I am a Jew devoted to Israel. I believe that Jewish life cannot be sustained without Israel at its core, and Israel cannot be sustained without the Jewish people at its side. When I look at Israel, I do not…
Off Campus
SMC Student Raises Over $700 Through Instagram to Help the Less Fortunate
In fall of 2018, Ava Z 21, raised over $700 for socks, sanitary products, and hygiene kits for the homeless with the help of her friend, Adina Jalali. Z, a sociology student at Santa Monica College, said she first thought…
Israeli Breakthrough in Cancer Research Leads to Promising Results
A team of Israeli scientists believe they are on the brink of discovering a cure to cancer. According to 2013-2015 data from the National Cancer Institute, approximately 38.4 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer within their…
The Bund: Hereness and Resistance
Doi’kayt– a Yiddish word signifying “hereness.” For decades, this was the central principle of the General Jewish Labor Bund, a multinational and decentralized labor organization of Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jews. Founded in 1897, the Bund and its various branches was…
Zionism: A Brief Guide in Perplexity
It’s the perfect moment in which to re-examine Zionism afresh–and not only because of the recent spate of fighting between Israel and Gaza, the controversy surrounding the SJP national conference held some weeks ago here at UCLA, or the fact…
New Kosher Restaurant Review: Supa Coffee, A Cafe for The “Urban Hustler”
In the midst of the third wave coffee movement, coffee shops around Los Angeles are becoming increasingly seen as hipster, pretentious and even intimidating. Supa Coffee, a newly certified kosher coffee shop in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, seeks to break this…
Apple updates icon for key diet element
Bagels are an integral part of my diet and identity and I truly feel that no bagel is complete without lox and cream cheese. This is a fact that I finally understood when Apple released the bagel emoji. When Apple…
To name a thing is to call it into being: A reflection on the Pittsburgh tragedy
To name a thing is to call it into being. In the beginning were the heavens and the earth. And darkness was on the face of the deep. “Let there be light.” And there was light, and it was good.…
On Solidarity, Peoplehood, and Empathy: A response to the Los Angeles vigil supporting the those hurt and lost in Pittsburgh
Jews from all over Los Angeles came together on Sunday for a vigil in support of the families who were affected by terror Saturday morning in Pittsburgh. With a growing list of 64 Jewish organizations sponsoring the vigil, the question…
United we stand; and why we’ll never fall
As I made myself some tea and schmoozed at the coffee station after Shabbat lunch this week, I heard a surprising announcement. “Let’s take a moment of silence to honor the people we lost in today’s tragedy.” I waited for…