What is Hanukkah? Hanukkah comes every year and can be described as a holiday for showing praise and appreciation for the Maccabee’s glorious overthrowing of their Syrian-Greek oppressors. The story highlights their recapturing of Jerusalem and their realization that they…
Staff Member Sarah Fields on the AntiSemitism She Has Endured and How it Has Shaped Her
California’s San Francisco Bay Area is a progressive hub. However, it was the Bay Area where while growing up, Ha’Am’s own Sarah Fields’ Jewish identity was pushed away from her due to vicious acts of antisemitism. A young Sarah Fields…
A Jewish Guide to Handling Stress
Stressed out? Some Jewish tips to keep you sane: Another year, another fall quarter. In 2013, when my husband and I were starting out at JAM at UCSB, my husband made a Facebook post wishing all the students much success…
My Maternal Grandmother is a Jewish Convert. So What am I?
Until she was a junior in high school, my maternal grandmother was unaware of the existence of Judaism. It was not her fault– she had been raised in what she calls a “bubble:” a religious community in rural Michigan, where…
That’s a Wrap: A Message From the Editor in Chief, Winter 2019
How often do you leave Westwood? When you’re a Jewish student at UCLA, it’s hard to find the time, between classes, studies, campus organizations, and social life to even think about the possibility of taking a day off for a…
Eight Great Purim Costume Ideas
The Jewish holiday Purim begins the evening of Wednesday, March 20th and ends the evening of Thursday, March 21st. Purim celebrates the Jewish people being saved from Haman’s evil plot to kill all of the Jewish people. Purim is known…
How to Explain Judaism to Those Who Ask
“So, am I really going to Hell?” I asked, with the nonchalance of a person inquiring about the weather. It was a Monday, and I was walking back from class with my best friend, Samantha, who was Christian. She shifted…
Why You Should Get Involved in your Local Jewish Community
Getting involved in your local Jewish community may seem like a daunting task, but you may not realize how welcoming and open most Jewish communities are. Unlike most “religious” communities, people can get involved in their local Jewish community without…
I’m Keeping Shabbat This Year, Here’s Why
There are five days of the workweek and two days of the weekend, and many of us work on every one of them. Such is the life of a young adult in 2019. Shabbat served as a continuation of my…
10 Lesser Known Influential Jewish Women
Women need to take up more space. Here are 10 women, all Jewish, who have done so in their fields and the world. However, these are not your Gloria Steinems or your Ruth Bader Ginsbergs. For this piece, I wish…