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Jewish Journal

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December 16, 2015

Growing up half Middle-Eastern

Leave a Comment / Books, Culture /

At this fraught moment in history, a cartoonist named Riad Sattouf has achieved best-seller status in France with a memoir in the form of a comic book with the provocative title, “The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984.” The first volume of the trilogy, translated by Sam Taylor, is now being published for the first time in the United States by Metropolitan Books. The book, which has been compared to such cartooned memoirs as “Maus” and “Persepolis,” is smart, funny and endearing, if ultimately heartbreaking. Above all, however, the book offers a remarkable opportunity to glimpse the experiences of one Arab childhood through the eyes of a gifted writer and artist.

Sattouf was born to a Syrian father and a French mother, which may account for what he describes as his “long, thick, silky, platinum-blond hair” in early childhood. With a degree in history from the Sorbonne, Sattouf’s father accepts a teaching position in Libya under Moammar Gadhafi, and then in Syria under Hafez al-Assad, which compels young Sattouf to grow up in a kind of netherworld, neither fully Arab nor fully French, and always aware that he is an outsider in both places.

For a memoir set amid the squalor and horror of our troubled times, “The Arab of the Future” is filled with ironic humor. Sattouf recalls his early childhood, when Gadhafi’s displays of grandiosity and self-importance on Libyan state television struck a chord with the attractive toddler who was accustomed to being doted on by his parents and admiring strangers: “He reminded me of me,” Sattouf recalls. “Like me, he had lots of people admiring him and smiling at him all the time.” And a theological debate between his parents ends with a punchline that will be baffling to readers of this review, but not to readers of the book, where it turns into a running joke: “I didn’t understand the word God,” he explains. “But from that day on, whenever I heard it, I would see the face of [French singer] Georges Brassens.”

Significantly, Sattouf is always aware of his mix of origins and never fully comfortable with either one. When the family arrives in Syria, his young cousins are confused by his blond locks and denounce him as “Yahudi” — Jew — and set upon him with fists.  “It was the first word I learned in Syria,” he recalls. But he is surprised to find that he is ready to fight back: “I was drawn, propelled toward the violence.” When he hears the call to prayer at 4 the next morning, he reveals the impression it made on him in an aside next to a dialogue bubble: “The saddest voice in the world.”   

Sattouf quickly notices that photographs and statues of Assad are just as ubiquitous in Syria as those of Gadhafi had been in Libya, but with one difference. “He wasn’t as handsome or sporty,” Sattouf recalls. “He had a large forehead, and there was something shifty-looking about him.” Yet everyone seemed to mimic his mustachioed face: “With his mustache, even the bus driver looked like Assad,” he writes. “In fact, every man on the bus had a mustache, except for my father.” And when his father puts a bucket over Sattouf’s head during a rainstorm, it is not to protect him from the rain, but from the sight of two corpses hanging from a scaffold as a warning to the populace about breaking the law.

Hatred of Israel is a fact of life for young Sattouf in Syria. Plastic toy soldiers come in two varieties, the Syrians “all frozen in brave, heroic postures” and the Israelis “shaped in deceitful, treacherous poses.” One of the Chinese-made figures is of a dead soldier impaled with an Israeli flag. As the new boy in the neighborhood, he was told: “All right, so you get the Jews.” At the end of the game, an Israeli toy soldier is beheaded with a kitchen knife. “Victory is ours,” his playmate declares. “God is great!” When the boy’s mother scolds him for vandalizing his toys, he protests: “I was cutting off a Jew’s head! I’m allowed to do that!”

The central figure in young Sattouf’s life — and in his book — is his father, a self-proclaimed atheist who is fearful of ghosts and genies and reads to his son from the Quran.  He dreams of gold, and he fancies that he will find it among the Roman ruins in Syria. After Sattouf’s father discovers that his own brother has sold off the land in Syria that was his legacy, he persists in vowing to build a “luxury palace” of his own.  When he insists that Alawites sell their children as slaves to the Sunnis, he looks at his young son and asks: “Can you just imagine? What if I sold you in exchange for a Mercedes?” Back in France, he discourses on why the Arab world needs the discipline of dictators. “One day, I’ll stage a coup d’etat,” he cracks, “and I’ll have everyone killed. Hee hee.”

As the book ends, Sattouf finds himself on the verge of the family’s return to Syria. By then, we are so fully engaged with this charming young boy that our hearts sink along with his. Two more volumes in the series will reveal what happens next, and it’s a measure of Sattouf’s gifts as a storyteller that I found myself longing to find out.

Jonathan Kirsch, author and publishing attorney, is the book editor of the Jewish Journal.

Growing up half Middle-Eastern Read More »

From junk to art

Leave a Comment / 50 Plus, Culture /

Malka Nedivi is known for her huge sculptures — roughly hewn, sometimes eerie figures that can reach up to 10 feet high — and collage paintings that are made of galvanized metal, chicken coop wire, pieces of old clothing, and fabrics and papers. 

Her choice of material tells the story of her life growing up in the house of a hoarder. As a youth in Israel, Nedivi lived among cardboard boxes and plastic bags filled with clothes and pieces of junk collected by her mother, who appears as the image of an old woman in many of the artist’s mixed-media art.

Malka Nedivi with “Bubbeleh,” mixed media (chicken wire, fabric, paper, acrylic paint and glue on a wood box). Photo by Ayala Or-El

“It’s interesting that all the things that she collected, and I couldn’t stand, are the things I’m using in my art,” she said. “It happened more after she passed away. Somebody told me that I’m one of those people who take a lemon and turn it to lemonade. It’s like taking those things which caused me pain and suffering and turning them into something beautiful. It was very healing.”

Nedivi, of Woodland Hills, said she always was embarrassed by her mother, Tzipora, who was so different from the other “cool” Israeli moms with their modern clothes and stylish hairdos. 

