Chatsworth family torn apart by the deaths of two children now struggles to keep their house
Avinoam Hen stood in his dark living room, looking through a sliding glass door.
Avinoam Hen stood in his dark living room, looking through a sliding glass door.
Shalhevet, a Modern Orthodox Jewish school founded in 1991, announced in an emailed press release on Wednesday that it will close the doors of its middle, elementary and early childhood schools at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Shalhevet High School, which opened its doors in 1991, is the only division that will continue to operate.
Bright pink salami cold cuts and tiny bottles of liquor make up the face of Boris Yeltsin. Madonna has a red kabbalah string for a mouth; Barbra Streisand a large black microphone for a nose. And Albert Einstein sports a mane of white electrical cables.
For three local Jewish camps ushering in new leadership, summer 2010 will be a season of change. Habonim Dror Camp Gilboa in the San Bernardino Mountains hired a new executive director in February, Camp Alonim in Simi Valley is narrowing choices to replace its current director, and Camp Ramah in Ojai will replace its resigning director, who is leaving at the end of summer.
The spiritual and the secular are distinct realms that often collide, intersect, overlap and infringe upon one another. Nowhere is that phenomenon more visibly and more frequently at play than in the Jewish homeland: The state flag bears a religious symbol, civil marriages are sanctioned by a religious court, it is illegal to require an employee to work on Shabbat, and, as Israeli artist Nira Pereg illustrates in one of her videos, public city streets in some neighborhoods in Israel are blocked off to traffic in observance of Shabbat.
With over 250 sessions, the LimmudLA 2010 conference has something for everyone: Bible raps, poetry, LGBT Jewish history, medical ethics, a comedy festival, Israeli folk dancing, Torah study and much more. Fri. through Feb. 15. Prices vary (includes all kosher meals). Hilton Orange County, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. limmudla.org.
(TU B’SHEVAT)
Newly appointed Los Angeles Police Chief Charles Beck and Los Angeles Fire Chief Millage Peaks celebrate Tu B’Shevat with a dinner at Congregation Bais Naftoli. Also attending are City Controller Wendy Greuel as well as L.A. City Councilmembers Paul Koretz, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine. Open to the public. Sat. 8 p.m. $250 (per couple). Judy’s Restaurant, 129 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 931-2476. baisnaftoli.com.