Three Israelis and two Americans sat before a crowd of eager listeners in the Bruin Reception Room for a “Night of Unity,” an event hosted by Students Supporting Israel (SSI) and co-sponsored by nine other UCLA-affiliated organizations. Though different in…
Call me “Matan”
How a Chinese-American student became the face of Hebrew fluency at UCLA. I had been working on my Hebrew homework one day at Hillel when I heard someone speaking fluent Hebrew beside me. I turned my head and saw a…
Anti-Semitism and today’s desensitization
A few strokes of graphite, easily erased. Technically speaking, that’s all it was. My initial reaction upon finding a swastika drawn on my desk, where my Hebrew 1B class and other sections of Hebrew are held, was somewhat one of…
SSI invites South African speakers for apartheid lecture
In light of week four’s Palestinian Awareness Week, in which Students for Justice in Palestine set up their annual “Apartheid Wall” comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South African apartheid, Students Supporting Israel (SSI) teamed up with StandWIthUs on Feb.…
James Franco’s Bar Mitzvah: holy rite of passage or Hollywood fanfare?
It seems like every now and then, another Hollywood movie star steps into the Jewish spotlight. The most recent was actor James Franco, who announced his bar mitzvah ceremony through Instagram. Born to a Jewish mother, Franco is indeed Jewish,…
JWW honors Gabriel family with night of music, art
At their annual gala in recognition of leading community philanthropists, Jewish World Watch presented the Katzburg Gabriel family with the Global Soul Award Wednesday night in Royce Hall. According to co-founder Janice Kamenir-Reznik, Jewish World Watch (JWW) was founded in 2004 in…