JJ Best Of The Web
"Like many Western analyses of the Middle East, they reduce Iraq’s complex internal conflicts to catchall explainers of ‘sectarianism’ and ‘tribalism’ – presuming that some groups of people are intrinsically primed for antagonism."
" he's a loser in the precise sense that his singular accomplishment in American public life has been to lose a Senate race to the stupendously unpopular Republican Ted Cruz."
"While applauding the social impetus, Israelis are divided in opinions on an American-based initiative and question its grammatical integrity."
A look at the networks that churn out nonstop, formulaic Christmas movies; the actors who star in all of them; and the fans who can't stop watching.
"The Department of Homeland Security wants to use credit scores to determine immigration cases. That sets a dangerous precedent."
"Traffic. Congestion. Pollution. Hours-long commutes. What if you could leave it all behind and trade it in for an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient personal copter—all without a pilot’s license?"
"“But Qutb saw something else. The dancers in front of him were tragic lost souls. They believed they were free, but in reality they were trapped by their own selfish and greedy desires.”"
Cliches can be used as a political tool. "Prefabricated language helps everybody from prime ministers to CEOs disguise what they really want to say."
"Santa is nothing but stress for families who don’t believe in him. Trying to keep other kids from finding out the truth can cause a holiday-season-long headache."
"Umami is hard to describe in words. In the New Yorker, Hannah Goldfield defines it as “that deep, dark, meaty intensity that distinguishes seared beef, soy sauce, ripe tomato, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and mushrooms..."
"The designer babies have thus been called the “future-we-should-not-want” for each new reproductive technology or intervention. But the babies never came and are nowhere close. I am not surprised."
"Thousands of secular Israelis became newly observant and joined Haredi communities in the 1970s and ’80s. Now, their children and grandchildren are searching for a place of their own."
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“Do not stand idly by” is a popular mantra of Jewish activists who fight injustice. Whether the injustice is genocide in Sudan or child migrants...
The evening before I watched the new film “Islam and the Future of Tolerance” — a dialogue between religion critics Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz...
Those of us who inhabit the space in American politics between the 40-yard lines have watched with dismay as the nation’s two major parties retreat...
“Hey, let’s talk to people who were always going to vote for us anyway!” That seems to be the sum total of the Democratic Party’s...
In the last week of November, I was on Hollywood Boulevard with my musical director, Moshe Storch, interviewing people for a Hanukkah video about miracles...
Last spring, as I was walking alone to a Shabbat dinner in Pico-Robertson, no car was in sight when I stepped off the curb at...
The death of former President George H.W. Bush brought Mikhail Gorbachev back into the news. The great former Soviet leader, who deserves immeasurable credit for...
Our age seems to be addicted to what Mark Twain called “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” But when it comes to the upsurge of anti-Semitism...
Little noted in the remem-brances of former President George H.W. Bush, including his loving eldest son’s, former President George W. Bush, is their namesake ancestor,...
With undergraduate degrees in political science and history from Tel Aviv University, Lee Moser knew of historian and politician Michael Oren, a popular teacher. So...
Is anti-Zionism akin to anti-Semitism? The debate is tired, but continues full force nonetheless. “Certainly, some criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, but it’s entirely possible...
“Soheyl” is a Persian Jew in his early 30s. He’s also a homeless drug addict who often can be found sleeping on the sidewalk near...
Yvette isn’t young no more Though she’s still eighteen She’s taking night school Works three jobs The real American dream. She lights candles from The...
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, Accidental Talmudist “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up, and...
Shakshuka in my household growing up was eggs scrambled with peppers, tomatoes and onions. Don’t ask me how that became a thing because neither of...
Whether it’s lemon saffron matzo ball soup or garlic rosemary challah, food blogger turned cookbook author Samantha Ferraro (“The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen”) loves putting her...
The nonprofit Jewish Free Loan Association (JFLA) of Los Angeles has increased its personal emergency loan cap to $15,000 for those affected by the Woolsey...
Thirteen-year-old Leah Khorsandi is no stranger to Holocaust survivors, having met several at an annual gathering when she was a student at Sinai Temple’s religious...
For three years, Los Angeles residents Michael Schwartzbach and his wife, Breanna, struggled to become pregnant. They went to different doctors and tried various methods...
About 160 people gathered at the Hancock Park home of Lisa and Josh Hofheimer on Dec. 1 for “Love, Light and Life Under the Stars,”...
What does a Jew who doesn’t fancy the traditional visit to a Chinese restaurant do on Christmas Eve? In Los Angeles, the hottest ticket to...
Television journalist, producer and five-time Emmy Award-winner Giselle Fernandez brings three decades of experience to her new anchor job at Spectrum News 1, the cable...
The plainspoken title of "How Old Is the Hebrew Bible?" by Ronald Hendel and Jan Joosten (Yale University Press) poses a simple question, but the answer...
FRI DEC 14 Women's March L.A. One month before the Jan. 19 Women’s March Los Angeles, Women’s March L.A. founder and Temple Isaiah congregant Emiliana...
Randolph Louis Braham, a two-time Jewish National Book Award winner for works on the Holocaust in his homeland of Hungary, and a founding member of the...
This week, while the television and motion picture industry was eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations, the design community was on pins...
The November wildfires ravaged vast swaths of Northern and Southern California, resulting in record-setting death and destruction. Losses significantly impacted sects of Los Angeles’ Jewish...
The Idea of a ‘Radical Middle’ I really enjoyed Karen Lehrman Bloch’s story about the radical middle (“Hope for a Radical Middle, Dec. 7). I...
“Tomb of Samuel,” 2018 Dave Bender The tomb of the Prophet Samuel. The site, venerated by Jews and Muslims, is also called Nabi Samwil and sits...
Cartoon illustration by Steve Greenberg. For more of his work visit his website.