Roseanne gets roasted
Roseanne gets roasted Read More »
August 14, 2012
Boys allegedly sexually abused at Orthodox Jewish summer camp
New York State Police are investigating allegations of sexual abuse by a truck driver making a delivery to a Jewish camp, The New York Post reported.
Surveillance video captured footage of a kosher-food truck driver entering bunks for seventh-and eighth-grade boys at Camp Shalva near South Fallsburg, N.Y., early on Aug. 8, according to the newspaper. The suspect is accused of molesting several of the campers.
Unnamed sources told the Post that the boys reported the incidents in the morning to supervisors of the Orthodox Jewish camp but were told not to tell their parents.
The 5 Towns Jewish Times reported that the alleged intruder is Golden Taste employee Yoel Oberlander, a convicted molester and registered sex offender from Monsey, N.Y., who pleaded guilty to molesting an 11-year-old girl in 2002. He was sentenced to six years of probation.
Stephen Lungen, a criminal defense lawyer and former Sullivan County prosecutor, told the Post that he was contacted at approximately 3 p.m. Aug. 11 by frantic camp administrators asking what to do about the allegations.
“They were very upset and concerned about how to deal with it,” Lungen said, adding that he put them in touch with the district attorney and State Police.
The Times Herald-Record reported that a state investigator said no information was available on Monday.
Boys allegedly sexually abused at Orthodox Jewish summer camp Read More »
Shipping firms accused of helping Iran
Three U.S. lawmakers urged the Obama administration to take action against two ship registry companies that they claim have violated Iran sanctions.
Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) sent a letter Tuesday to President Obama asking him to designate the United Arab Emirates-based Tanzania Zanzibar International Register of Shipping and the Singapore-based Tuvalu Ship Registry as having violated the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act. The lawmakers say the companies are illegally helping to send goods to Iran.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) called on the Obama administration to take action against Tuvalu, a small South Pacific Island, for reflagging Iranian oil tankers. He said the nation has reflagged 22 Iranian oil tankers, despite warnings that it could face U.S. sanctions.
The owners of a ship are masked when it carries a new flag, so it is easier for Iran to obtain insurance and financing for cargoes as well as to find buyers without catching the eye of the United States and European Union.
Under the act, the president must take action against any non-U.S. firm transacting with Iran in the areas of energy, insurance and shipping. The U.S. sanctions have curbed Iranian oil imports by most other major nations.
“Within the last several months, the ship registries of Tanzania and Tuvalu reflagged as many as 33 oil tankers owned or controlled by NITC,” the National Iranian Tanker Company, the senators said in their letter.
Another 25 vessels under a Tanzanian registry were reflagged, according to the letter.
Berman’s letter, sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, recommended that they “take aggressive action to change Tuvalu’s policy of abetting Iran in evading U.S. sanctions.”
In response, Tuvalu confirmed it had registered NITC vessels, but said it would monitor them and take action if any vessel violated United Nations sanctions.
Shipping firms accused of helping Iran Read More »
Jewish school lunch may be a mixed bag, but public school lunch is no picnic, either
As anyone who read the article in this week’s issue of The Journal about the dearth of healthy, hot and kosher lunches in Los Angeles Jewish schools learned, bringing a bagged lunch is probably the healthiest and best thing a parent can do for their children at lunchtime.
But packing lunches isn’t easy, and for many students attending schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, 80 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced school lunch, bagged lunches are just unaffordable.
So what did students – who returned to LAUSD schools on Aug. 14 for the first day of classes – find in their lunch lines?
For starters, access to drinking water in every school cafeteria, in accordance with a new California state law. A handful of schools equipped with salad bars. And a menu of foods that has gone back to basics, after some widely publicized attempts to diversify the offerings by introducing quinoa and hummus proved unsuccessful.
“Rather than giving them a tater tot, let’s give them a real potato,” David Binkle, acting director of food services for the LAUSD, said. There’s pizza on the menu, but it’s “more of an Italian flatbread-style” dish, he said, with a thinner crust and a random shape, thanks to its “natural, hand-laid crust.”
All of the food served by LAUSD to it students conforms to regulations set up by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which means that there’s a balance of foods on every student’s plate. Every aspect, down to the colors of the vegetables (this many orange vegetables, this many green leafy ones), is regulated, Binkle said.
