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A Moment in Time: Polarized or Non-Polarized?
Dear all,
I was in the market for a new set of prescription sunglasses this week. The salesperson asked, “Would you like them polarized or...
That’s Not Your Ass: A Poem for Torah Portion Ki Teitzei
Rick Lupert - 0
You shall not see your brother's ox or sheep straying, and ignore them.
you shall return them to your brother.
I’ve been dreaming of oxen...
The Smell of Autumn is Here
I can smell it.
Literally, in Les Baux, I can.
The air smells suddenly like autumn; days are getting shorter, the leaves turning gold, the grapes...
Spielberg’s Roots
Boaz Hepner - 0
Today I read the news of Steven Spielberg losing his father, who died on Aug. 25 at the amazing age of 103. While I...
Ripple Effect: Rant
I have a really good friend. She is one of my best friends, a true soul sister. We met in a professional capacity and immediately...
Home Shalom Monday Message #22
Home Shalom promotes healthy relationships and facilitates the creation of judgement free, safe spaces in the Jewish community. Home Shalom is a program of...
Pauly Shore on His New Movie ‘Guest House,’ and the Future of ‘The Comedy Store’
Pauly Shore first broke into the mainstream in the late 1980s as an early-20-something, working as a VJ and on-air host for MTV. Shore’s...
A Moment in Time: Fitting In, Yet Making Your Mark
Dear all,
Giddiness just begins to describe how I felt in the moment in time when I found this bench (Right here at Temple Akiba)....
Obligations for a New King: A Poem for Torah Portion Shoftim
Rick Lupert - 0
I will set a king over myself, like all the nations around me
Pick a king from amongst your brothers.
How you define brother is up...
Azerbaijan-Israel Partnership is a Lesson on Muslim-Jewish Relations
The historic Abraham Accord, an agreement on the full normalization of relations between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, opens up...
‘An American Pickle’ Was Just A Little Too Sour
When I first heard about Seth Rogen’s new Pickle movie I immediately went to watch the trailer with much anticipation and excitement. A mainstream...
Ripple Effect: Guilty
I am your quintessential Jewish woman who carries guilt like an extra limb on her body.
Guilty for not doing this, guilty for not doing...
UN World Humanitarian Day 2020 #RealLifeHeroes
This is not a story… #RealLifeHeroes | World Humanitarian Day 2020
https://youtu.be/9ZAwmEtS_6I
What do you call...
While Waiting For a Vaccine…Get Your Vaccine!
Boaz Hepner - 0
Five minutes in line at our local drugstore. Totally free thanks to our insurance plan. A needle inserts into the Deltoid muscle of our...
Home Shalom Monday Message #21
Home Shalom promotes healthy relationships and facilitates the creation of judgement free, safe spaces in the Jewish community. Home Shalom is a program of...
Remembering Leo Frank’s Lynching
By Rabbi Josh Knobel, Stephen Wise Temple
For those of us keeping count, today...
Writers, Producers Neil Cohen and Zack Norman on The Journey to Get ‘Chief Zabu’ Released
After three decades and just in time for the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, indie film "Chief Zabu" was finally released this months to Vudu,...
A Granddaughter’s Intuition: A Life Well Lived
Boaz Hepner - 0
How did she know? I’m a nurse, I work with the elderly on a regular basis, but how did my wife know so much...
A Moment in Time: “When You Feel Uprooted”
Dear all,
I was on a walk this week when I came across a tree that had fallen, blocking most of the road. It gave...
No Animals Were Harmed in the Writing of This Poem – a poem for Torah portion Re’eh
Rick Lupert - 0
you may eat meat, according to every desire of your soul.
Hello! Vegetarian poet speaking.
I’m here to tell you my soul is conflicted
about its many...
David Arquette on ‘Spree,’ Getting Bar Mitzvahed at 40 and the Influence of Andy Kaufman
It has been almost 30 years since David Arquette made his on-screen debut as an actor, and not a year has gone by in which Arquette...
Singing a Little Differently
Singing is different now.
Like, really, really different.
I gave a concert on Friday took under an ancient Provençal oak tree, in a garden which is...
Ripple Effect: Generosity
Last week a very special, dear friend of mine was incredibly generous to my family and me. She did not have to do what...
15 Late Summer 2020 Gift Ideas
Between birthdays, holidays, housewarming opportunities and general well-wishing, it never hurts to have a few gift ideas up your sleeve. In turn, below are...
Home Shalom Monday Message #20
Home Shalom promotes healthy relationships and facilitates the creation of judgement free, safe spaces in the Jewish community. Home Shalom is a program of...
A Moment in Time: We Cannot Control the Wind, but We can Adjust the Sails
Dear all,
Ron and I spent time in Newport Beach recently where we came upon this sign:
“We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust...
Words are All We’ve Got: A Poem for Torah Portion Eikev
Rick Lupert - 0
Beware that you do not forget the Lord, your God…
…who fed you manna in the desert
I think this is what Joni Mitchell had in...
What Happens When a Baker Gets a COVID-19 Test
Whatever does happen I will do my best to keep the business running, my employees paid, and my customers fed. Of this I am glad to say I'm positive.
In Times of COVID-19, Science Must Count
Informed decision-making depends on reliable data - but there seems to be a shortage of such information in Israel.
Ripple Effect: Walls
Lots of people have been hitting their coronavirus walls lately.
Somehow this week has been harder for everyone. Walls have gone up. People have been...
New Articles
News
U.S. and Bahrain Agree to MOU Saying Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism
On October 23, the United States and Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that included a statement about anti-Zionism being anti-Semitism.
The MOU stated...
Israel
Israeli Arabs Remain Divided Over Normalization Deals with Gulf States
JNS — The Joint Arab List was alone in voting against the normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates in the Knesset, upsetting many...
Los Angeles
Report: Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Rose 18% in LA County
According to the report, the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes in the county in 2019 was 93; in 2018, that number was 79. The report noted that the 93 instances is the largest number of anti-Semitic hate crimes that the county has recorded since 2009.
News
In a Striking Move, State Department Plans to Label 3 Large Human Rights Groups as Anti-Semitic
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In an unusual move, the State Department is planning to formally identify three large international human rights organizations as anti-Semitic, citing...
Israel
Amid Middle East Peace Deals, Israel and the US Reassert Commitment to Israel’s ‘Qualitative Military Edge’
(JTA) — The United States’ commitment to Israel’s “qualitative military edge” — or having the strongest armed forces in the Middle East — is...
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