Are you a world-renowned painter? Perhaps a top-notch doodler? Do you keep a sketchbook? Does your mom keep your drawings on the fridge? Have you ever gotten a gold star for an art project? Did you ever wish you had?…
Taste of Torah: A perspective on the biblical story of the Flood and moral purpose
Upon opening up this week’s Torah portion, we come across the famous story of the Flood. While there are many aspects of this story that demand much discussion, such as why a good God would kill the global population and…
As Israel stands alone, her people stand strong
Every morning, after snoozing all of my three consecutive alarms, my eyes finally adjust and open long enough for me to begin the first step of my morning routine, a step that often sets the tone for the rest of…
Free speech, or stronger statements against anti-Semitism?
A few weeks ago, I attended the most recent University of California Regents’ meeting as a public commentator. Along with with many other concerned students, I stood before and pleaded to the UC Board of Regents to revise the language…
Taste of Torah: Parashat Shelach Lecha and shlichut at UCLA
Written by Yair Vardi, Israel Fellow at Hillel at UCLA This week, we read parshat Shelach Lecha — שְׁלַח לְךָ. This is the famous parashah of the spies. Moses chose twelve men, leaders from the twelve tribes of Israel, to…
Taste of Torah: feminist lessons and benefit of the doubt
In honor of my Prodigious Babes series, I wanted to write this week’s Taste of Torah with a focus on the female protagonist of Behaalotecha (Numbers), Miriam. The parashah concludes with a rather bizarre incident: G-d punishes Miriam with tzaraat…
Shariff Mordechai Hazan: an African American man’s journey to Judaism
When you think of Shavuot, you might be reminded of staying up all night learning or eating cheesecake. A lesser known custom is reading the Book of Ruth. There are many reasons for this custom, the first being that Shavuot…
Traveling Jews: tips for going abroad
While the official school year is nearing its close, many students are making plans for the future. For some, this means preparing for a study abroad program and/or traveling to other countries during their much deserved “break time.” As someone…
Old mosaic, new eyes: Israel in 3D with the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies
Two weeks ago I wrote an article about Jerusalem, its vibrant energy, and the stubborn distance between its different groups. I ended with a suggestion, a hope, and a recycled Lennon lyric: let us recognize that despite the differences, we…
“Shabbat!” Music Video (“Uptown Funk” Parody)
“Shabbat!” performed by Soof Hacohen and AJ Goldsman, lyrics by Ellie Fridman __________________________ We do not own the rights to the original music. Music credit: “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars__________________________ Ellie Fridman’s original parody lyrics can be…