“It’s very restrictive, but we have an epidemic of childhood obesity in America,” he said.
The food program isn’t limited to public school students per se – Binkle said that the Catholic Diocese, for instance, runs a USDA-funded program – but he knew of no private Jewish schools participating through the LAUSD.
In researching the article about kosher food in Jewish day schools, I heard a lot from school administrators and lunch program organizers about how much more difficult it is for private schools to provide school lunches for their students – particularly when those lunches have to be kosher, healthy and at least somewhat affordable.
But getting the publicly funded food into kids’ bellies is no walk in the park, either.
“The hardest thing to deal with is that child must take a certain amount of food, and they can only decline so much of the choices,” Binkle said. So if, for example, a child who qualifies for free or reduced lunch only wants to eat a banana for breakfast, the employee ringing up the purchase will tell the child to pick out two more items in order for the school to get credit for having served the meal. Otherwise, that child will have to pay for the banana alone.
Understandably, a lot of food ends up in the trash.
“Obviously, teaching kids to take fruits and vegetables is what we want to do,” Binkle said. “But we’re trying to teach kids social skills, citizenship, about the environment. How does that [pushing kids to take food they don’t want] lead to teaching them good environmental skills?”
Still, the way public schools serve students makes nutritionists happy, who see restricting a student’s choices in the lunch line to healthy foods in specific amounts as a way to inculcate good eating habits.
The best offerings just might be in the 80 schools in the LAUSD that have salad bars in their lunchrooms.
The district manages 1100 locations, according to Binkle, and though parents would all like to have salad bars in their children’s schools, many of the schools have their students eat outside, which means that the food had to be prepackaged.
“The issue with the salad bars is that they have to be in a covered four-walled, enclosed room,” Binkle said.
Jewish school lunch may be a mixed bag, but public school lunch is no picnic, either Read More »
Algemeiner’s transparent ploy: Naming Romney top non-Jew
I consider Dovid Efune a friend and believe he should be applauded for his work at the Algemeiner Journal. As editor, he has managed to revive and electrify the newspaper. Dubbed in the 70s as the largest Yiddish weekly in the United States, today, since switching to English, the Algemeiner and its website have become well-read sources of news and information on Israel and Jewish happenings for the readers around the world.
That said, I am disappointed with the Algemeiner’s recent political gimmick. While not expressing outright support for Mitt Romney’s candidacy, the paper named him number 1 on its list of “Top 10 Non-Jews Positively Influencing the Jewish Future 2012”. Of course, President Obama didn’t even make the list.
Efune’s reasoning “Romney’s vocal support for Israel as a contender for the world’s top job, has challenged the incumbent and many Americans to rediscover their own understanding of the United States’ special relationship with the Jewish state. His tough stance on Iran has put the Ayatollahs on notice.
In his recent trip to the Holy Land, he acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and cited the historic connection of the Jewish people with the land, which has gone a long way in underlining the Jewish narrative regarding Israel on the world stage, thereby earning him the top spot this year.”
The transparent ploy of choosing Romney, demonstrates, at the very least a basic lack of journalistic integrity bordering on outright deceit.
Efune surely knows that the last three presidents, while running for office, all made similar statements, and only a naïf could believe that Romney, if elected, would actually be able to follow through on his statement “to move our embassy ultimately to the capital (Jerusalem).”
Bill Clinton in 1992 supported “the principle of moving our embassy to Jerusalem.”
George W. Bush vowed in 2000 to “begin the process of moving the U.S. ambassador to the city Israel has chosen as its capital.”
And in a speech in June 2008, Obama said, “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” And later on, while on a trip to Israel, Obama said on ABC News, “The fact is thatJerusalem is Israel’s capital. And so I was simply saying a fact.”
On Sep 23, 2011, I was present in the United Nations for Palestinian President Abbas’s address. Minus the short distraction of a fistfight when the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to enter the guest section, instead of the area assigned to dignitaries, the vibe and general atmosphere in the room were overwhelmingly in support of Abbas. The Palestinian president was interrupted several times, with standing ovations and the crowd even broke out in song in support of his bid for statehood. In contrast, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke, the only people I saw clapping were the Israelis, Alan Dershowitz, Elie Wiesel, and a few elderly women in the guest section.
It was President Obama who stood up to the international community and played the lead role in outmaneuvering the statehood bid, which if successful, would have been a serious blow to the safety and continuity of Israel.
