Nick Street
Films: Teen gang members take a page from Anne Frank in ‘Freedom Writers’
\”Freedom Writers\” opens with a montage of scenes from Long Beach two years after the Los Angeles riots. Images of gang life and the neighborhoods where members stage their brutal rites float on a stream of hip-hop sound.
Jewish and Muslim students at USC share dorm and friendships
At a time when Jews and Muslims in other parts of the world aren\’t having much luck learning from one another, the conversation and the setting for it are both quietly revolutionary. Here Jewish and Muslim students live together in harmony.
Sherwood Schwartz — creator of hit TV shows ‘Gilligans Island’ and ‘The Brady Bunch’ — trades sitc
Sherwood Schwartz is not one to complain. Which isn\’t to say he has nothing to complain about.
Secrets of cosmos draw eyes heavenward
Whether they\’re secular or religious, Jewish astronomers are part of a venerable tradition of inquiry and teaching. And the light transmitted by this tradition shines just as brightly in the upcoming generation of space scientists.
Finding their way home to Judaism: three same-sex couples share their conversion stories
Spiritual decision-making is also frequently a factor in the calculus of gay life. In fact, finding a religious tradition that affirms gay experience and offers the support of a vibrant community can be one of the most important aspects of self-realization for gay men and lesbians — especially for people who see being in a committed relationship as a natural extension of their spiritual lives.
New Year brings new hope to inmates
Daniel, a 24-year-old UCLA student, has gotten under my skin. I met him a month ago when I followed Rabbi Yossi Carron on his rounds through Men\’s Central Jail and Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles.
Rabbi Carron brightens prisoners’ darkest days
With any luck, Daniel will be spending Rosh Hashanah on the outside. It\’s likely he\’ll soon be making the transition from jail to the recovery program at Beit T\’Shuva, a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth.