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…
Off Campus
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…
House of Cards: the Israel episode
Israeli politics can best be described as a volatile and tumultuous show. Recent events have provided yet more evidence of this phenomenon and have cemented president Benjamin Netanyahu’s reputation as Israel’s Frank Underwood. The current saga began several months ago,…
Response to Daily Bruin submission: Israel Independence Week is a celebration of survivors
An Israeli response to the Matan Neuman’s plea to allow UCLA’s pro-Israel community to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut, and the important concepts it conveniently overlooked I appreciate and agree wholeheartedly with Matan Neuman’s words regarding Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebrations: the Israeli community…
Photo Essay: Yom Ha’Atzmaut 2016
Today Bruins came from across campus to celebrate Israel Independence Day in Bruin Plaza. This is a yearly event organized by Bruins for Israel where students celebrate with great music, food, and world class dancing.