I too, like many in the Jewish community, wasn’t happy with Obama’s speech of a “Palestinian state based on 1967 borders”, and I didn’t feel his clarification at the the AIPAC Policy Conference “Mutually agreed swaps means. By definition, it means that the parties themselves, Israelis and Palestinians, will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967” was sufficient. But that speech gave him the needed credibility with the international community to stop the statehood bid.
And all this hogwash that Obama didn’t visit Israel in his first term and therefore isn’t a friend—surprise surprise, George W. Bush didn’t either, but Bill Clinton did.
During his presidency, Obama has surrounded himself with people like White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, an Orthodox Jew, and Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, a traditional Jew and strong friend of Israel. Former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was a civilian volunteer assisting the IDF during the Gulf War.
All Romney did was make a few statements to garner votes; Obama actually acted for Israel. The current administration has given more in security aid to Israel than any other White House administration in the history of Israel.
On the way out of the United Nations, I rode the elevator down with Alan Dershowtiz. Someone asked him what he thought of Obama’s speech about the 1967 borders. He replied, “This is what I told the president, ‘Mr. President, the problem is not the actual speech it’s the background music. You need to change the background music.’”
I believe Obama has since changed that background music.
If the Algemeiner wants to support Romney, so be it, but don’t insult our intelligence. Take him off the list.
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman was ordained by the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu in 2006 and received a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2009. The views expressed above are his own.
Algemeiner’s transparent ploy: Naming Romney top non-Jew Read More »
Palestian power issues: The night that the lights went out?
The Palestinian Authority (PA) owes more than $170 million to the Israel Electric Company, and Israel is threatening to cut off the flow unless the debt is paid. Palestinian officials say that could cause widespread blackouts throughout the West Bank.
“A week ago they gave us a warning that if we don’t pay they will start to cut off the electricity,” Hisham Omari, the general director of the East Jerusalem Electricity Company told The Media Line. “They told us that it’s not a political issue, but an economic one. We understand that the Israeli electricity company needs their money. Most of our problem is with the Palestinian Authority.”
Iris Ben Shahal, a spokeswoman for the utility confirmed the numbers.
“The East Jerusalem Development Company owes $106 million dollars and the Palestinian Authority owes the rest,” she told The Media Line. Ben Shahal would not comment on what steps the Electric Company plans to take.
Officials at the Israeli company say this is not a new problem. As part of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, they supply electricity to the east Jerusalem power company, which does not have its own infrastructure.
“There are always debts and they repay part but then the debt grows again,” an official at the electricity company told The Media Line. “We’re just asking for what they owe us. We’re having our own financial problems because the price of gas has gone up dramatically. Before we go to take out loans at high interest, we want the debts paid.”
The issue arises as Israel’s electricity consumption is at an all-time high due to record-breaking summer heat and the disruption in natural gas supplies from Egypt. The company is urging Israelis not to use washing machines and dryers between noon and 5 p.m. when demand is at its peak.
The east Jerusalem company supplies electricity to Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho as well as twelve refugee camps. Hisham Omari says only about five percent of the refugees pay for electricity. In Gaza, he says, most refugees are not billed for electricity. Under an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, Israel deducts the electricity costs for Gaza from the customs taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority for exports from Gaza.
“We send bills but they just throw them away,” Omari said. “They say that since the refugees in Gaza don’t pay, they don’t want to pay either. We need the Palestinian Authority to help us with this issue.”
Of the total $106 million the east Jerusalem company owes Israel, more than $60 million represents unpaid bills from refugees. Omari is also calling for harsher penalties for those found stealing electricity.
“Right now even if we catch them and take them to court, they get a fine of $50,” he said. “We want to put them in jail for three months, but the bill is waiting on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s desk.”
He says cutting off the electricity could virtually shut down the Palestinian economy in the West Bank including hospitals, water pumps (all electrically-operated) and communications. Omari said he has appealed to the Israeli company to delay action for two weeks in recognition of the three-day holiday of Id Al-Fitr which is set to begin this weekend. Soon after that, Palestinian schools reopen. During that time, he says, the Jerusalem electricity company will try to work out a payment schedule and the Palestinian Authority will pay part of the debt.
Omari also worries that the dispute, while economic, could have political consequences.
