Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions has evolved into something the whole family can get behind — that is, the whole family of those who oppose democracy, human rights and liberty in every form. The most recent BDS resolution to reach UCLA’s…
Culinary delights: my kosher crawl
While the notion of a food crawl generally conjures up drinks in one restaurant, hors d’oeuvres and/or appetizers in another, a main course in yet a third, and dessert at a final venue, my own crawl-like experience is not self-contained…
Kosher Korner: Frozen Fruit Salad
What better way to combat the LA heat than with a delightfully refreshing frozen treat? These delicious Popsicles are simple to make and are the perfect way to wind down and cool off after a long day in the sun.…
Obama taps Golem in North Korean nuclear situation
SEOUL — Under pressure to resolve the growing threat from North Korean nuclear missiles, the White House declared Sunday that it would seek “creative solutions to counter the serious threat to national security.” Just how creative those “solutions” may be…
Gay Boy Scout ban lifted, Jewish community helps
Cyberspace has been abuzz with the news that the Boy Scouts of America lifted their ban on gay members — but what has not been quite so advertised is the involvement of Jewish activists and community leaders in furthering this…
A free man, a rabbi, and a detective: the continuing mystery behind the murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger
The mystery that began the murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger continues as the man convicted of the crime was released last month after being deemed “not guilty.” In 1991, David Ranta was convicted of attempted robbery and murder of a…
Matchmaker, matchmaker
With phones literally ringing off the hook and iPhone abuzz, it is a typically hectic day for a matchmaker, or a shadchan, like Esther Levy in the Orthodox Jewish community of Midwood, New York. A typical “Jewish mother,” Esther is…
Jacob Ostreicher, Bolivian justice and rice farming gone awry
Passover, the holiday of Jewish liberation and freedom from Egypt, took place about two months ago. But Jacob Ostreicher has given up hope of leaving Bolivia, where he has been under arrest on what actor Sean Penn called “unevidenced prosecution.”…
True colors: Nazi flag hoisted over Palestinian area
On the morning of Monday, May 20, the hundreds of residents of the Israeli town of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, woke up to see “an oversized Nazi flag flying next to a mosque in the neighboring Arab town of…
Toward a more humble Middle East policy: a post-uprising update from Dr. Robert Malley
May 20, 2013 — When told by the student introducing the event that he would be expected to offer his thoughts on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Dr. Robert Malley retorted that the events to which she referred were…