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January 18, 2008
Take Tu B’Shevat to heart and start healing nature
These are the times for which Tu B\’Shevat was created. The rabbis who envisioned this holiday were prophetic: They knew we would need to be reminded on a regular basis about howimportant trees are to our lives. And trees have never been more important to our survival than they are today.
Jewish themes on tap at Sundance festival
\”I never sold weed after high school — I swear,\” said 31-year-old filmmaker Jonathan Levine.\n\nInstead, he said, \”The Wackness,\” which revolves around a dealer who trades pot for therapy sessions (and premieres in competition at the Sundance Film Festival this week), was inspired by his teen angst back in 1994, as he bemoaned his social status, bickered with his Jewish parents and obsessed about what he calls life\’s \”wackness, the awful stuff, rather than living in the moment.\”
The Calendar Girls: Picks, kicks and plugs for January 19 to January 25
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Briefs: Rabbi Weil condemns ‘Spinka’ participants, Prime Grill closure rumors untrue
\”You call yourself a tzaddik, you\’re a liar!\” Rabbi Steven Weil told his congregation in a fiery speech from the pulpit last Shabbat, regarding someone who acts very religious but may be involved in stealing, lying or cheating.\n\nThe rabbi of Beth Jacob, an Orthodox congregation in Beverly Hills, was reacting to the Spinka case, in which eight ultra-Orthodox men were indicted for tax fraud and money laundering.
Israeli/Jewish-themed films 3 for 3 in Oscar foreign language semi-finals
Three of the 63 foreign language films in this year\’s Oscar race are on Jewish/Israeli themes, and all three have made the cut to qualify among the nine semi-finalists.\n\nThe three are Israel\’s entry \”Beaufort,\” Austria\’s \”The Counterfeiters\” and Brazil\’s \”The Year My Parents Went on Vacation.\”
Anti-Semitic taggers strike in San Fernando Valley
Spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti over a wide area in upscale neighborhoods of Encino and Tarzana are being investigated as possible hate crimes by Los Angeles police.