There\’s a Yiddish saying that goes: \”I\’ve been poor and I\’ve been rich. Believe me, rich is better!\” In the Midrash we read: \”Nothing in the universe is worse than poverty; it is the most terrible of sufferings.\” (Exodus Rabbah 31:14)
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright\’s Middle East shuttle mission has paid off with the announcement that Israeli-Syrian negotiations will resume next week.
After nearly a decade of planning, fund- raising and hard work, the Ferne Milken Youth & Sports Complex opens its doors Sunday, and organizers say the $4.5 million facility is certain to help the center achieve its goal of becoming a true hub for community life in the Valley.
Who would have thought, muses Dr. Uri D. Herscher, that the Skirball Cultural Center would reach such prominence in so short a time.
Last week marked the sixth yahrzeit of Yitzhak Weinstock, a young American-Israeli who was murdered in a Palestinian Arab terrorist attack near Jerusalem. Hundreds of Jews have been murdered by Arab terrorists in Israel in the six years since the Oslo accords were signed, so perhaps it is no surprise that Yitzhak\’s name is not familiar to most Jews in Southern California.
I have seen the Jewish future and, to my surprise, it still belongs to the Baby Boomers. By now I\’d guess that Boomers would happily cede attention and civic responsibility to Gen Xers and Gen J but nothing doing. One in three Jews today are between ages 35-53, and the needs and demands of this group will dominate Jewish life well into the coming decades.
Looking back on the last year-and-a-half, Lionel Bell feels satisfied with what the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has achieved during his term as chairman of the board. He cites the reestablishment of 6505 Wilshire as Federation headquarters and the launching of its $20 million capital campaign as two accomplishments that he is proud of. Bell is also happy about the Leadership Council he started, which has united the organization\’s young leadership presidents, and facilitated an exchange of ideas and the creation of overlapping programs.
Some two dozen prominent Jews and Muslims met before banks of television cameras at City Hall on Monday (Dec. 6) to approve a code of ethics, whose signatories pledged to denounce all terrorism and hate crimes, promote civil dialogue, and avoid mutual stereotyping and incitement.
In two days of hearings (Dec. 1 & 2) on Holocaust-era insurance policies, California\’s insurance commissioner threatened to penalize a German and an Italian insurer for non-cooperation, while reaching agreements with three Dutch companies.
Three days before its festive rededication ceremony (see story on page 10), the Skirball Cultural Center received some unrequested publicity when it hosted actor Charlton Heston for an evening of poetry and Shakespearean readings.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.