It was a dream come true for devotees of revered cartoonist Art Spiegelman last weekend, as the chain-smoking New Yorker flew into town to speak before capacity crowds at Second Generation and Skirball Cultural Center programs.
It may not surprise anyone in our community to learn that, like the movie industry and the sciences, Jews occupy a disproportionate influence on the history of American comics. Examining the intersection of Jewish culture and the American comic strip is \”Cartoon Art,\” a four-month exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center.
An Asian-American Fairfax High School student asks Ethiopian-born Taktu (Rachel) Yasu how long it took her to learn English. An African-American classmate wants to know if she encountered racism in her native Israel. Another African-American senior inquires if there are any Jews left in Ethiopia.
Israel and its Arab neighbors are still feeling the effects, militarily, politically and psychologically, of the coordinated Egyptian-Syrian surprise attacks and of the desperate Israeli struggle to drive the invading forces back across the Suez Canal and the Golan Heights.
For many, the High Holidays have already been officially ushered in — not with the blowing of the Shofar, but with the sound of Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin\’s voice hosting the annual Chabad telethon.
For anyone driving past the consulate\’s Wilshire Boulevard headquarters, the Crusade protest is a familiar sight.Every morning, marchers circle, carrying signs broadcasting messages like \”Germany says YES to a police state.\”
If anyone was preordained to be a rabbi, it was Jackie Mason. Born in Sheboygan, Wis., in 1937, the Yiddish-accented comedian comes from four generations of rabbis. All three of his brothers are rabbis. And, once upon a time, Mason himself was a rabbi, teaching Talmud in far-out places like Lathrop, Pa., and Walden, N.C.
\”Air Force One.\” \”Basic Instinct.\” \”Poltergeist.\” \”Planet of the Apes.\”\nJust a sampling of the more than 175 motion pictures bearing the distinctive imprimatur of master film composer Jerry Goldsmith, (left) who was recently honored by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. The Regent Beverly Wilshire reception was part of the Chamber\’s 75th-anniversary Diamond Jubilee.
Despite his Italian surname, joked District Attorney Gil Garcetti, \”[My heritage] is Mexican-American and my wife is Jewish.So our kids ask, \’Well, what are we?\’\”\n\nGarcetti was praising our city\’s multi ethnic population as he spoke at last week\’s Anti-Defamation League SpringLuncheon, touted as a tribute to Israel\’s 50th Anniversary but, in fact, honoring Deputy District Attorney Carla Arranaga and Deputy Sheriff BerniceAbram. Recognized for their efforts in combating hate crimes in Los Angeles, they were this year\’s recipients of the Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate.
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