fbpx
ADVERTISE
pick up locations
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

Category

February 8, 2008

Eight ways to give a great toast

Beth Levine February 8, 2008

Making a toast at an event is a touching way to let friends and family know how much you value them and wish them well. I still get misty-eyed when I think of the beautiful toast that my brother-in-law gave at my wedding welcoming me to the family. But public speaking doesn\’t come easily to everyone. We\’ve all been to big affairs where the toasts were embarrassing and in bad taste, leaving a pall over the entire day — and beyond.

Israel needs regime change to insure stability

Parviz Nazarian February 8, 2008

Last month, Avigdor Liberman, Israel\’s minister of strategic affairs, resigned from office.

Though this is just one news fact, it resonates with much larger implications in Israel\’s political, economic and security arenas, such as possibly affecting the peace process or the investor\’s desire to invest in Israel.

Sanctions only work if they are enforced

David Peyman February 8, 2008

In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) challenged the impact of U.S. sanctions against Iran, noting Iran\’s ability to negotiate $20 billion in contracts with foreign firms since 2003 to develop its energy resources. The GAO correctly recognizes that \”Iran\’s overall trade with the world has grown since the U.S. imposed sanctions.\” What the GAO fails to recognize is that the most important provisions of the cornerstone of America\’s sanction against Iran, the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) of 1995, have not been implemented, and it is precisely these provisions that sought to cripple Iran\’s ability to trade with the rest of the world.

Detail of the week

David Suissa February 8, 2008

In one of the oldest synagogues in Los Angeles, Congregation Mogen David, located on the western edge of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, the rabbis have created their own version of \”Saturday Night Live.\”\n\nDuring the winter months, from 7-8 p.m. every Saturday night, children and their fathers are invited to learn Torah together. Small rectangular tables are arranged in a large hall, and on many of those tables you will see a father learning with his child. I was one of those fathers recently, and I was there to learn with my 8-year-old son Noah.

Get it done

Rob Eshman February 8, 2008

About 15 years ago some stick-like things began appearing on the hard, ugly stretch of Venice Boulevard from where it crosses Lincoln and continues to the beach.\n\nThe sticks were trees, but pitifully thin, with trunks a woman could wrap her fingers around and no more than a handful of leaves. Cynical locals like myself were certain the trees would end up stolen, vandalized or turned into a homeless person\’s campfire.

Israel [hearts] Valentine’s Day

Meredith Price February 8, 2008

Although many people today correlate St. Valentine\’s Day with Christianity, the contemporary, commercial holiday of love is actually rooted in paganism. In honor of the goddess of marriage, love, fertility and women, Juno Februata, the Romans held a pagan festival in which girls and boys were matched for erotic festivities by drawing names from a box.

When ketubah didn’t wow, bride created her own

Amy Klein February 8, 2008

Tsilli Pines couldn\’t find a ketubah that she and her fiance liked. The Jewish wedding contract is often artfully handwritten and later framed as a wall decoration. But Pines, 33, a Portland, Ore.-based graphic designer, wanted something modern and simple. So she designed her own ketubah — and then one for a friend.

Which comes first — the parent or the egg?

Tracy Hahn-Burkett February 8, 2008

\”You do not get to make your children\’s choices for them. You can only choose how you will act when their choices are already made.\”

Those words, which appear in the afterword of Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben\’s manual for parents of adult children involved in interfaith marriage, summarize in two sentences the crux of his entire book.

Balancing family and friend requests not an easy task

Dana Greene February 8, 2008

Getting married is a balancing act. I never quite understood this until my guy proposed.

What\’s the big deal in wedding planning? I always thought. You set a date, pick a place, settle on a band, choose a few of your favorite flowers and do a dinner and cake tasting. What\’s difficult about that?

It\’s not difficult. In fact, that part\’s been rather fun. However, the part that I am complaining about is the negotiations between family and friends. Trying to please everyone is proving impossible.

New Articles

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.
© Copyright 2024 Tribe Media Corp • Powered by Lightdrop

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.