April 3, 2003

The World, Observed

Leave a Comment / Rob Eshman / Rob Eshman

The moment former Sen. Gary Hart told the audience at theMilken Institute’s Global Conference that America is “at a crossroads,” Abe Zarem leaned over to me and said, “He’s wrong.”

There were 1,500 people sitting in the audience listening toa panel tussle over the United States’ role in the world. For a conference thatannually attracts the world’s financial and academic elite, the seating at theBeverly Hilton was refreshingly democratic: no place cards, sit almost anywhereyou like. So I found myself between Charlie Woo, the innovator behind downtown Los Angeles’ Toy Town district, and Zarem, inventor, professor, entrepreneur,thinker.

“Crossroads is not the right word,” Zarem told me,correcting Hart, “because at a crossroads you pick a direction and you knowwhere you’re going. We’re at a cloverleaf. When you turn off a cloverleaf youdon’t know where you’re going.”

He’s right, and the better metaphor explains why MichaelMilken hosts his annual conference. Business leaders and others pay $1,900 ahead for three days of seminars, lectures and shmoozing, hoping to get a peakbehind the curves. The presenters are Nobel and Pulitzer Prize laureates,chiefs of finance, politics and academia, and, in Milken’s words, “about 40 peoplewho are paid to do nothing but think.”

The attendees seemed to break down along the “not mutuallyexclusive” lines of the intellectually curious, the portfolio warriors huntingopportunity and the elbow-rubbers, who figured that what works for Milken mightwork for them, too — George S. Kaufman called that “gelt by association.”

Milken’s genius has always been at mining capital markets tofind undiscovered value. In the 1980s, he restructured the corporate world byfocusing on financial markets. After legal battles and a jail term about whichhis official conference biography is admirably up front, his focus has expandedto other forms of undervalued capital, human and social.

Laying bare these veins of capital enables individuals andgovernments to unleash what Milken called “the most powerful force in theuniverse: compound interest.” (Milken claimed Albert Einstein said this aboutcompound interest, but Einstein authority Alice Calaprice has said he probablydidn’t.)

Milken, who was elected cheerleader at Birmingham HighSchool in the early 1960s, is cheerleading still, filling the dais with anenergy that wouldn’t be out of place at a human potential seminar. But — andthis is all to his credit — this was a conference devoted to the potential of humanity — and if in uncorking that potential some people profited, good for them, goodfor us all.

So, Monday evening’s panel discussion offered a hopeful viewof humanity’s potential. Moderated by Milken, the discussion featured NobelLaureate Robert Fagan, biologist Paul Ehrlich, futurist Alvin Toffler andlinguist Steven Pinker.

Fagan said that the obvious next source of unleashableenergy lay Far East.

“The most important economic event is the emergence ofChina,” Fagan said. “By 2030, the Chinese economy will be bigger than theeconomies of America and Europe put together.”

Other speakers on the panel agreed, and the presence ofentrepreneurs like Woo, founder of the Megatoys corporation, was all the proofthey needed. Drawing on a network of Asian contacts, Woo, 47, built the toydistrict downtown from a single $140,000 warehouse into an area that employsmore than 4,000 people, boasts revenues estimated at roughly $500 million ayear and controls the distribution of some 60 percent of the $12 billion intoys sold to American retailers. China is the new plastics.

Toffler said that the current economic meltdown is a hiccupin the “knowledge revolution,” what he called the “Third Wave” of humandevelopment after the agrarian and Industrial revolutions.

“Between 1750 and 1950 there were 27 financial crises inAmerica and England,” Toffler said. “None of them stopped the IndustrialRevolution.”

What stands in our way, Ehrlich warned, is our careless useof natural resources and the fact that a full third of the world still lives inpoverty. “The current system is unsustainable,” he said.

But Pinker and the others stressed humanity’s adaptability,our ability to innovate our way out of problems. By the evening’s end, evenEhrlich offered hope that “humanity, as smart as we are, will get smart enoughto save our butts.”

On Tuesday evening the “Big Picture” narrowed to focus on”America’s Role in the World.” This discussion featured William Bennett, formersecretary of education; Robert Bartley, editor emeritus of The Wall StreetJournal; Hart; and Stephan Richter, publisher and editor-in-chief of TheGlobalist. Despite King’s vain efforts to expand it, the debate swirled aboutthe current war. It became clear that so many of the big questions Americafaces — what we stand for, how we are to exercise our power, whether the worldwill fear us, hate us, respect us or all three — are being played out now inthe sands and cities of Iraq.

The conference provided a time to take a step back from anda more distant perspective on these unknowns, just before we turn off thecloverleaf. Â

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Aunt Coca’s Ghost

Leave a Comment / Singles / Annabelle Stevens

Did you have an Aunt Coca? My auntie, to
whom I am not genetically connected, was a lady we kindly invited to family
gatherings because she was alone. It was silently understood that she was an “old maid,” one of those
unfortunate women who did not marry and have children.

