Gay issues have never been at the forefront of Israeli domestic politics — unlike in the United States — but some wonder if that will change after ultra-Orthodox protesters used violence to prevent a gay pride parade.
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In Parshat Toldot, we encounter the remarkable event described in Genesis 27, as Yitzhak prepares in blindness to confer an eternal blessing on one of his twin sons.He wants to extend that blessing to the viscerally evil Esav, who nevertheless always has acted with the utmost respect for his father. Esav has Yitzhak figured out, and Yitzhak really loves him. By contrast, Rivkah is devoted uniquely to the simpler, gentler, less charismatic Yaakov.Why the dichotomy?
I have been passionate about Jewish education for two decades: When I worked in the public and private secular worlds of elementary education, I found myself searching for a more meaningful path to follow. I wanted to be able to talk to kids not only about being the best student they could be, but also about becoming the best people they could become.
local events
Moscovitz is one of the tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors living in abject poverty in the United States. These witnesses to the 20th century\’s worst atrocity are enduring a second nightmare, often struggling just to feed and clothe themselves.Their wartime experiences, which included malnutrition and physical and psychological abuse, have made them prone to costly medical and mental problems as they age.
When Olga Bitterman, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, found out that another survivor needed help, she knew what to do. For a year, Bitterman left money in the other survivor\’s mailbox without leaving a trace of its origins.
The notion may sound unlikely, but a widely circulated e-mail bearing the subject heading \”Druggist won\’t do business with \’Jews or Jew Doctors\’\” sparked concern and outrage in recent weeks as it landed in hundreds of computer mailboxes across the country. After all, the source — a Jewish woman in Florida — appeared to be without hostile intent, and the allegation, targeting the Wilshire Roxbury Medical Pharmacy at 436 North Roxbury Drive, allegedly had been vetted.First, to put rumors to rest, the charge is definitely false. The pharmacist/owner, who preferred not to have his name published, is Jewish, as is his assistant. They cater to Jewish customers as well as Jewish doctors.
The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission, in opposition to an unambiguous recommendation by the city\’s Planning Division to deny landmark status to the contested Teriton apartment building at 130-142 San Vicente Blvd., voted unanimously in favor of designating the building a landmark.The 7-0 vote at the commission\’s regularly scheduled Nov. 13 meeting at Santa Monica City Hall marked a victory for tenants of the 28-unit, three-story garden apartment in their very public battle with a nonprofit religious organization, Or Khaim Hashalom, which purchased the building in April.
obituaries
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