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Rob Kutner

Rob Kutner

Blue and White in Bangkok

Shabbat in Bangkok? What business does a partisan of the 613 mitzvot have in a city of 1,000 temptations?

Chanukah Calendar

When the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles celebrated the launch of its anti-illiteracy program KOREH Los Angeles in September, the focus was on educators and celebrities to read children\’s books to kids. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the spotlight at that event were some local women who are equally vital in the campaign against illiteracy: the creators of the children\’s books themselves.

Couples Camp

It was 6:00 on a Friday evening. My wife, myself, and 50 complete strangers had just managed to light two candles, each on one tiny table, without burning ourselves. Our names, printed in a groovy font, glistened under the nametags hanging around our necks. We were sitting in a circle, introducing ourselves and saying what the experience reminded us of. Was it any surprise that two-thirds of us answered, \”Camp?\”

Finally, A Bat Mitzvah

\”As a board member… they gave me an aliyah, and after I said the blessing, one of the gabbais, [Sid Burke] said, as a joke, \’Soraya, have you ever been bat mitzvahed?\’ I said, \’No,\’ and he said, \’Now you have.\’\”

Healing’s Many Colors

Imagine the shock Temple Knesset Israel members felt when they came to Shabbat services five weeks ago and found scrawled on their wall, \”Jews die\” and a swastika. The Los Feliz congregation is largely elderly; many are Holocaust survivors.
A shock of a different sort awaited them last Saturday: scores of black and Latino teenagers and community leaders convened at the shul for a \”Day of Healing.\”

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