As someone who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family and environment, attended Jewish kindergarten and day school from age two to 17, and then attended a learning-intensive girls seminary (also known as midreshah) for a year before starting UCLA, I…
Meet Elana Shushan and her family, the new JAM arrivals
The sound of excited three-year-old confabulation came from behind the door of the second-story Jewish Awareness Movement apartment before it opened to reveal Elana Shushan, wearing a bright smile and a brightly colored orange turban. The preschooler was Tsofia, who…
Kosher Korner: Strawberry (and Banana) Fluff
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have much time to fuss in the kitchen when it comes close to the end of the quarter. Long marathons of writing papers and studying take their caloric toll, though, so, unless…
Interfaith Shabbat and confronting dialogue
This past Friday night, February 5, Hillel at UCLA hosted “Interfaith Shabbat,” an evening with programming for non-Jewish visitors interested in learning about Judaism and Shabbat and/or building rapport with Jewish students. The evening began with a choice of Orthodox…
Kosher Korner: homemade falafel
With the 2016 presidential elections heating up and recent political divisiveness on campus, it’s nice to find something that everyone can agree on, like the need for immigration reform, the need for better management of public transit in LA, and…
California’s End of Life Option Act and the value of dignity
The End of Life Option Act was recently passed in the California legislature and signed into law by Governor Brown to great anticipation on behalf of euthanasia and assisted suicide advocates, as well as many patients with terminal illnesses. It…
Taste of Torah: Spices instead of tar, and faith in details
This week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, begins the narrative of Joseph and his brothers and contains some of the most dramatic episodes in the Torah. Vayeshev opens with rivalry between Joseph and ten of Jacob’s other sons over Jacob’s apparent favoritism of Joseph and…
Kosher Korner: Soul-warming onion soup
As the weather turns cooler, it’s nice to enjoy some hot, comforting soul food. To me, a rich onion soup is the peak of comfort and definitely something to anticipate at the end of a long, windy day spent trudging…
Obama taps Golem in North Korean nuclear situation
SEOUL — Under pressure to resolve the growing threat from North Korean nuclear missiles, the White House declared Sunday that it would seek “creative solutions to counter the serious threat to national security.” Just how creative those “solutions” may be…
A free man, a rabbi, and a detective: the continuing mystery behind the murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger
The mystery that began the murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger continues as the man convicted of the crime was released last month after being deemed “not guilty.” In 1991, David Ranta was convicted of attempted robbery and murder of a…