“If electricity is cut off, there could be a new intifada,” he said, referring to the Palestinian uprising in 2000. “People will go into the streets and they will be angry at both Israel and the PA. Once this starts, nobody will be able to stop it.”
Palestian power issues: The night that the lights went out? Read More »
Obituaries: Aug. 17-23, 2012
Leon Aberle died July 3 at 81. Survived by wife Petrina; daughter Carla (Steven) Lenhoff; son Matthew; 3 grandchildren; brother Charles (Saron). Hillside
Jeffrey Allyn died July 8 at 75. Survived by wife Harriett; sons Russell (Romel Valerio), Hal (Chantal); 3 grandchildren; sister Flo Barker. Hillside
Norman Beck died July 7 at 89. Survived by wife Harriett; daughter Marilee (Andrew Safir); sons Dennis (Pamela), Ronald (Cynthia); sister Evelyn Goldberg; 11 grandchildren. Hillside
Susan Bender died June 17 at 67. Survived by husband Richard; daughter Stephanie (Allan) Bernstein; son Andrew (Andrea); 3 grandchildren; brother David Praver; sister Marcia Praver-Cole. Hillside
Cary Brooks died July 1 at 54. Survived by wife Chonticha; mother Rosalind; sisters Marcie, Sandi Shively, Laurie Dulson; brother Ron. Malinow and Silverman
Roger Dee died June 18 at 81. Survived by daughters Vicki (David) Dee-Rock, Lisa; 3 grandchildren; brother Chuck Buchanon. Hillside
Joseph Einberg died July 3 at 91. Survived by daughters Myra, Barbara; son Howard; 3 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild. Hillside
Barbara Felman died June 20 at 66. Survived by husband Mark; daughter Shari Lambrinos; son David; father Milton Golden; sister JoAnne Golden. Hillside
Roberta Jean Firestone died July 6 at 78. Survived by husband William; sons Randall S. (Ying), Jeffrey (Wantana), Gary (Lamai); 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Harry Fradkin died June 22 at 89. Survived by daughters Laurie (Harvey) Robinson¸ Shelly (Tom) Helberg; son David (Andi) Korshak; 6 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; brother Abe. Hillside
Michael Friedman died June 17 at 66. Survived by companion Tanya Nord; son Eugene; mother Khaya; brother Yuri (Zhenya). Hillside
Alice Hemar died June 19 at 92. Survived by sons Peter, Richard (Lynn); sister Sophie; 4 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild. Hillside
Bernice Klein died July 3 at 92. Survived by daughter Carol Mark; sons Ron, Louis. Hillside
Michael Levine died July 2 at 67. Survived by sons Ryan, Blake (Sydney); father Bill; sister Geri Levine Loe; brother Robert (Seethamma). Hillside
Mindy Limardi died July 4 at 61. Survived by mother Alice Oran. Mount Sinai
Alexander Meshekow died June 23 at 97. Survived by wife Beatrice; daughter Paula; son Marc; 1 grandchild. Hillside
Shirley Miller died July 2 at 90. Survived by nephews Fred (Karen DeMott) Lowe, Greg Lowe. Mount Sinai
Semyon Minkov died July 4 at 84. Survived by wife Ida; son Mikhail (Irina); 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Ida Minkova died July 7 at 81. Survived by son Mikhail “Mike” (Irina) Minkov; 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Alice Sarah Olins died July 5 at 99. Survived by sons Jay, Evan; 3 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; sister June (Milton) Torn. Mount Sinai
Steven Platt died July 5 at 64. Survived by wife Carolyn “Lulu”; daughters Jackie, Felicia; brother Larry (Karen). Mount Sinai
Lillian Popkin died July 5 at 87. Survived by sons Stuart, Bruce (Barbara), Marty; 1 grandchild; 1 great-grandchild. Mount Sinai
Gloria Rose died July 4 at 90. Survived by sons Clark (Patricia), Larry (Jane); 4 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren. Hillside
Carl Roseman died July 2 at 74. Survived by wife Paula; daughter Jenna Sobelman; son Marc; 1 grandson; sister Betty Abramson. Mount Sinai
James Robert Rosen died July 2 at 69. Survived by daughter Cindy; son Ricci; 1 grandchild. Hillside
Adelyne Ross died July 6 at 86. Survived by daughter Diane (Michael) Ross-Glazer; sons Richard (Robyn), Robert (Cathie); 8 grandchildren; 1 great-granddaughter. Mount Sinai
Sol Rubin died July 5 at 94. Survived by wife Neddy; daughter Judith; son Donald. Hillside
Helen N. Salz died July 6 at 93. Survived by husband Moritz; daughter Judy (Mel) Grossman; son Rubin (Susan); 4 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Jack Sanow died June 18 at 81. Survived by nephew Warren (Joan) Kessler. Hillside