My Aunt Coca, from my child perspective, was an “old” woman.
A distinguished blonde lady, a member of the adult clan who clumsily pinched my
cheeks and brought gifts. What seemed old then, is close to home now. Like her,
I am an unmarried, 40-year-old woman, and I sometimes painfully feel the same
loneliness and single-woman stigmas as she did.

My four closest girlfriends are also not married. One of
them is 38 — but we still love her. Another has returned to the chevra (group)
after going through a divorce and becoming a single mom. She at least has a
record of having “sealed the deal.”

In our achievements and independence, we are very different
from Aunt Coca, who I believe spent her life working as a secretary. I am
reminded of our professional competence as we sit for our weekly Coffee Bean
& Tea Leaf shot of friendship. Our skills are varied: a lawyer, a doctor, a
writer, another lawyer and a high-tech wiz.

Our chevra was bonded and sealed through our 20-year
adventures in Los Angeles single Jewish life. In our 20s and 30s we all dated
many men, had some near-misses, attended young leader retreats, Shabbatons,
traveled to exotic destinations and busily became ensconced in Los Angeles
Jewish life.

As we chat and interrupt each other, I think of our common
denominators besides being 40: we are smart, kind, interesting and always
chasing those extra 10 (or 15) zaftig pounds. Our exchange does not have
commercial breaks:

“Jewish men are looking for playboy bunnies who read Torah.”

“Los Angeles is not Kansas City! There are so many women who
look fabulous here. Anyway they want women in their 20s to have a family.”

“Bull, they are just dirty old men”

We exchange JDate horror and victory stories. My friend
Debbie, who was not even looking (she had a top-level marketing job), got
married to a great guy through JDate.

Our PalmPilots sit on the table as we pick them up to
proactively pencil in social opportunities to be aware of: “Makor has a 40-50
singles group.” “What’s their Web site?” “Are you going to The Federation
leadership event?” “Too young. The guys are looking for 20-year-olds.” “LACMA
has free concerts on Fridays.” “MOCA has a singles group.” “It’s 20-something.”
“Did you go to Friday Night Live?” “The UJ has a 39 cutoff for their discussion
group.” “I am taking bridge lessons.” “The Fountain Theatre has a great play.”

We network activities for an hour. Our loneliness, though
populated with (diminishing) marriage prospects according to researchers, is
densely populated with friendships, philanthropic involvements, cultural
activities, family events, the gym, our pets and occasional nights at home.

Midweek I met my friend Elliott in the magazine area of
Barnes & Noble. By his own admission, he is a Jewish prince who fears
commitment. His (generally blonde) relationship attempts fail regularly and he
lives on antidepressants, while attending every single event listed (and not
listed) to find his muse. Though my friends and I would probably fit his needs
better than his relationship résumé, he would never consider dating a woman
like me. “Kind” is not one of the criteria he seeks in a woman. He wants a
young, beautiful, successful, slim, amazing, funny, superlative fit.

I leave Elliott and feel angry at men like him. Of course,
there are lot of good men who are more real, but it does certainly seem like
there are many Elliotts around. What’s a girl to do?Â Have fun and enjoy life
anyway, is my answer. I do feel shame not being married, but I do not feel
desperate or bored. There are times when I feel that I live on another planet
from my Valley friends, who are consumed with diaper and carpool concerns.
Mostly, my throat tightens and I feel particularly single at family Shabbat
dinners and holidays. My brothers have supplied the grandchildren, not I, the
Jewish daughter brought up for marriage. Luck? Fear of commitment? Who knows?

Am I that different than my Aunt Coca? Is the organized
Jewish community life aware of the great number of mature singles —
particularly women? Is anything being done on a community level to integrate us
into a fulfilling role other than being an alien in a synagogue world dedicated
to family life? I hope that Jewish leaders and rabbis will hear our message as
they look at Jewish life today and tomorrow.

It sometimes feels like the Orthodox community is making a
more concerted effort to reach out to older singles. Some question their
motives, but the consistency of their outreach voice is undeniable. My friends
and I often trek to Pico-Robertson to experience Shabbat with Jewish families
and feel the warmth of community sharing.

My options are different than Aunt Coca’s. To address my
ticking biological clock, I could adopt or consider other options. I can enjoy
the benefits of independent life and choose other ways to contribute socially
than by having a family and children.

However, tonight I finish my fun
Scrabble game on PlaySite.com and then switch to JCupid to see if their Web site has more
options than JDate.

Five days to the next girlfriend caffeinated meeting.

Annabelle Stevens is a writer and the public relations director at Gary Wexler + Associates | Passion Marketing for Issues and Causes. She is the mother of the infamous Black Jacquie the cat.

Aunt Coca’s Ghost Read More »

Knowing the Person

Leave a Comment / Torah / Rabbi Elazar Muskin

Did you ever notice how we tend to make up our minds so
quickly that we become closed to ideas that might change our opinion?

