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…
Persian-Hebrew Cafe
The intoxicating aroma of Persian foods such as kebab filled the room, and the attendees were eager to learn Persian and Hebrew conversational skills. Jews came, Persians came, and even some who were neither participated. Today, Iran and Israel are…
Good Deeds Day: Another Israeli startup taking over the globe
On April 10th, 2016, do-gooders in 70 different countries set out on mission: do a good deed. This year the “Good Deeds Day” organization celebrated its 10th anniversary of making the world a better place, one project at a time.…
The evolution of essence
Mathew Miller never has and never will be a static person. The current college generation has a unique relationship with Matisyahu. He rose to prominence as we rose to the bimah for our bar or bat mitzvahs. And for many of us,…
“My Father’s Paradise”: a professor’s journey from Kurdistan to UCLA
One of my main goals upon starting UCLA was to take advantage of opportunities that would allow me to learn more about my heritage. While I was thrilled to find that my campus boasted renowned programs in Persian and Jewish…
Let My People Know: the historical reality of the Exodus
“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21) This aforementioned moral obligation, influenced by the events of Exodus, has arguably had one of the most positive effects on…
“Intifada”
Ha’Am staff writer Yaacov Tarko and Wali Kamal of Al-Talib work together to deconstruct the different meanings of the word “Intifada” Yaacov: My relatives in Israel have been personally affected by violent attacks in the current “silent Intifada,” and one…