Elaine Simon died July 1 at 89. Survived by sons Alan (Lisa), Gary (Betty Ann), Mittchell (JoAnn); 6 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Rebecca Spector died July 4 at 38. Survived by mother Benita; father Michael. Hillside
Martin Stolzoff died July 5 at 88. Survived by wife Barbara; son Gary (Suzi Alexander); stepsons Steven (Jennifer) Jacob, Richard Jacob, Robert (Carolyn) Jacob; 4 grandchildren; sister Irene Geller. Mount Sinai
Betty Sulkin died June 22 at 90. Survived by husband Maurice; son Jeffrey (Ajah-Denise Fambo); 1 grandchild. Hillside
Sandra Vrono died July 2 at 78. Survived by sister Jacqueline Steingold; close friends Linda Turetsky, Basha Pierce. Mount Sinai
Elaine Widawer died July 6 at 69. Survived by daughter Allison (Michael) Weiss; son David (Lisa) Stiles; 4 grandchildren; mother Gertrude Perlick; sister Pamela Dixon Frost. Mount Sinai
Marian Edith Wolfson died July 2 at 93. Survived by daughters Lisa (Richard) Goldstein, Marta (Richard) Meyers, Roberta Cox; 4 grandchildren; sister Zelda. Mount Sinai
Barbara Alice Yellen died July 7 at 95. Survived by daughter Francine (Jeffrey) Light; son Robert (Judy); 4 grandchildren. Hillside
Obituaries: Aug. 17-23, 2012 Read More »
No immediate threats for High Holy Day security, but warnings to stay vigilant
The Los Angeles Jewish community is not facing any security threats related to the High Holidays, but local institutions should still be vigilant, the Anti-Defamation League’s Pacific Southwest division said at a community briefing Tuesday.
“We want to be open and welcoming, but we also want to be safe and secure at the same time,” ADL associate regional director Ariella Schusterman said appearing at a recent ADL security briefing for the Jewish community. “The question is, ‘Can these two things be married together?’ And the answer, actually, is ‘Yes.’”
Held at the Century City headquarters of the ADL-Pacific Southwest, the security seminar’s theme focused on suspicious behavior: what qualifies, and how to respond to it. A national agency that emails security alerts, security bulletins and non-alerts to institutions and oversees regional offices that partner with law officials on security issues, the ADL holds this security briefing annually, always prior to the High Holy Days. The agency invites community leaders, security personnel and others to the event.
It’s important to focus less on a person and more on a person’s behavior, said Jason Pantages, assistant federal security director at the Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport. “People aren’t suspicious—their behavior is suspicious,” Pantages, the program’s main speaker, told the group.
Pantages provided examples of suspicious behavior, such as a person leaving a bag behind or parking an unfamiliar vehicles in an prohibited area; an unfamiliar person photographing loading docks, security cameras or other building features; or a stranger who is unusually curious about an institution’s’ security and asks questions about it.
Both speakers gave individual presentations. It’s important to maintain “domain awareness,” which is the knowledge of what’s normal activity at your institution and what’s abnormal, Pantages said. That baseline will help you identify suspicious behavior, he said.
And always trust your instincts, Schusterman said. “If it looks wrong, if it feels wrong, then do not be afraid to contact somebody, whether it be your security person, or whether it be the police,” she said.
During the High Holy Days, police “are all on higher alert,” Schusterman said, to the question of audience member Joanne Feldman, assistant office manager for the Pacific Jewish Center, who asked if it’s a synagogue’s responsibility to liaison with police for extra security on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But, if an institution wants additional security – such as a patrol vehicle or a decoy vehicle parked in front of its location when services are taking place – it’s the institution’s responsibility to coordinate that with police, Schusterman said.
Approximately 60 people from various synagogues, schools and other organizations attended, including Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School, the Skirball Cultural Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Jewish Home and IKAR, as well as police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Burbank Police Department and Beverly Hills police.