Â Recently, I came across the following sign prominently
displayed on an executive’s desk that succinctly summarized it: “Don’t confuse
me with facts — my mind is already made up.”

If that is true about life in general, it is even truer
about the way we judge people. We rarely give people much time before we decide
what we think of them. It is this very point that Judaism teaches in a
fascinating fashion in this week’s Torah portion.

The primary focus of this week’s portion is the discussion
of tzara’at, afflictions or leprosy; a spiritual punishment that could affect a
person’s skin, clothing or even his house. For modern man, this concept seems
to be both difficult and irrelevant. When was the last time we actually saw a
person stricken with tzara’at? For the commentators, however, and especially
the teachers of ethics and morality, tzara’at was not a physical disease;
rather it was a physical manifestation of spiritual malaise. In exploring the
ethical dimension, they found lessons that surely apply to human relations in
our own impersonal age.

For example, our Jewish ethical teachers derived a profound
lesson from one word in the Torah portion. The Torah legislates that a person
who seemed to be stricken with tzara’at had to have a Kohen come and examine
the afflicted area to decide if the eruption was a genuine case of tzara’at. If
the eruption was genuine, then the person was considered defiled.

According to the 16th-century Italian commentator, Rabbi
Obadiah Sforno, the Kohen had this responsibility because the Kohanim, by
definition, were the spiritual leaders and teachers of the people.
Consequently, it was the Kohanim who needed to be sensitized in how to deal
with this problem.

Just what sensitivity did the Kohanim need to have? The
Torah provides us with some clues. The Kohen receives two specific
instructions. In the first, it states, “And the Kohen would see the spot”
(Leviticus 13:3). At first, the Kohen simply acts as a technician. He looks at
the spot to discern what he is looking at. But then the wording in the verse
changes just a little. Before he can declare clean or defiled, he has to take a
second look. Suddenly, the wording in the verse shifts from “the Kohen would
see the spot” to “and the Kohen shall see him and declare him defiled.”

Why the change from “and he shall see the spot” to “and he
shall see him?” The Talmud answers that the Kohen has to see more than just a
skin ailment. We must not make quick judgments about any person, and certainly
not judgments that might be detrimental to that person’s well-being. First, we need
to find out about the person’s immediate needs.

The Talmud instructs us that we must start by investigating,
by learning something about the person himself. Perhaps he is a groom in the
midst of celebrating the seven joyous days following his nuptials, or perhaps
he is busy preparing to commemorate an upcoming festival with his family. In
such instances, declaring the person defiled might not just mar his joy, but
undermine his personal well-being.

In other words, the Torah was more concerned with the mental
health of the afflicted person than with the affliction itself. With that
concern, the Torah thereby was teaching us a crucial lesson. None of us should
make snap judgments about other people. No one should jump to hasty conclusions
until we consider all the extenuating circumstances. In the final analysis, the
lesson of tzara’at is simple: find out about the person; know the person; and
you will care for the person. Â

Elazar Muskin is rabbi of Young Israel of Century City.

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Community Briefs

Leave a Comment / Community, United States / Jewish Journal

Prager Not Running forSenate

Los Angeles-based national talk radio host Dennis Pragerannounced on Tuesday, April 1, that he has decided not to run for the U.S.Senate in 2004. However, he did not rule out a possible run in 2010.

The conservative author/commentator, whose syndicated showairs locally on KRLA 870 AM, had been mulling over the possibility of acampaign for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Barbara Boxer, but said he felthe could do more to further his cause by remaining on the airwaves.

Prager said that he had traveled to Washington in March tospeak with senators and Republican Party leaders about before reaching hisdecision.

“I came away assured that I could raise tens of millions ofdollars to finance a campaign, and that I had a good chance to win,” he said.

Prager admitted that he was wary of Democratic Party smearcampaigns, although he insisted that he had no more skeletons in his closetthan any “normal, red-blooded American.”

“Still, as someone who has been a speaker and writer for 20years, I have left a paper trail,” he said. “It would be very easy for someoneto take many of my comments out of context.”

He said family matters were also a consideration, inparticular his 10-year-old son, who would be nearly a teenager by the time hetook office.

“The years between 12 and 18 are the most formative years,especially between a father and his son,” Prager told The Journal. “Not beingwith him for half his life at that time is simply not acceptable to me.”

Prager said he will consider a campaign for political officeat a future date, but in the meantime, “I realize there are many areas inpublic life aside from running for office and in addition to the media, andthat is what I intend to pursue.”

On the radio, Prager thanked his listeners for theiroutpouring of support and offers to volunteer for his campaign, then issued anappeal.

“I ask you to join me with the same energy in fighting formorality in the civil war that is being waged for the soul of this country.” –Wendy J. Madnick and Buzzy Gordon, Contributing Writers

Consular Strike AffectsPassports, Visas

For Israelis wanting to renew their passports or American studentshoping to obtain visas to study in Israel, these have been frustrating times.

