\”Survivor\” as inspiration for Jewish programming? It seems strange that the divisive show where deceit, backstabbing and empty promises are de rigueur would serve as the inspiration for a Shabbaton that stresses the importance of religious and cultural continuity. Yet Sephardic Tradition and Recreation (STAR) has seized on this pop culture phenomenon and infused it with a positive spin.
Las Vegas isn\’t exactly the holiest place on earth. Hotels on the Strip have dumped the family-friendly approach in favor of European-style topless shows, and much of the praying takes place at craps tables and roulette wheels.
After the candles were lit, the wine blessed and the bread broken, Jimmy Gamliel and Yosi Levy, standing on a small stage in front of patrons at Tempo Restaurant in Encino, broke into traditional Shabbat songs from Israel. The crowd, nearly 110 strong, sang and clapped along with the band. Some mothers stood, holding their children, and swayed to the music. Other patrons, moved either by memories or the melodies, joined Gamliel and Levy onstage to dance.
Meseret Rubin started learning modern Hebrew for the sake of her family.
In a race that has enough candidates for a minyan, the fight for the 5th District City Council seat being vacated by city attorney hopeful Mike Feuer became even tougher following the Jan. 12 addition of Tom Hayden. With the former state senator expected to win a plurality in the April 10 primary, speculation is now limited to which of the other 10 candidates will face Hayden in the June 5 general election.
It\’s that time of year, when Coca-Cola substitutes sugar for high-fructose corn syrup to guarantee that \”Coke is it\” at Ashkenazi seders.
In the heat of a 1991 match, a player for the Buffalo Sabers called then-Canadiens defenseman Mathieu Schneider a \”Jew boy.\”
Yoshinoya and a sushi restaurant sprang up at Dodgers Stadium after Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo donned blue, but it\’s going to be a while before L.A. fans will be able to bite into a kosher Dodger dog, even with the addition of Jewish outfielder Shawn Green.
I was more than a little conflicted when Israel\’s Ministry of Tourism invited me to visit the Holy Land for one week in December to judge for myself whether the country was safe enough for tourists. I\’d never traveled to Israel before, and while I knew that life was going on as usual for most Israelis, CNN\’s daily images of conflict and the U.S. State Department\’s warning fed my apprehension.
Earlier this week, 160 people from Los Angeles — including Jewish Federation President John Fishel and the Board of Rabbis\’ Mark Diamond — were among 900 who traveled to Israel as part of a United Jewish Communities-sponsored solidarity mission.
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