For further information on ADL security measures—including the online security manual, “Protecting Your Jewish Institution”—visit adl.org/security.
No immediate threats for High Holy Day security, but warnings to stay vigilant Read More »
Calendar Picks and Clicks: Aug. 18-24, 2012
SAT | AUG 18
“THREE FRIENDS”
Congregation Kol Ami’s cabaret show features singing duo Glenn Rosenblum and Jason Levine with David Kaminski on piano. Proceeds benefit the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and Kol Ami. Sat. 7:45 p.m. $30 (general admission), $50 (includes preferred seating and two drinks). Congregation Kol Ami, 1200 N. La Brea Ave., West Hollywood. (323) 606-0996. kol-ami.org.
DORIS
Best known for his role on “Private Practice,” Paul Adelstein is also the frontman of piano-pop musical ensemble Doris. Performing tonight in Hollywood, the group blends Wurlitzer-infused jingles, acoustic guitar-laced rock passages and sweeping vocal harmonies. Sat. 8:30 p.m. $7-$17. The Coterie, Lowes Hollywood Hotel, 1755 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. (530) 426-8374. thecoteriela.com.
SUN | AUG 19
MIKE STOLLER
Co-writer of Elvis Presley hits “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog” with partner Jerry Leiber, Stoller appears in person at the Egyptian Theatre to sign copies of “Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography.” A screening of 1957 film “Jailhouse Rock” follows, with Presley starring as Vince Everett, who quickly rises to the top as a rock ’n’ roll singer after his release from prison. The event commemorates the 35th anniversary of Presley’s death. Sun. 1 p.m. (discussion and book signing), 2 p.m. (film screening). $11 (general), $7 (American Cinematheque members), $9 (seniors, students). Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 461-2020. americancinemathequecalendar.com.
“HOT AUGUST NIGHT”
JCafeLa presents a mega-party for young professionals (20s-30s) at Rolling Stone restaurant. Highlights include a live appearance by Mia Schaikewitz of Sundance Channel’s “Push Girls,” reps from Freemantle Media (“American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”), live jazz, a celebrity DJ, fashion show and more. Dietary laws observed. Sun. 7-10:30 p.m. $15 (advance), $20 (door). Rolling Stone Los Angeles Restaurant and Lounge, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. jcafela.com.
WED | AUG 22
“The affordable care act”
The National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles is holding a panel discussion examining the Affordable Health Care Act and what health care reform means to women. Speakers include Susan Berke Fogel, director of reproductive health for National Health Law Program; Dr. Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California; Mark Peterson, professor of public policy, political science and law at UCLA; Janice Rocco, deputy commissioner of health policy and reform at California Department of Insurance; and Dr. Paul Song, board member at the Physicians for a National Heath Program California. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times business columnist moderates. Wed. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. NCJW/LA Council House, 543 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 651-2930. ncjwla.org.
FRI | AUG 24
A MID-SUMMER NIGHT SHABBAT
The latest from the Big Jewish Tent cultural series features three simultaneous Shabbat celebrations. Rabbi Ed Feinstein joins Craig Taubman, Shany Zamir, Amir Magal and Josh Nelson, among other artists, performers and presenters at the Ford Amphitheatre (services interpreted in sign language). Join Temples Aliyah, Ramat Zion, Judea, Kol Tikvah, Congregation Or Ami, Shomrei Torah Synagogue, Valley Beth Shalom and the Jewish Federation Valley Alliance for a picnic and concert at Warner Center Park. And family-friendly activities await at Westward Beach/Point Dume. Ford Amphitheatre: Fri. 8 p.m. $10 (advance), $15 (regular), $20 (VIP seating). John Anson Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., Los Angeles. Warner Center Park: Fri. 5-7:30 p.m. (Warner Center Park). Free. Warner Center Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. Westward Beach/Point Dume: Fri. 7 p.m.-sunset. Free. Westward Beach/Point Dume, 7103 Westward Road, Malibu. RSVP (818) 889-5500, ext. 108. bigjewishtent.com.
YUVI ZALKOW
Zalkow’s debut novel, “A Brilliant Novel in the Works,” follows neurotic novelist Yuvi, who has a wife who wants things he can’t give, an editor who wants a book he can’t deliver, a brother-in-law with a disease he can’t fix, and dead parents who stubbornly remain dead. As his novel and life fall apart, Yuvi revisits fragments from his past, traveling from his suburban Jewish home in Atlanta, to the North Carolina mountains of his father’s childhood, to hospital waiting rooms and to the living room of a grieving Palestinian man. Zalkow appears at Book Soup tonight to discuss the book and sign copies. Fri. 7 p.m. Free. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 659-3110. booksoup.com.
