Portrait of Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller in his Hillel office at URC, a selection from “Looking for a Rabbi: Photographs by Shelley Gazin, 1999-2001.” (Copyright 2015. Shelley Gazin. All Rights Reserved.) _______________ Some would start a farewell address to Rabbi Chaim…
Poem: “I wear this dot on my head”
I wear this dot on my head because I exist in an ever-elapsing ellipsis which began on the head of that mountain Sinai when we heard Moses sigh n’ I cried ‘I will do and I will listen’ and we…
Taste of Torah: the importance of being distinct
Our Torah reading this week is the combined parshiyot of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. Acharei Mot begins by recalling the tragic death of two of Aaron’s sons, which was recounted a few chapters prior: “And the Lord spoke to Moses…
The zionist imperative of Passover
This week we celebrate the festival of Passover. If asked on the spot what the point of the holiday is, you would probably respond “to commemorate the redemption from Egyptian bondage.” This interaction is reenacted on the Seder night: The…
The persistent stream of Jewish sectarianism
Hinduism has been compared to the Ganges River, for it has been flowing and evolving over many centuries. In order to extend this metaphor to Judaism, one would need to alter it slightly. Judaism is best compared to the river…
Seville and Civility: The necessity of reforming Jewish-Muslim relations on campus
A history of symbolic violence It does not appear coincidental that a recent rise in rhetoric leveled against Jews across the world has coincided with a devaluation of the term anti-Semitism. Jews often use the term not only to describe…
Taste of Torah: Constructing a permanently portable sanctuary
Written by Moshe Kahn, Ha’Am staff writer This week’s Torah portion, Terumah (Exodus 25:1 – 27:19), recounts the instructions for the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). This portable sanctuary was the focal point of Jewish communal activity until the permanent…
Thought Lounge: resuscitating a tradition of dialogue
One of our richest cultural inheritances is the Talmud. Its roughly 6,200 pages consists of rabbinic folklore, customs, history, ethics, philosophy and law, oftentimes moving between these topics in the span of a sentence. Since I went to private Jewish…
Batsheva Dance Company at Royce Hall: dancing with the ground, falling to the stars
The chitter-chatter dies abruptly. The lights dim, except for up front. If you are not in your seat, rush back to it. Make sure your cell phone is shut off, or at least set to silent mode. You’ve probably forgotten…
Activists are out of line #FromFergusonToPalestine
The past month has been challenging for both our UCLA community and our nation at large. On our campus, tensions flared between the pro-Israel and anti-Israel communities as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel surfaced at both the…