So what exactly is kosher? What does it mean to keep kosher? And what exactly are all the rules one must follow to keep kosher? For someone who (kind of) identifies as Jewish, I found myself asking these questions quite…
Was Mr. Hillel’s Promotional Content Offensive?
I was scrolling through Instagram last week when a post by Hillel at UCLA showed up on my feed. It was a photo of eight men, this year’s Mr. Hillel contestants, in tutus, posing as a group. Upon further investigation…
The Power of Prayer
I believe that our generation is craving a spiritual connection. We can sense the depth of our existence even though an epicurean mist has made our vision hazy. Last year while working for the UCLA Journal of Religion I read…
Response to Daily Bruin Editorial on the Poway Shooting
A young self-avowed white nationalist walks into a synagogue in Poway with an AR-15 rifle. Yelling anti-Semitic slurs, he shoots and kills Lori Gilbert Kaye, the mother of a current UCLA student. He wounds but does not manage to kill…
Your Right To Strike Ends Where My Right to an Education Begins
The University of California System has a long and proud history of union strikes which are often utilized to stand up for every worker’s right to fair pay, appropriate benefits and equal treatment. Unpopular Opinion: unions have begun to abuse…
D’var Theory: Evolution of the Mask, Physical to Social
Few things bring more delight to me than festivities in the Jewish tradition. Among them, Purim nestles itself comfortably as the chief party animal, and I think it achieves this with the wonderful inclusion of costumes. Dressing up as your…
A Nation Within A Nation: Divided Loyalties
When U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted that Americans’ support for the state of Israel was “all about the Benjamins,” many Jews took offense, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a rebuttal criticizing Omar’s perpetuation of the stereotype that Jewish money…
Students for Justice in Palestine Fails to Appreciate Nuance, Value Truth
This week, Students for Justice in Palestine is holding its annual “Palestine Awareness Week,” a rebranding of their Israel Apartheid Week. Typically, this week serves as little more than an opportunity to spread false or misleading information about the state…
That’s a Wrap: Reflections on Fall 2018
Week 0 of Fall 2018 the Ha’Am team was no more than five people total. By week 3, we had nearly 25 people committed to spreading and developing the Jewish voice on campus. In the past quarter, our small team…
Hear Me Out: Thoughts about Thoughts about Israel and Palestine this Week
photo by Scott Clarkson A cursory glance at your Facebook over the past week might have yielded a stream of posts about the unprovoked Israeli murder of five dozen unarmed peaceful protestors in the Occupied Gaza Strip. Or perhaps you…