Every day is a fashion show, and Bruinwalk is our runway. The outfit a student chooses to wear to school can reveal a lot about his or her character— unless it’s finals week, during which there is a mutual understanding…
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…
“If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?”
My experience at the Bayit began after I was asked this question: “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?” This question has been in the “Bayit Interview Question Bank” for a few years,…
Light out of Darkness: Memories of the Holocaust
This past Wednesday, Feb. 17, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Andrew Rosenstein’s senior film project, Light out of Darkness: Memories of the Holocaust. Running just under two hours, the film documents the stories, memories and testimonials of…
Kosher Korner: Cuckoo for kuku sabzi
Ah, there’s nothing like coming home and finding a hot, fresh pan of kuku sabzi sizzling on the stove. For those unfamiliar with the dish, kuku sabzi is a famous Iranian frittata-like food made with herbs. It looks and tastes much like a prepared…
Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire (and other observations)
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders became the first Jewish-American ever to win a presidential primary. Sanders defeated former New York Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a margin of 22.4 percent, with 60.4 percent of…
Failed Messiah sells out
“I very frequently hear from people: ‘I’m so glad that you do what you do…even though I hate all of it…because I wouldn’t know what’s happening [in my community] if I didn’t [read your articles]. I wouldn’t be able to…
The Western Wall wails
The Titanic of Today Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994) of righteous memory, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the seventh and last leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, never visited Israel. He also never gave a definitive reason as to why. Legend…
Interfaith Shabbat and confronting dialogue
This past Friday night, February 5, Hillel at UCLA hosted “Interfaith Shabbat,” an evening with programming for non-Jewish visitors interested in learning about Judaism and Shabbat and/or building rapport with Jewish students. The evening began with a choice of Orthodox…
Taste of Torah: Slavery and societal development
One of the many beauties of studying Torah is tracing an idea to its origins thousands of years ago and seeing its final effect in our society. This week’s parshah (Torah portion), Mishpatim, opens with the laws of treatment of Hebrew slaves. The…