The Israeli consulate in Los Angeles was unable to issuepassports, visas and other official documents from March 31 to press time,because of a major strike in Israel. In a nasty labor dispute, members of theMinistry of Foreign Affair’s consular section, among other government workers,walked off the job to protest a proposed austerity plan calling for majorsalary cuts. An estimated 150,000 government workers went on strike.

Locally, up to 30 people a day were unable to receiveimportant services during the strike, said David Douek, spokesman for theIsraeli Consulate. However, the consulate was able to process visa and passportapplications in emergency situations, he added.

Israel is experiencing a growing budget deficit as the worldeconomy continues to struggle. To stanch the red ink, the government isexpected to make painful budget cuts, including a possible 8 percent pay cutfor consular workers, Douek said.

For now, it appears the budget knife could bypass the localconsulate, which employs about 40.

“The budget cuts are major and will certainly have very realand felt implications at many levels. But whether or not it reached L.A.remains to be seen,” Douek said. “I don’t think it will get that far, at leastI hope not.” — Marc Ballon, Senior Writer

ADL Essay Contest DeadlineLooms

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is still acceptingsubmissions for its third annual human relations essay contest forcollege-bound high school seniors in Los Angeles County. Area schools are askedto submit their student’s writing on the topic of how students can bestrecognize and combat racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry amongpeers. The awards — one first prize of $1,000 and three honorable mentions of$100 each — will be applied toward the student’s college tuition.

Former ADL President Cecilia “Cec” Katz, whose Cecilia E.& Dr. Alfred D. Katz Educational Scholarship Endowment is funding thecontest, said turnout in years past has been disappointing, particularly fromJewish schools. She said she hopes to get more participants this year.

The topic “is more important now than at any other time,with the bigotry we have to combat,” Katz said.

The contest is open to all college-eligible seniorsattending a public, parochial or private high school in Los Angeles County.Essays should be 500 words or less and are due by April 7. For moreinformation, call (800) 446-2684 or (310) 446-8000 ext. 234. — WJM

RJC Hires New Director, PlansGrowth

Michael Wissot took over as Southern California director ofthe Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) March 10. Wissot, the 28-year-oldRepublican who challenged Democrat Fran Pavley for the state Assembly District41 seat, replaced Scott Gluck, who left to pursue legal and governmentalaffairs work.

Wissot, a former aide to Sen. John McCain, joins otherJewish Republican notables from the 2002 election who are reinvestingthemselves in local RJC efforts to increase the grass-roots organization’svisibility in Southland Jewish communities.

“When you’re in your growing stages, you’re trying to be allthings to all people and it becomes challenging,” said Wissot, addressing theorganization’s need for greater efficiency.

RJC Southern California Chair Bruce Bialosky praised thework Gluck did last year and is anxious to see the region flourish againfollowing the organization’s sophomore slump during the 2002 election season.

“We were in the process of really growing, but we didn’thave the personnel we needed,” Bialosky said, referring to people like RJCLAPresident Dr. Joel Strom, who served as state volunteer chair for gubernatorialcandidate Bill Simon, and Vice President Connie Friedman, who ran for AssemblyDistrict 40. “Now that the elections are over, we’ve got people focusing ongrowing the organization.”

Bialosky wants to increase the Los Angeles chapter’smembership from 500 to 1,000, bolster the efforts of the Orange County andRiverside chapters and create a San Diego chapter by the end of the year.

RJC is expecting to build on the success of its youngprofessionals mixers at Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills and its slate of upcomingspeakers, such as Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and terrorism expert SteveEmerson.

“Over the last few years, we’ve been creative and courageousin trying new things,” Wissot said. “Now it’s time to put it all together andfigure out what works to make us a successful group.”Â — Adam Wills, AssociateEditor

Community Briefs Read More »

First Woman Heads Reform Conference

911 Calls Ignored After OU Shooting

Leave a Comment / Community / Julie Gruenbaum Fax

City officials and the LAPD are working with Jewish
community leaders to determine why two 911 calls went unanswered when a pellet
gunshot shattered the front window of a building where a Jewish youth group was
meeting the night of March 27.

Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, director of the West Coast region of
the Orthodox Union (OU), at whose headquarters the incident occurred, said
police have since been very solicitous and cooperative in trying to figure out
how the system broke down.

“They will do whatever they can to make certain that we not
only feel safer, but are safer,” Kalinsky said.

No one was injured in the attack.

Community leaders are particularly disturbed by the
incident, because the breakdown in communication came at a time when terrorist
threats associated with the situation in Israel and the war in Iraq have put
Jewish institutions on high alert. Since the shooting at the Jewish Community
Center in Granada Hills in August 1999 and again since the Sept. 11 attacks,
Jewish leaders have worked with the LAPD and city officials to fine tune
internal security at Jewish organizations and to streamline communications
between the institutions and the Police Department.

All that groundwork seemed to fall apart at about 9:30 p.m.
on March 27, when, according to witnesses, passengers in a silver sports car
shot a pellet gun at the tempered glass front window of the West Coast OU on
Pico Boulevard. Several teenage members of the National Council of Synagogue
Youth (NCSY), the OU’s youth group, were standing just to the east of the
window at the time called 911.

