Playlist- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1jeIT2vcF7Gep9WGBT7bJX Continuing our series on Judaism and punk rock, Ha’Am interviewed the half-Jewish, punk icon, Keith Morris. Morris’s influence on American hardcore punk rock cannot be understated. The genre began as a rebellion against the commodification of punk rock,…
Earth Day: A Jewish Take
Earth day is about more than just posting a few candid shots of trips to the Grand Canyon on Instagram, it is about taking a day to appreciate our natural resources and recognize the damage that has been done to…
Vegan Shavuot
Shavuot, the Jewish Spring Harvest Festival, centers around many deep-rooted Jewish customs such as all night learning, Tikkun Leil Shavuot. This kabbalistic tradition aims to correct the faults of our ancestors, who were unprepared to receive the Torah, by demonstrating…
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…
Passover Revisited
“In each and every generation,” we read in the Passover Haggadah, “it is one’s duty to regard themselves as though they had personally gone out of Egypt.” During the first night’s seder this year, I found myself further reflecting on…
Toys Were Us: The Decline of Youth
—- “Youth is dead” is a doozy of a claim, but it’s a valid claim. Maybe youth itself isn’t what’s dying, but youthhood. When I talk to my parents, my Jewish Papa, or my hometown Rabbi, they reminisce about the…
Law or the Land?
As Israel becomes more and more enveloped in the consciousness of Jews around the world, I cannot help but question my view on what should come first, the Torah or the land. Tradition, and the laws that bind Jews to…
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…
Addition by Subtraction
In high school, I remember my algebra teacher used to tell our class: “to subtract a number, add its opposite.” At the time, I appreciated the advice only for its cliched simplicity. As I got older, this statement stuck with…
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…