Am recognizes Rabbi Linda Goldstein as our inaugural Tikkun Olam award recipient.  Rabbi Linda Goldstein, the renowned Chief Rabbi of Gaza and advisor of Jewish “Issues” to Ismali Haniyyeh, represents a region flourishing…

Opinion: UCLA SJP Post Implies Violence Against All Israelis

As of this morning, UCLA’s SJP chapter has posted a series of screenshots to their Instagram story originally posted by the account savesheikhjarrahnow.  One post reads that “the notion of a good ‘Israeli’ settler is every bit as absurd and…

Free Exercise from Smith to Fulton 

Not long ago, if you were to survey religious liberty litigators regarding the biggest obstacle to defending religious liberty, many would have pointed to a Supreme Court case called Employment Division v. Smith. In Smith, the Supreme Court determined that…

Satire: Statements by Student Organizations Provide Moral Clarity, Actionable Solutions for UCLA and the Middle East 

Notes:  This story is inspired by recent events in the larger world and on campus. The situation in this story is not meant to resemble any one entity in particular. The views expressed in this post reflect the views of…

Letter from the Editor: UCLA, Jewish Community Must Stand Against Hatred

For months, the Jewish community has rightfully called out antisemitism on college campuses, such as swastika graffiti and widespread attacks on visibly Jewish students. As the Muslim and pro-Palestinian community faces overt hatred and physical violence, we must call it…

Opinion- An Encampment of Ignorance

Written by Bella Brannon and Adam Thaw There’s something almost too ironic for jest about setting up a faux refugee camp in a city where 75,000 face homelessness, miles away from Rodeo Drive.  As of this morning, UCLA’s SJP has…

Daily Bruin Investigation on Israel Rally Reveals Bias

Written by Bella Brannon and Adam Thaw On January 16th, the Daily Bruin published a front-page article titled “Documents reveal details behind planning process of Bruins for Israel rally.” The title suggests a grand exposè. Language describing a “deep search”…

SATIRE: World Peace at Last- UN Agrees that Israel is the Worst

Notes:  This story is inspired by current events. The situation in this story is exaggerated, and the quotes are created to be satirical. The views expressed in this post reflect the views of the author(s) and not UCLA or ASUCLA…

Opinion: Bin Laden Is the Latest TikTok Star. How Did We Get Here?

In the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, young people have taken to social media to show just how far down the rabbit hole they’ve gone.  Before this week, we could have granted plausible deniability to young people…

Satire: Student Rips Down Poster of Israeli Hostage, Frees Palestine

Notes:  This story is inspired by recent events in the larger world and on campus. The character and situation in this story are exaggerated and not meant to resemble any one student in particular.  The views expressed in this post…