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…
Satire: Keyboard Warriors Unite, From Overnight Geopolitical Gurus to Dancefloor Diplomats
Following the UCLA administration’s not-so-stellar handling of pro-Palestinian encampments, any organization with a keyboard saw a golden opportunity to appear well-informed by issuing statements of solidarity. By the magic of copy-paste from Instagram’s finest, these groups transformed overnight into geopolitical…
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…
A Love Letter to Jonathan Richman: The Punk Rock, Nice Jewish Boy
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7JoikWz5i62uwvidMTjRuM– playlist In a dizzying era of hedonism and bloated art-rock, Jonathan Richman’s music was “A Plea for Tenderness.” Finding joy in little pleasures is a cornerstone of Richman’s lyricism. “New England” celebrates Maine’s magnificence just as the sweet, nostalgic…
Rocking it from the Casbah to CBGB’s: How Jews Pioneered Punk Rock
Playlist to accompany- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/169oIfuoRJ1HVBo0AxE8lN With its blaring power chords, anti-establishment overtones and do-it-yourself fashion, the early punk scene is the last place you’d expect to find angsty Jews. Yet from Sylvian Mizrahi and Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls…
Valley Of Tears: A Somber Look at the Yom Kippur War
Earlier this year, as I was doing my patriotic duty by socially distancing and scrolling through HBO Max, I found myself watching an Israeli war series titled Valley of Tears. The show focuses on the Yom Kippur War, a traumatic…
Jewish Representation in Hollywood
Midge Maisel, Schmitt, and Larry David have all found their ways into our homes. I watched Seinfeld as a kid on my television and streamed “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “New Girl” on my laptop, like many others. I learned…
Media to Watch and Look Forward to in 2021
New year, new media. As we wait for the fate of the world, new movies and books are being released and TV shows renewed. Here is a list of some Jewish related media to look out for: Movies: “Wonder Woman…
Jews Behind the Scenes
Jewish minds have been shaping history for as long as we have written records and they continue to shape the modern world, including our own city of Los Angeles. You’ve likely seen films produced by Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,…
The American-Jewish Songbook: Love Songs
When I think back to my earliest Jewish experiences, it’s hard not to think about music. Passover was the euphoria of “Dayenu”, Yom Kippur the devastating elegance of “Avinu Malkeinu”. I remember birthdays and bar mitzvahs and weddings–lots and lots…