When no one showed up, NCSY Director Rabbi Steven Burg, who
was there with the youths, called again and then later left a message with
senior lead officer Mario Gonzales, a community liaison at the West L.A.
station house. Gonzales didn’t get that message until the next morning, at
which point the LAPD had already been called in by 5th District Councilman Jack
Weiss.

Gonzales is currently conducting an investigation into the
communication breakdown.

Weiss said he spoke to Police Chief William Bratton on March
28, who explained that the initial call that came into 911 was received by a
trainee, who took down the correct information. But by the time the information
was kicked up two levels of supervisors, one key word had fallen out of the
report: Jewish.

The incident itself, without the information that it was at
a religious organization, became an “information only” dispatch, since no one
was injured, and there was no license plate or clear description of the
suspects, Gonzales said.

“We are conducting an investigation and hopefully this will
never occur again,” he said.

“Everyone I’ve talked to in the LAPD has been genuinely
upset that they dropped the ball on this one,” Weiss said.

Weiss called for a meeting between the LAPD and Jewish
leaders from the Pico-Robertson area; it was scheduled to take place on
Thursday at The Young Israel of Century City.

“This was very disappointing, because my office has worked
closely to put the LAPD in touch with the Jewish institutions in L.A., and all
seemed to be going well, and then this happened. Now we realized that no matter
the level of coordination, we’re all just one 911 operator away from not being
that safe at all,” Weiss said.

After Sept. 11, Jewish organizations met at the Simon
Wiesenthal Center with city officials, the LAPD and the local office of the
FBI. Individual institutions also met with Gonzales and other officers to work
out security plans.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal
Center, just across the street from the OU building, said it is important to
determine whether this was a hate crime or a random occurrence. The OU building
was tagged with gang graffiti in January, and is in a location that sees heavy
foot traffic.

Cooper expressed concern that the shooting at an El Al
counter at Los Angeles International Airport last July 4, in which Yaakov
Aminov and Victoria Hen were killed, did not set a precedent in how these
crimes are labeled.

In the El Al attacks, “everyone from the FBI to the city
fathers did the equivalent of yoga manipulations to call it everything but what
it was — a terrorist attack. We want to make sure that the initial breakdown
wasn’t because an attack on Jewish institutions would be dealt with any differently
than an attack on one of the multitude of ethnic and religious groups in our
city,” Cooper said.

Weiss advised the Jewish community to be explicit when
calling 911 and not to assume the operator can do the proper analysis.

“When reporting a crime at a Jewish institution, the
representative needs to state very clearly that this is a Jewish institution
and if appropriate, indicate whether a hate crime may have been committed,”
Weiss suggested. “Make it crystal clear to the 911 operator what the situation
is and why it is important that there be an immediate dispatch.” Â

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7 Days In Arts

Leave a Comment / Picks and Clicks / Jewish Journal

Saturday

For some soul music (of the Jewish variety) the answer is clear this week: Tonight, Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center hosts “Classical Klezmer: Chamber Music That Reflects the Jewish Soul.” The concert features works by Sergei Prokofiev, Ernest Bloch, Paul Schoenfield, Max Bruch and David Schiff, performed by the Aryeh Ensemble. Proceeds will benefit the Weizmann Community Day School in Pasadena and B’nai Simcha Preschool in Arcadia.8 p.m. $18-$100. 1434 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena. (213) 626-5863.

Sunday

In the immortal lyrics of great glam rock bandCinderella, “We all need a little shelter. Just a little helper, oooh, and it’llbe all right.” Backing up their wise words this week and next is a team ofinternational artists. Each of the eight — four based in Los Angeles and fourbased in Israel — contribute their interpretations on the theme of shelter inthe exhibition, “Shelter: Miklat: Malja.” (The words miklat and malja meanshelter in Hebrew and Arabic, respectively.) The exhibition will travel to TelAviv’s Limbus Gallery, a converted air-raid shelter, in May. Noon-5 p.m.(Friday-Sunday). Runs through April 18. Brewery Project, 676 South Avenue 21,No. 33, downtown Los Angeles. (323) 222-0222. www.ybstudio.com

Monday

Jews who just can’t get enough of High Holiday prayers can now rejoice and repent all year long. Fitted snuggly back to back in the same CD jewel case are live Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur recordings, sung by Cantor David Montefiore and the Temple Beth El (of Bloomfield, Mich.) Choir. The double album “The High Holy Day Music Tradition” features music by composers like Max Bruch, Louis Lewandowski and Max Helfman.$25. (248) 851-1100, ext. 3152. srice@tbeonline.org.

Tuesday

With applause-inspiring staging by Julie Taymor, the Los Angeles Opera’s current production of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” is quite the spectacle. The singing and music are pretty darn good, too. There are still a few seats left in the run that ends this week. So don the fancy duds. You men’ll win big romance points with your ladies for the Tuesday night spontaneity.Final performances this week are April 6 and 8 (7:30 p.m.) and April 12 (1 p.m.). $30-$170. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles. (213) 365-3500.