ROBERT SCHWARTZMAN
Lead singer of the Los Angeles alternative-pop band Rooney (and brother of actor Jason Schwartzman), the singer-songwriter performs in support of his debut solo album, “Double Capricorn.” Folk rockers Jamestown Revival and Colorado troubadour Patrick Park also perform. 21 and older. Fri. 8 p.m. $10. Bootleg Bar, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 389-3856. foldsilverlake.com.
Calendar Picks and Clicks: Aug. 18-24, 2012 Read More »
Have an invention? Meet an investor in Israel
Israelis love to invent things. Last year, the number of patents granted to Israeli companies in medical instrumentation put it first globally in relation to population size and fourth in terms of number of patents. In relation to its population, Israel consistently ranks tops in the world for bio-pharma and life sciences patents.
So it made sense to inventor Israel Solodoch to put together an Israeli Patents Exhibition, the first of its kind, to take place in September at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds.
Solodoch has the ambitious goal of getting some 10,000 Israeli and foreign inventors, investors, patent attorneys, mechanical engineers and computer programmers in the same room to help get a whole lot of good ideas turned into actual products.
Solodoch, managing director of Nufar Natural Products, a Galilee-based company that creates alternative health products, said that the idea for the exhibition just struck him one day.
“It’s very important for inventors to meet investment people and not have to pursue them, because it’s very difficult to do that,” he said. “The purpose of this exhibition is to solve this difficulty through direct face-to-face contact with investors. They will be there together on equal footing.”
The Jewish Agency is a sponsor of the exhibition, and organizers are also inviting representatives of Israeli startup companies. “Perhaps with your new invention you can do business with a startup,” Solodoch suggested. “Sometimes startups already have investment money but get stuck developing their idea into a product, so they are looking for new ideas to get their product going.”
Inventor Israel Solodoch
From Drawing Board to Market
Solodoch will be displaying his own patent-pending water-saving tap, which can cut water consumption by up to 80 percent. He claims customers can expect to recoup the purchase price within a month.
This product is meant for a broader market than just drought-prone Israel. “The problem of water is global, because even if you have enough water, it takes a lot of energy to bring it to your home, and after it goes down the drain it causes environmental problems,” he pointed out.
Solodoch, 61, launched a Web site last year as a free publicity forum for inventors from Israel and other countries. In addition to the exposure, he hopes the site will lead to stronger commercial contacts between Israel and other countries.
Among the inventions featured on the site and expected to exhibit at the September event are TransBiodiesel’s method for producing natural fuel from crude oil and cooking oil; a product to prevent car tires from cracking or bursting; a 360-degree camera on top of a car to help drivers gain greater visibility; an Israeli iPhone app that helps users find a parking place in the city; and a hygienic, hands-free gadget for disposing of dog droppings.
Israel Patent Statistics
In 2009, when the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization recognized Israel as an international center for the search and testing of patents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved more patents to Israeli inventors than to any other nation of the G-7 countries.
Since 2006, the Israeli Patent Office has handled an average 7,500 patent applications each year. In 2011, 57 percent of the applications were for mechanical inventions, 29 percent in chemistry and pharmaceuticals, and 14 percent in biotechnology.
Some 80 percent of these applications are typically filed by foreign entities, including hundreds by corporate giants Qualcomm and Hoffman-La Roche. The Weizmann Institute of Science accounts for the most applications per year of the Israeli filers, through its transfer tech company Yeda.
The bulk of Israeli inventors choose to file in other countries, especially the United States, Japan and Europe because of their huge customer market. Israelis filed 7,082 international patents from 2002 through 2007, or one annual patent for every 5,295 people.
What is patentable? According to the Israel Patent Office, “An invention, whether a product or a process in any field of technology, which is new and useful, can be used industrially and involves an inventive step, is a patentable invention.” Discoveries of natural substances, new species of plants or animals, and human medical treatments cannot be patented.
For more information about the Patents Exhibition, visit http://www.eng.nufar.co.il/PAGE60.asp.
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