https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7JoikWz5i62uwvidMTjRuM– playlist In a dizzying era of hedonism and bloated art-rock, Jonathan Richman’s music was “A Plea for Tenderness.” Finding joy in little pleasures is a cornerstone of Richman’s lyricism. “New England” celebrates Maine’s magnificence just as the sweet, nostalgic…
Bennett, Bibi, & Iran
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted as Israel’s prime minister on June 14, 2021, after Naftali Bennett and his Yamina party formed a government with other right and center-right Israeli parties. While both Bennett and Netanyahu have political differences, both…
18 Mizrahi Dishes because Mizrahi Heritage Month is Never Over!
Mizrahi Heritage Month ended in November, but it is not over in our hearts. According to The New York Times and other sources, Mizrahi is “an umbrella term for Jews from North Africa and the Middle East.” Mizrahi Jewry contains…
Jewish World Series
There is a famous scene in the 1980s classic film Airplane, where an elderly woman asks the flight attendant for some “light reading.” Cleverly, the flight attendant hands her back a leaflet titled “famous Jewish sports legends.” From actors to…
New Jewish Student Union Hopes to Build Inclusive Community For Jewish Students
This quarter, a new group of liberal Jews have been introduced to the UCLA campus: The Jewish Student Union. “Over the last few years there have been discussions surrounding what does Jewish community on campus mean,” said Sachi Cooper, UCLA…
Rocking it from the Casbah to CBGB’s: How Jews Pioneered Punk Rock
Playlist to accompany- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/169oIfuoRJ1HVBo0AxE8lN With its blaring power chords, anti-establishment overtones and do-it-yourself fashion, the early punk scene is the last place you’d expect to find angsty Jews. Yet from Sylvian Mizrahi and Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls…
COVID Aliyah
In August 2020, despite global lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the rampant spread of COVID-19, I had the unique opportunity to take a gap year and study at a yeshiva, a program for post-high school students to pursue Judaic studies in…
Freshman Finds Comfort in Jewish Community
“There are Jews in Nebraska?” said my new roommate, smiling at me with oblivious enthusiasm. “There’s a small community,” I said, thinking back to the intimate Jewish cohort of 16 I grew up going to synagogue with. Being raised in…
Return to Campus Spaces
For students coming back to Jewish spaces at UCLA, return has meant an exciting redefinition of places like Hillel and the Bayit, as well as challenges with attendance and community. During one Friday night dinner in the beginning of the…
Abolhassan Banisadr: A Power-Hungry President
In France, 88-year-old Abolhassan Banisadr died from a long illness on Saturday, October 9, 2021. After supporting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Banisadr became Iran’s first elected president in February of 1980 but was shortly impeached and fled to France following an…