Wednesday

The mystery of the creative process is explored in Jon Robin Baitz’s “Ten Unknowns,” now playing at the Mark Taper Forum. The story centers around an American artist and recluse named Malcolm. After 30 years of self-imposed exile in Mexico, Malcolm returns to New York after an art dealer rediscovers his work. Somehow, he must begin painting again.8 p.m. (Tuesdays-Saturdays), 7:30 p.m. (Sundays), 2:30 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday matinees). Runs through May 4. $31-$45. The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 628-2772.

Thursday

The great Alice Walker comes to the Skirball. She’s written numerous books since her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Color Purple.” Her latest, “Absoloute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth,” is also her first book of poetry in more than a decade. She’ll read from it and sign copies tonight, in her only Los Angeles appearance.7:30 p.m. $15 (general), $12 (members), $6 (students). 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. R.S.V.P., (323) 655-8587.

Friday

If you don’t yet know the strange story of “StrangeFruit,” PBS helps you out this evening. Joel Katz’s documentary of the sametitle tells the full history of the anti-lynching song, including the bizarretwist: While it was long believed to have been written by an African Americanman, the real composer of the song was not only a Jew, but also one of the twoorphaned sons of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. 10 p.m. www.pbs.org

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‘Finding’ Asperger’s Changed His Life

Leave a Comment / Books, Community, Entertainment / Wendy J. Madnick

In “Finding Ben: A Mother’s Journey Through the Maze of
Asperger’s,” (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, 2003) author Barbara LaSalle
writes about her family’s struggle to help her young son overcome a baffling
neurological disorder and have a “regular” existence. Misdiagnosed and
maladjusted, Ben Levinson was labeled as everything from learning disabled to
emotionally disturbed and was even committed to a psychiatric ward before
LaSalle, a marriage and family counselor, was able to correctly diagnose him
with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).

While AS and autism diagnoses are increasing at alarming
rates, “Finding Ben” presents a frightening portrait of one family in the days
before treatment was widely available.

The book begins with Levinson’s birth in 1969 and goes
through the many torturous incidents that marked his differences throughout his
childhood and adolescence. It culminates in his arrest for threatening a
residential caretaker in a halfway house where he had been placed, and his long
road back to a normal life. It is disturbing to read, but compelling — the book
is as much about a family dealing with the guilt, anger and denial surrounding
caring for a disabled child as it is about Levinson’s unusual life.Â

One bright spot in the family’s struggle was their
involvement with Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village. Ben attended preschool
and had his bar mitzvah there, and LaSalle says the havurah in which they
participated was especially supportive. Despite his challenges, Levinson was
able to finish Hebrew school and LaSalle said the family still relies on
Levinson at Passover to read the Hebrew portions of the haggadah.

But, for the most part, life with Ben was a constant
challenge. As he grew, his problems increased to include asthma and Crohn’s
Disease, leading to medication which in turn led him to become morbidly obese.
The family tried motor therapy (an early form of occupational therapy), speech
therapy, even a private school where the teachers followed their students through
each grade level, in the hope that Ben might feel comfortable enough to make
friends. He never did.

All the while, LaSalle never stopped searching for answers.
Finally, when Levinson was 23, Dr. Mark Deantonio of UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric
Institute told her the truth: Ben was autistic. Not autistic in the classic
sense, but his problems put him on the autism spectrum.

Two years later, in 1994, the criteria was established in
the medical community for an even more specific diagnosis, that of AS, a
higher-functioning form of autism in which children have normal or even
superior verbal skills and intelligence.

“Finding Ben” is a modern tragedy — not in an exaggerated,
fictional sense, but a true tragedy in that the people involved are simply
living in the wrong time in history. Even Levinson himself, now 34 and
co-author of the book, acknowledges that, had the diagnosis of AS been
available when he was a child, his life would have been infinitely easier.

LaSalle said she started out writing the book as a way of
making sense of everything that had happened to her, to Levinson’s father (an
attorney, referred to as “Steven” in the book), his stepfather, John LaSalle,
and his brother, David. It is clear from talking to LaSalle and from her
writing that she still carries a great deal of guilt. Her honesty about her
feelings for and against her son are shocking: She opens the book with a
description of Levinson that would seem cruel coming from anyone, especially
from a mother. But LaSalle hopes her honesty will open the doors for readers to
come clean with their families and deal with their feelings, even the ugly ones.

“The most important thing is acceptance — that what is, is,”
she said. “We are required to accept and love our children no matter what. That
is the gift we give our kids.”

It is a lesson she almost learned too late. Only by letting
go of Ben as her “project,” and through volunteer work where she met a stroke
victim with even more profound problems than her son’s, was she able to change
her approach from that of “badgering mother” to one of support and acceptance.

