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Wendy J. Madnick

Wendy J. Madnick

What We’ve Learned

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Dr. Larry Eisenberg, president of the West Coast Region of the Orthodox Union, was in Toronto for a cousin\’s wedding.

In Cantor vs. Rabbi, Synagogue Is Victim

This High Holiday season, leaders of Temple Ner Maarav want people to know that they are still open for business.

Some might have thought otherwise of the Encino synagogue, which was rocked by a battle that divided members between the shul\’s rabbi of 19 years and its more recently hired cantor.

Something Special

When Brianna Ross passes by Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills, she signs one word to her mother over and over again: "School, school."

Funny Money

Scrip. You can\’t join a synagogue or enroll your child in school without being hit up to buy it. Whether in the form of paper certificates, plastic gift cards or e-scrip online, this potent little fundraiser has become a major part of most nonprofit organizations\’ annual budgets.

Scrip first became popular in the late 1980s with grocery and department stores, and is now available for everything from gasoline to The Gap. Organizations buy the gift certificates in denominations like $10, $25 or $100 at a discount, either straight from the company or through a scrip broker. They then sell the scrip, charging the full face value of the certificate and making a profit of up to 25 percent, depending on the type of scrip sold.

Not a Full Slate

The dearth of candidates can be partly attributed to the unusual nature of this election.

A House Divided

On a blazing hot Saturday in the hills of Calabasas, the streets are deserted, devoid of the usual clusters of children playing ball or teens on bikes and scooters within this gated community south of the 101 Freeway.

Unwanted: City Breakup

Jewish voters are strongly against secession, more so than any other religious group, according to the July 2 poll.

Festival Welcomes Amigos, Haverim

Bagels, Broza and Brentwood. Enchiladas, Enrique and East L.A. On the surface, the Jewish and Latino communities of Los Angeles don\’t seem to have much in common.

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