Nearly 40 years ago, Israel and the Arab world fought a war that altered the course of Middle Eastern history. Now, as the region teeters on the brink of a new and potentially more violent cataclysm, it is important to revisit the lessons of the Six-Day War, a conflict that few Middle Eastern countries wanted and none foresaw.
Especially during the McCourts\’ first year of ownership, the Times sports section for the most part depicted Jamie and Frank McCourt, the latter known by Simers as the parking lot attendant, as carpetbaggers who have little interest in or knowledge of Los Angeles, social climbers who lack the financial resources to run the team and public relations novices.
The new shul is a testament to the Jewish community\’s growth in the area, which already houses another equally large Chabad campus close to the Las Vegas Strip.
I must admit that in countless trips to Europe, I had carefully avoided visiting Germany, having no desire whatsoever to see the Fatherland that had left me with such dark memories. But then came the summer of 2006, and as a football (soccer to you) devotee, I headed to Germany to cover the World Cup for a Southern California radio station.
This season brings engaging reading in a mix of genres: literary fiction, comedy, love stories, detective novels, memoirs, historical fiction and books that break genre boundaries; books by veteran authors and others not-yet well-known.
Fighting in the ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah standoff has been confined to two of the Middle East\’s smallest countries, but the outcome could have major strategic implications for the region as a whole.
With the distant booming of Katyusha rockets becoming louder and more frequent, only a few brave souls ventured out – and when one boom sounded particularly close, everyone rushed back into the shelter, some in near-hysteria.
My concerned daughter in Los Angeles called me in Israel last weekend, shortly before my trip back home after a vacation there. I told her, truthfully, that I had just enjoyed the most idyllic and peaceful weeks of my long life. What I was experiencing was a confirmation of what I have modestly dubbed Tugend\’s Law: The perception of a crisis intensifies in direct proportion to the distance from its actual occurrence.\n
\”All of us that have kids in Israel are trying to make the best of the situation,\” said Jules Gutin, international director for USY, the youth arm of the Conservative movement, which has about 50 California teens in Israel this summer. \”We want the experience to be worthwhile and positive, as well as safe.\”
Like most camps, Hess Kramer, has a staff of Israelis who work as counselors and educators. This summer, 1,400 Israelis, most of them between the ages of 19 and 22, are staffing 200 Jewish day and sleep-away camps, according the Jewish Agency, which coordinates the stays.
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