“I saw my son as a job,” she said. “He wasn’t someone to
enjoy. I think we all have that [attitude] at times, when we have children with
special needs. But in treating it like it is a job, we miss out on what’s right
in front of us and our children miss out, as well.”

Levinson and his family seem to have made peace with his
diagnosis. He is currently in a 12-step program for people with weight
problems, which he credits with giving him the structure and social network to
finally not only make friends but learn to be a friend as well. An Orthodox rabbi
and his wife who participate in the program have helped him reconnect with “the
spiritual side of Judaism.” Levinson attends Loyola Marymount University where
he is studying American history with plans to graduate next year, possibly to
become a teacher.

Levinson also runs a Web site (www.aspergerjourney.com)
where he shares his insights on his disability and communicates with others
affected by AS. He feels his experience with AS, while difficult, has given him
a valuable perspective.

“One time I was complaining to my sponsor: Why did God put
this burden on me? And my sponsor said, ‘The reason you have had to go through
this is that one day you are going to meet someone who will require your
personal experience. You will be in a unique position to help another human
being,'” Levinson said. “There are a lot of us out there [affected by AS]. I
tell them, don’t be ashamed of who you are, be proud. Start to talk about it as
much as you can. Find people who understand and talk about it with them.
Asperger’s is a daily struggle, but it’s easier now because I’m not in denial.”

Both LaSalle and Levinson will discuss “Finding Ben” on
Friday, April 18, 7 p.m. at Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Blvd., Los
Angeles. (310) 476-6263. Â

‘Finding’ Asperger’s Changed His Life Read More »

Postcard From the Westwood Protest

Leave a Comment / Community / Marc Ballon

On the day the war in Iraq began, I endured a
migraine-inducing traffic jam on Wilshire Boulevard. As I inhaled car fumes for
nearly an hour, my frustration grew. It reached the boiling point when I
learned the cause behind the gridlock: antiwar protesters. The blocking of
traffic by the No-War-In-Iraq protesters not only had no impact on the events
unfolding abroad, but they diverted valuable police resources from fighting
crime and preventing terrorism. They also made me late for dinner at my
parents’ house.

So it was with scant enthusiasm that I went to the Federal Building
in Westwood a few days later to cover the antiwar marches for The Journal. On
my way to the rally, I walked by a hippie with a stringy gray ponytail.
Shouting “Bush is a fascist” in a stentorian voice, he gave the Nazi salute to
shocked motorists, presumably an expression of his anger toward the
administration.

His antics failed to move me. Neither did the opinions of
the first protester with whom I chatted. After accusing the United States of
going to war for oil, he said America was “killing innocent Iranians for no
reason.”

Call me uninformed, but I thought the America was fighting
in Iraq.

I then spoke to a Muslim of a mixed Persian-Bangladashi
heritage named Said. His voice rising in anger and his forefinger thrust in my
face, he began cataloguing the alleged motives that led Bush to war. They
ranged from a push for global hegemony to “wanting to protect the honor of his
daddy, who Saddam Hussein tried to kill.” Just as I was about to tune Said out
(actually, an elderly woman banging a drum made it nearly impossible to hear
him), he started to make sense. Lots of it.

He said the United States could have avoided bloodshed by
simply keeping its troops in the Persian Gulf and letting U.N. inspections
proceed. With the world united against Saddam Hussein and pressure mounting,
the Iraqi dictator would have likely turned over his illicit arsenal. By
attacking him, the United States has only increased the likelihood that Hussein
will unleash the chemical and biological weapons that America so fears.

There were a handful of Jews among the diverse crowd of
about 100. Given the strong anti-Israel speeches and placards that have
recently appeared at some antiwar demonstration, I was especially curious to
hear their thoughts.

Elizabeth Kaye Sortun, holding a sign that said, “War Is Not
The Answer,” repeatedly flashed the peace sign at passing cars. Dressed in
black to show solidarity with “all the victims,” the 46-year-old daughter of a
Holocaust survivors said protesting an unjust war upheld the Jewish tradition
of social activism.

“I think Saddam is bad, but the United States shouldn’t
unilaterally invade another country. The U.N. said no, and yet this
administration is behaving like a cowboy,” said Kaye Sortun. “The U.S. isn’t
the boss of the world.”

Although the Los Feliz landscaper has seen the occasional
anti-Israel sign at antiwar rallies, Kaye Sortun said fellow protesters have
made her and others feel welcome, whether Jew, Muslim or Christian. To make the
world a safer place for her 10-year-old daughter Ava, Kaye Sortun said she
planned to march as long as the bombs dropped in Baghdad.

Nearby, Carol Honigman waved a sign that said “No War.” The
64-year-old therapist said she worried about a backlash if the conflict goes
badly, including increased terrorism in Israel.

“Jews are always the scapegoats. It’s always our fault,”
Honigman said. “This could worsen everything.”

