This past March, Aaron Ebriani, a Bruin graduating this June, informed me that this year’s departmental commencement ceremonies fall on either Saturday (June 10th) or Sunday (June 11th). As fellow a Shabbat-observant Jew, he asked me to sign his petition…
Taking Shabbat backgammon to the tournament level
No Shabbat dinner at my uncle’s place is complete without a melodramatic backgammon game. Let me set the stage: Clicking sounds from the backgammon checkers hitting the backgammon board grow louder and louder as the checkers make their way around…
Shabbat: A time to look back and look forward
This article is dedicated to the boards of the Transfer Undergraduate Students at Hillel, Bruins for Israel and the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus for all of their hard work and dedication. A special thank-you goes out to Hillel at…
An Orthodox Jew’s guide to UCLA
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…
Jessica’s Corner: Halva
Sweeten up your spring quarter with this recipe for halva, a tasty dessert Persian families often prepare for special occasions such as weddings, engagements, and conclusions of various Jewish holidays. Perhaps one of the tastiest parts of Persian cuisine is…
Jews and Bruins United: A parasitic relationship
Last week, the UCLA Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC) elections resulted in a huge victory for the Bruins United “slate,” or campus political party, which secured nine of 14 spots on next year’s student council table. Bruins United has long benefited from…
Zikaron BaSalon: The Holocaust survivor who left me speechless
We are the next generation. We are the generation that will live to see days without Holocaust survivors. They are disappearing, and with them, their stories, if not shared, will be gone forever. We are the next generation. It is…
Rabbi Kaplan: My optimal rabbi
There are times when simple words are not good enough or sharp enough to get across a message. How can you thank a person that has given so much of himself, not only to a community, but especially to you?…
Jews in Politics: Bad for the Jews?
Several months ago, one of my uncles called me out of the blue. My uncle is one of the few red blooded conservatives who still dares to reside within the increasingly liberal New York City. He, like most of my…
A supranatural story: Starstruck by Seth
Some days we are lucky. And we see how the stars of our life align and arrange perfectly to create one of the million constellations in our individual galaxy we call life. Yesterday was such a time. — Flashback to…