It\’s a typical bustling weekday at this Jewish center in West Hills, and it\’s a sharp contrast to the situation only a few months ago when the center was facing a deficit of $250,000, an uncertain future and a loss of nearly one-third of its members, following the abrupt closure of the pool on April 25 by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
When Noa Tishby moved from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, it was to make it as an actress. Two years later, she\’s now a history-making producer, spearheading the first original Israeli TV drama series to be picked up by an American network.
The Chasidic reggae singer\’s success has bred a whole new kind of dream among Jewish music acts. Even if most of them won\’t say it, one suspects that every one of them wants to be \”the next Matisyahu.\” Here are three gifted candidates for crossover success:
Jennifer Westfeldt is gracious, even humble, in accepting the compliment that starts this interview. She has been told that a recent essay on cineastes — \”Jewish Humor, After Woody\” — called her \”the most intriguing candidate to forge a career of intelligent, dialogue-driven films about the comic possibilities of modern relationships.\” In other words, she may be the next Woody Allen.
It was only a matter of time before hi-tech came to the High Holy Days. This year the Jewish Television Network will webcast Wilshire Boulevard Temple\’s entire Kol Nidre service, the first time viewers will be able to watch such a service live over the Internet.
On Sept. 6, the California Senate unanimously approved a bill that would require state pension funds to divest an estimated $24 billion in investments from nearly 300 companies doing business with Iran.\n
Helping others and bettering the community — \”healing the world,\” as tikkun olam translates from Hebrew — are ancient themes in Judaism. This has most commonly been done through social action — planned events like feeding the homeless, visiting the elderly and cleaning up a neighborhood. But in the past few years, there has been an explosion among American Jewry, particularly within the Reform movement, to do more than just treat a symptom.\n
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