Her niece Melanie Weiner, 36, shared her antiwar sentiments.
Weiner, who had lived in Israel for seven years as a child, said the United
States was behaving hypocritically. She asked what right did America have
telling Iraq to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction when the United
States has a huge stockpile of nuclear bombs?

Weiner, a therapist, said countries should initiate military
action only as a last resort to prevent genocide and other crimes against
humanity. America’s war against Iraq falls far short of that standard.

After 2 1Â¼2 hours, the rally began to wind down as
protesters headed home and the banners came down. Weiner, who came to the event
after a busy day at work, had a parting thought explaining her willingness to
the verbal abuse heaped on her and other demonstrators by some passersby.

“I need to do what I can, even if my voice is drowned out,”
she said. “Otherwise, there’s too much despair, too much depression for those
of us on the left. It doesn’t matter if we succeed. We have to keep fighting
the good fight.” Â

Postcard From the Westwood Protest Read More »

Building the Future

Leave a Comment / Community / Rachel Brand

When Jonathan Schulman went on a mission to Israel 1995, he
said his life was forever changed, because he started getting involved. “I got
engaged because there were opportunities for me to build on that experience,”
said Schulman, director of the recently established Young Leadership Program of
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Schulman, who is in his mid-30s, hoped that the other 61 Los
Angeles young Jewish leaders would be similarly inspired at the United Jewish
Community’s (UJC) Young Leadership Regional Conference, which took place March
7-9 at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel.

While many in the Jewish establishment bemoan the lack of
involvement of young people and wonder how to get the next generation
interested, the conference attendance proved that many — 600 people from the
Western Region — are eager to become involved in the Jewish community and even
lead it.

“People want to be involved and appreciated and want to make
a difference,” Schulman said. “Some people are looking for social opportunities
or something more educational or to make a difference; all three of those
things can overlap.”

And overlap they did, at a weekend replete with lectures,
workshops, prayer services, meals and the after-hours hanging out, as
politicians, lay leaders and Jewish professionals gave guidance on how to make
a difference.

The conference’s theme was, “If you will it, it is no
dream.” Throughout the lectures, the conference stressed personal
responsibility and activism. The topics ranged from the practical to personal,
like “The Fine Art of Fearless Fundraising” and “How to be a Media Maven,” to
“From Humdrum to the Holy: How Can Jewish Values Transform Your Life?” and
“What’s So Funny About Being Single?”

“My hope is that you will pursue whatever it is that you
find meaningful and that you will institute change,” said Stephen Selig, UJC
national campaign chairman, at the opening event at The Congregation Emanu-El
in San Francisco.

For many young leaders, it was less about finding motivation
to take action and more about learning how to exercise their influence.

For the majority of the participants, Israel was first on
their agenda.

“There’s a lot of anti-Israel sentiment, and it’s hard to
know how to answer it,” said Gretchen Koplin of Minneapolis.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee led the effort
with workshops such as “Becoming Effective Advocates for Israel” and “Political
Action That Makes a Difference.”

Three participants who came to the conference from Israel
said they were touched by the eagerness to help.

“We’re stunned by it,” said Roni Madmoni, a representative
of the Partnership 2000 Israel Leadership Project, a community service program
in Israel. “Jews from all over the country coming together to help.”

“All the Jews here have quality of life, but they understand
that it wasn’t always,” the 27-year-old continued. “They understand that in
order to stay Jews and enjoy life, they have to keep Israel out of the water
… not drowning.”

The conference also provided an on-site opportunity to
record video messages to Israeli soldiers, staged a book drive for Israeli
children and conducted a Jewish bone marrow drive. In addition, there were
boutiques selling Israeli-made products.

“There’s a very action-oriented point of view,” said
Minneapolis resident Tali Veiner. “To hear these talks reminding us that you
can make a phone call, you can do XYZ, you can make a difference … it’s
important.”

As the weekend progressed, Jewish leaders continued to
prepare participants for the challenges that lay ahead, all the while posing
the ultimate challenge to take action within their own communities.

The weekend’s keynote speaker, radio talk show host Dennis
Prager, told participants, “We are living in a decisive time in human
history…. You, as an American Jew, are at the center of history, and I
suggest that you like it.”

Some participants were motivated by the speakers.

“We’re really in need for people to speak up for us,” said
Richard Aranow. “It’s important to connect with others; I’m hoping to arm
myself with more knowledge about what people think and how things work.”

Others enjoyed the networking opportunities.

Â “In New York it’s easy to meet and talk with Jewish folks
every day,” said Keith Gottfield, an executive from Silicon ValleyÂ who moved
from New York two years ago.

The conference gave Gottfield a chance to meet people and
exchange views.

“It’s reassuring that there are channels in the West Coast
to be able to connect with the Jewish community on whatever level you want,” he
said.

But whatever aspect of the conference they enjoyed, most of
the participants left armed with awareness of the power of one.

“Each of us has hopes and dreams, and the beautiful thing,”Â
said Mark Wright, “is that we have the opportunity to make them come true.” Â

Building the Future Read More »

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