War of the words: How word choice is shaping political debate

Let’s face it. “Good grammar” is about as cool as pocket protectors. Nowadays, it seems as though the majority of written communication is done through text messaging, Facebook posts or emails that sound like text messages. Strangely enough, while proper…

Trump’s Presidential “Mistake” on International Holocaust Memorial Day

This past month, U.S. President Donald Trump made a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that left many rather disturbed: “Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. ‎ As we remember those who…

Manny Dahari: Jewish Refugee Detained at JFK Airport

Yemenite Yeshiva University student hopeful despite 3.5 hour detainment at airport due to President Trump’s recent immigration ban

End of an era? Reflections on Benjamin Netanyahu

Recent events have put the political future of Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in jeopardy. Several criminal probes have been opened against him on corruption allegations, and he and those close to him have been questioned by police on several…

The Plasco Building: A Reflection

Panic struck the people of Tehran, Iran on January 19, 2017 as they watched the city’s beloved, 17-story Plasco Building collapse to the ground. The incident is believed to have been caused by a fire that started in the morning…

The Changing Middle East and its Implications for Israel

From Fall 2016 Print Edition, “Transitions” If you’ve been following the news in the Middle East, you have probably noticed a popular trend in the region — instability. Since the 2010 eruption of the Arab spring in Tunisia, political unrest…

An Exhibit of Our Past: The Jews of Boyle Heights

Most of us are familiar with Los Angeles’ Jewish-inhabited areas, including La Brea, Fairfax, and Pico-Robertson. These neighborhoods house multitudes of kosher restaurants, markets, and shops. However, most Jews who live in Los Angeles are not aware of how the…

Resolving the problem of the Jewish Left

In my previous article I outlined the several reasons why the Jewish left is in an existential crisis, my goal in this piece will be to provide a potential solution to this problem, a solution which preserves the role of…

Taste of Torah: Letting the land lull

By Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Co-Director of the Jewish Leaning Initiative on Campus at UCLA This week’s Torah portion, Behar, introduces us to a most fascinating commandment: Shemitah, the Sabbatical year. The mitzvah of Shemitah mandates that Jews in Israel cease and desist of all labor to fields for the entire seventh…