A young man, alone in the “hive of scum and villainy” he comes from, becomes inspired by an omnipotent force to carry out a message of clarity and goodness. Basically, your average boy finds religion. Luke Skywalker sought something greater…
Why Jewish life at UCLA is extraordinary
If you are reading this article, you are obviously aware that UCLA has its very own student-run Jewish newsmagazine, Ha’Am! Not many universities can brag about having their own Jewish newsmagazine. Contradictory to what some might believe in light of…
A guide to Orthodox Jewish weddings
“You got another wedding invitation!” my brother yelled from the kitchen. I couldn’t believe it. It was the fifth one this year! All of a sudden I had this crazy feeling of déjà vu, and soon I realized…the last time…
Madlibs: The Bear
Monday morning. ______(expletive). You _____(verb) yourself out of bed and head over to your _____(subject) class. Your breath smells like_____(smell) so you pop a _____(something that goes in your mouth). After class you head over to the Hillel to _____(activity)…
Imago Mundi
Illustration by M Moore __________________ As I zoomed away from the ancient city, I noticed a freeway extending where the 405 would be. It was called the 50 freeway. “That’s not right,” I thought. I googled “50 freeway Israel,” and…
Universality of the hamsa
In today’s world, we are engulfed by symbols that hold significant meaning, and some that are connected to beliefs and traditions that date back to thousands of years. The Hamsa, better known as “the hand,” serves as a universal symbol…
Yom HaShoah with the Holocaust survivors
April marks the seventy year anniversary of the allied liberation of Jews and many other peoples from concentration camps all over Europe. During the Holocaust, German Nazis killed approximately twelve million people, six million of whom were Jews and one…
Honey, I vaccinated the kids: Jewish bioethics of vaccinatons
In December 2014, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland, was plagued by a measles outbreak. In all, 131 people were infected — the majority of whom were unvaccinated. Shortly after, the University of California announced that beginning in 2017, students…
On the representation of Jews in rap music
Clipse, arguably the greatest coke rap duo of all time, has a Jewish problem. In their successful single “Wamp Wamp,” the pair uses an unfortunate metaphor to describe a step in the process of cooking cocaine: after they remove the…
“Shabbat!”: an “Uptown Funk” parody
This is that age old When ladies light candles This is for every Jew, All the Jews: Orthodox to Reform We restin’, digestin’; we keeping the Fourth Commandment Got his kippah on, turned off his phone Cuz he knows that…