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…

Project Tzedek at UCLA takes the 2016 Walk to End Genocide

“Genocide” is a term that the Jewish community does not take lightly. By definition, genocide is the systematic elimination of a group due to their particular culture, ethnicity, religion, race, or nationality. If a person were to delve into a…

Sephardic Heritage Initiative invites Rabbi Shofet to speak

At YULA High School last Thursday night, Rabbis David and Yedidia Shofet were invited to speak about Iranian Jewish history for the school’s “Initiative for Sephardi Jewish Heritage.” The event, entitled “Between Purim and Pesach: Insights from the Iranian Jewish…

“My Favorite Things: College Edition”

Days I can sleep in and very small classes No lines at the test bank and early-ish passes Waking up promptly when my alarm rings These are a few of my favorite things Sales on school gear and PDF textbooks…