Opinion

A brokering of dialogue: Bruin Democrats/Bruin Republicans debate

While Students for Justice in Palestine occupied Bruin Walk, busy practicing moral relativism (constructing a wall perpetuating a one-sided account while supporting Hamas [a terrorist organization]) and actively refusing dialogue with any students who might not share their worldview, Bruins…

Religiously ROTC: the pros and cons of being Jewish in the US military

Rising tuition has long been a favorite gripe of college students, as those of us not blessed with the resources to get through education attempt to reconcile the harsh reality of paying many thousands of dollars per year and possibly…

Ask Yente

Hello everyone. Ha’Am has established a new column called “Ask Yente,” where YOU can ask questions about anything troubling you. I, your wise Yente, will try my best to answer your questions in a timely manner. All I ask is that the questions be…

Parisian Jewish art inspires pride

As my friend and I sat in a Kosher Cafe in the heart of Paris this past summer, we looked around the room and noticed the large amount of Parisian Jews. Although they live in a society that is highly…

Kosher Korner: Pumpkin Blondies

Happy Halloween from the staff of Ha’Am! Whether you choose to celebrate tonight by dressing up, trick-or-treating, devouring candy, partying, or watching a scary movie (or doing nothing special because Halloween is a pagan holiday and Purim is better), treat…

Losing Their Religion: American Jewry

In his 1997 work “American Pastoral,” novelist Philip Roth depicts the tragic decline of an assimilated Jew, Seymour “Swede” Levov, and his family in a New Jersey suburb. In doing so, Roth underlines a recurring theme throughout American Jewish literature…

Dialogue dies: USAC disappoints, rejects peaceful discussion of Israeli-Palestinian conflict

This past Tuesday, after more than seven hours of deliberation and debate, USAC voted down a resolution (5-7-0) brought forth by Internal Vice President Avi Oved and sponsored by General Representative Sunny Singh and Academic Affairs Commissioner Darren Ramalho. The…

Nobel Prize in Chemistry delivers painful reminder of Israel’s recent brain drain

On October 9, 2013, three men were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, two of whom were Israeli. In fact, Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt are the fifth and sixth Israelis to attain this honor within the past decade, an achievement of impossible statistical…

Israel’s new Finance Minister Yair Lapid: no qualifications, no experience

When searching for candidates to fill an available employment opportunity, a firm will invariably include, in bold print, a section entitled “Qualifications” within the job description. The purpose of this vital and ever-powerful section is, above all, a time-saving one…

The evolution of BDS: Israel was first, America is next

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions has evolved into something the whole family can get behind — that is, the whole family of those who oppose democracy, human rights and liberty in every form. The most recent BDS resolution to reach UCLA’s…