This week’s Torah portion is Bechokotai, a parshah that is full of both promises of rewards for obeying the commandments, and the punishments for not obeying them. One such punishment mentioned is exile. Looking at history, one can see that when the Torah…
Ha’Am 2015-2016 Staff Video, “So Many Jews”
“So Many Jews,” a parody of “Too Many Cooks.” Sung by Soof Hacohen and Jackson Mercer with impressions by AJ Goldsman. Edited, filmed and directed by Joey Levin. http://bit.ly/haamsmj
On today’s tragedy
This morning, June 1, a terrible shooting took place at UCLA in the Engineering complex. Two people died and the entire campus was put under lockdown for more than two hours. Ha’Am extends condolences to the families of the dead. We…
Resolving the problem of the Jewish Left
In my previous article I outlined the several reasons why the Jewish left is in an existential crisis, my goal in this piece will be to provide a potential solution to this problem, a solution which preserves the role of…
Kosher Korner: Oatmeal, a brain-boosting breakfast
Friends and family members have often told me that I am a bit of a Trader Joe’s fanatic. Why not join the club? Just take a trip to the closest Trader Joe’s in town and you will find that they…
Taste of Torah: Letting the land lull
By Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Co-Director of the Jewish Leaning Initiative on Campus at UCLA This week’s Torah portion, Behar, introduces us to a most fascinating commandment: Shemitah, the Sabbatical year. The mitzvah of Shemitah mandates that Jews in Israel cease and desist of all labor to fields for the entire seventh…
Henna around the world
This past Tuesday afternoon, the JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) Organization hosted a henna event at UCLA Law School. Over food and henna drawing, attendees discussed the practice and meaning behind henna from numerous parts…
House of Cards: the Israel episode
Israeli politics can best be described as a volatile and tumultuous show. Recent events have provided yet more evidence of this phenomenon and have cemented president Benjamin Netanyahu’s reputation as Israel’s Frank Underwood. The current saga began several months ago,…
The view from Mitzrayim
The view from Mitzrayim (Egypt) was prettier than I had imagined as the sun set and as the ferry leaving from Larkspur Landing passed us on its way to San Francisco. A little over a mile away, the houses on…
The first annual Jewish graduation
This past March, Aaron Ebriani, a Bruin graduating this June, informed me that this year’s departmental commencement ceremonies fall on either Saturday (June 10th) or Sunday (June 11th). As fellow a Shabbat-observant Jew, he asked me to sign his petition…