Jewish Journal

She Won't Be Slienced

Tisha B'Av

My Friend Jan Perry

Drawing an analogy between the neighborhood she once lived in and the neighborhood in which Israel lives, she says people can learn to live together, but it’s the actions of those who have been hostile, not words, that are important.

Commentary

What Israel’s Ethiopian Jews Can Teach Us About Balance and Diversity

Micah Smith -

The Ethiopian Israeli community deeply loves Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish people and are able to hold that love at the same time that they confront discrimination and fight injustice.

Commentary

The Leadership Legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Chaim Steinmetz -

This week marks 28 years since the death of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory

News

Jewish Groups Criticize CUNY Chancellor for Not Appearing at NYC City Council Antisemitism Hearing

Aaron Bandler -

Jewish groups are criticizing City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez for not appearing at the June 30 New York City...

Pandemic Times
COVID19

Bennett Put Country Before Ideology and Made History

David Suissa - June 30, 20220

Editor's Note

For the past 12 months, under a highly improbable “unity” coalition, the news in Israel was very much about policy—about the fight to make things better.

Antisemitic Brochures Found in Westwood

Aaron Bandler - June 15, 20220

Los Angeles

Several antisemitic brochures were found littered throughout the Westwood neighborhood on the morning of June 15. Photos obtained by the Journal showed brochures with statements including: “Every single aspect of...

‘After Shabbat, We Will Act’: American Jews Gear Up for Wave of Post-Roe Activism

Ron Kampeas, JTA - July 1, 20220

An array of Jewish groups across the country are kickstarting into action to protest and potentially challenge the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that had enshrined the right to an abortion in the United States.

Community

And in the Seventh Year, Every Farmer Stopped

Ari L. Noonan - July 1, 20220

For many American Jews, the concept of a shemittah (or Sabbatical) year may sound like a mystical event in a land far away.

Community

Rabbi Brings Snow from Utah to Fill New Mikvah in Beverly Hills

Yehudit Garmaise - July 1, 20220

Jews who live in North Beverly Hills soon will be able to dip in a mikvah (ritual bath) that has the “feel of a Ritz Carlton spa,” said Rabbi Pini Dunner, the spiritual leader of Young Israel of North Beverly Hills (YINBH), where the new mikvah and kelim mikvah are located.

Community

International Jewish Women Look to the Future

Toby Klein Greenwald - June 30, 20220

On Sunday, May 22, 50 women of the International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW) met for a gala opening of their five-day Quadrennial Conference, called "Looking to the Future," at the Shalva National Center in Jerusalem.

Columnists

Editor's Note

David Suissa - July 1, 20220

Postcard from Tsfat, the Antidote to Zoom

We’re much happier when we connect in person, and communities come alive when their members come together.

My Turn

Dennis Prager - March 23, 20220

Ukraine: What Is in America’s Interest?

As a result of the Russian invasion and partial destruction of Ukraine, the question “What is in America’s interest?” is the question of the day.

Columnists

Dan Schnur - June 22, 20220

Biden’s First Mideast Trip

In a few weeks, Joe Biden will be traveling to the Middle East for the first time as president.

Columnists

Kylie Ora Lobell - June 30, 20220

Beware the Woke Straws

The paper straws are indicative of the lunacy that’s happening in California lawmaking.

Columnists

Tabby Refael - June 30, 20220

Was There Anything Redeemable About Jewish Gangsters?

There was a time in America when Jewish gangsters ruled the roost, even if their practice of Judaism was more folk than frum.

Columnists

Rabbi Daniel Bouskila - June 14, 20220

My Last Cup of Coffee with A.B. Yehoshua

It was January 2020, in a small café in Givatayim, when I last met with the celebrated Israeli author A. B. Yehoshua, who passed away on June 14 at the age of 85.

Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms Harass Guests At Beverly Hilton

Israel

Hamas Releases Footage of Kidnapped Israeli Arab Civilian, Says His Health Is Deteriorating

Aaron Bandler -

Hamas released footage of an Israeli Arab civilian they kidnapped several years ago hooked up to an oxygen tank.

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Commentary

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Commentary

The Fall of Roe v. Wade and Four Ways to Take Action

Randi Braun - June 30, 20220

We each have a part to play in what comes next and we cannot afford for a single one of us to sit this one out on the bench.

Commentary

The Roots and the Tree: Rereading My Family Past During the War in Ukraine

Maxim D. Shrayer - June 28, 20220

In the spring of 1987, as leaving the USSR consumed my daily existence, I developed something of an obsession with our family tree. I...

Commentary

How Sacramento Can Address the Rising Costs of Student Life

Rachel Grose - June 24, 20220

Founded in 1904, as a non-sectarian agency, JFLA’s mission is to deploy interest-free loans to help people get a hand up.

Commentary

Jewish Cowardice: A Reevaluation

Chaim Steinmetz - June 24, 20220

The Jewish people wouldn’t be here without the determination of previous generations; and we wouldn’t have returned to Israel without the courage of a younger generation.

Commentary

Embracing Teens Today

Deborah Fletcher Blum - June 22, 20220

We cannot let biases stop our teens from living out their destinies and becoming their truest, highest selves. It is important that we be supportive.

PodcastsDavid Suissa and Shanni Suissa - June 3, 20220

Depp–Heard Trial, Gun Madness and Shavuot

Listen to the full episode on any of your favorite podcast platforms! David and Shanni weigh in on some difficult topics, and why Shavuot is such...

PodcastsErin Ben-Moche and Esther D. Kustanowitz - April 30, 20210

Mindy and Mandy Moved Us While Oscars Snoozed Us

After briefly breaking down the Oscars, the Bagels compare it to the Jewish community after COVID (of course) and wonder if the trailers for "In The...

PodcastsShanni Suissa and Salvador Litvak - January 12, 20220

Rabbi Doctor Daniel Friedman: Talmud For Regular Folks

Author and speaker Daniel Friedman shares transformative wisdom from our Sages, as well as surprising research from his doctoral thesis on American Christian attitudes...

PodcastsShmuel Rosner - June 19, 20220

Catherine Wolff: Beyond

Shmuel Rosner chats with Catherine Wolff about her book: "Beyond: How Humankind Thinks About Heaven." Catherine Wolff is a writer, editor, and former director of The...

Rosner's DomainShmuel Rosner - October 6, 20210

This Isn’t About Kamala, It’s About America

I was sad to hear about Kamala Harris and the student incident. Not because I’m worried about the support for Israel, but because I’m worried about the state of America.

You Don’t Know Schiff