Over the summer, I had the privilege of reading the biography of former Iranian Jewish leader and businessman Habib Elghanyan, “Titan of Tehran,” written by his granddaughter Shahrzad Elghanyan. In her book, Elghanyan traces her grandfather’s rags to riches backstory,…
Off Campus
What Israel’s Newest Laser Interception System Means for Its Safety & Security
On Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the Israeli military has successfully tested its newest laser interception system called the “Iron Beam”. According to the Prime Minister, this new invention is the world’s first energy-based weapon that uses…
The Third Intifada?: An Outline to Last Month’s Outbreak of Terror in Israel
While UCLA students call for an intifada from the comforts of their Los Angeles campus, Israelis and Palestinians suffer the consequences. Last Tuesday, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a pro-Palestinian student organization with an anti-Semitic history, protested on Bruin…
Liberté, Égalité, Antisemitism!
On Sunday, April 24th, it was announced that Emmanuel Macron, who has already served his first term as President of France, will now enter his second five-year stretch as leader of the country. While Macron may have superficially won the…
Why the U.S. Government Should Not De-List Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps
As the Biden Administration and its allies push to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, the Islamic Republic has indicated that the benefits afforded to them under the new agreement are not sufficient and have…
How the 2022 Negev Summit Has Strengthened The Relationship Between Israel & The Arab World
At a historical summit between Israel and its Arab allies in the southern Negev, the Israeli government hosted the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken along with foreign ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).…
A Rainbow Filter Can’t Fix This…
“Never forget” is a phrase that is easier said than done. As much as we would like to believe that society has advanced far enough to accept history as fact, and teach it as such, book bans are now commonplace…
From Berlin to Beijing, History Repeats Itself
Just one week after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the world blinds itself to genocide. The 2022 Winter Olympics are being held in Beijing, China despite significant evidence of China’s crimes against humanity. In an extravagant yet deceiving opening ceremony, Dinigeer…
What the Colleyville Synagogue Hostage Crisis Can Teach Us
An armed 44-year-old radical jihadist British citizen named Malik Faisal Akram took several hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, Saturday, January 15. In his final phone call, Akram stated that he would free the individuals in exchange for…
Paper Golems: An Interview with Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik
“I always knew that we were going to be really Jewish,” artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik told me. His exhibit, Paper Golems: A Pandemic Diary is currently on display at the Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts at UCLA Hillel. “I’ve…