“My mom was a hoarder, and I was very ashamed of her and my house,” Nedivi said from her home studio. “In between the walls [were] piles and piles of boxes and things my mom had collected throughout the years. Anything that ever entered our house never left it. My mom never threw out anything. The children in the neighborhood used to laugh at her, about the way she looked, the way she dressed and how she used to collect things out in the streets. I was very ashamed to bring friends over. I didn’t want them to see how we lived.”

Born in 1952 in Rehovot, Nedivi is the only child of two Holocaust survivors who shared the same room with her until she turned 18. “We had a small house. In the living room, we didn’t have a couch, only some chairs and a TV. We also had a balcony with table and chairs. I used to study there for my finals so I wouldn’t wake up my parents.”

After her service in the military, Nedivi married filmmaker Udi Nedivi and moved to Los Angeles. It was a career move for her husband, but for Nedivi, who studied theater and literature at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, it was a chance to get away from the memories and the shame. She went on to study film at UCLA and work as an assistant editor before getting involved in art, first through ceramics and then through large-scale sculpture and collage paintings. 

 Seventeen years after arriving in the U.S., Nedivi received a phone call from Israel: Her mother’s health was deteriorating and she refused to move into a nursing home. 

“It was hard for her to part with her things … and also the management was not thrilled about having her move in,” Nedivi said. “They were afraid she was going to collect things. … I tried to bring my mom someone to take care of her at home, but none of them lasted long. They all left, one after the other. … I knew I didn’t have any choice but go and take care of her myself.”

By that time, Nedivi was a mother of three children. Her son, Ben, was about to go to college and her daughters were in elementary school and middle school. With the support of her husband, she packed her suitcases and moved back to Israel with her daughters in tow. 

“I knew that if I didn’t take care of her, nobody else would,” she said. “Before I left, my husband handed me a new camera and told me: ‘You can do it. Document your mother.’ He knew that it was going to help me. So I took the camera and filmed 120 hours, which I edited later into a 93-minute film.”

The resulting documentary, “Tzipora’s Nest,” was filmed during the time Nedivi spent in Israel caring for her mother. It tells the story of her mom and the last years of her life, surrounded by endless piles of junk and plastic bags full of different items she collected. 

“At first, when I moved back to Israel, I thought I should film my [older] daughter — how an American girl who studied all her life in an American-Jewish school arrives in an Israeli school — but in the end, I only documented my mom. And while working on the movie, something good had happened. I started understanding her better. I fell in love with her. I rediscovered my mom.”

Nedivi spoke with a psychologist about why her mom collected things. 

“He explained to me that people who went through such a trauma — as she did during the Holocaust, losing her parents and all her family — are left with holes in their heart. She was trying to fill in the holes with the things she collected. Like filling the void in her life.”

That was something she didn’t understand growing up.

“Back then, in those days, nobody talked about this phenomena, no one discussed this problem of hoarding. I didn’t know why my mother collected all these items and why our house didn’t look like the houses of the rest of my friends,” Nedivi said. 

“I remember going to visit my two best friends and enjoying the cleanliness and order in their house. I wanted to have such a house so badly. I begged my mother to turn the balcony to a bedroom, just like the neighbors did, but it never happened. I think that one of the reasons I was so happy to leave Israel and move here to Los Angeles was because I felt free of the shame that followed me back then. I have friends who live in the States and they would like so much to move back to Israel, but I never wanted to. I was always happy to live here; for me, it was a sense of freedom.” 

After her mom’s death, Nedivi began cleaning the small house. “I threw away everything. Till this day, I love throwing out stuff. I can’t have any small stuff at home. Whatever I didn’t use for a year or two, I throw away,” she said.

The experience proved therapeutic — and influential on her art, in which she layers fabric with glue and other torn materials to form large, looming figures. Most recently, she had an exhibition, “Mother and Daughter,” at the National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles on Fairfax Avenue, which ended in September.

Although she was eager to please the critics, she said she is also ready to have her art reach the masses.

“There were those who told me in the past that the reason I’m not able to sell my art is because I don’t want to separate from it,” she said. “But now, I felt ready to let go, and suddenly I started selling.”

From junk to art Read More »

Why transgender inclusion is a Jewish imperative

Leave a Comment / Opinion /

Just when the LGBT community thinks it has taken another step toward full equality and inclusion, along come the Dennis Pragers of the world to remind us how far we still have to go.

In his most recent opinion pieces in the Journal (“The Torah and the Transgendered,” Dec. 4, and “The Hate Is All in One Direction,” Dec. 11), Mr. Prager portrays transgender people and trans inclusion as incompatible with the teachings of Torah, and calls into question the very Jewishness of those of us who reject his narrow and bigoted view in favor of basic human dignity.

Most deplorably, he attacks — yes, Mr. Prager, attacks — Keshet board member Rabbi Becky Silverstein for having the audacity to identify and present as male while retaining a conventionally female name. 

Mr. Prager’s message is not only wrong — it is wrongheaded.

Wrong, because it demands that the Torah remain frozen in time, incapable of inspiring new generations of Jews seeking answers to contemporary challenges. Wrongheaded, because it appeals to the worst instincts of human nature.

Our Torah is a living, breathing document, whose words and teachings can be understood and interpreted anew to reflect humankind’s limitless ability to evolve, change and grow. Its beauty and wonder lie in its capacity to provoke and guide our community as much today as it did 5,000 years ago.

We claim a Torah that embraces complexity, mystery and inclusivity. Mr. Prager offers a Torah that is simplistic, static and divisive, one that not so successfully masks his contempt and fear of “the other.”

The rabbis of the Talmud understood that human gender is infinitely more diverse than the gender binary. Talmudic discourse over the generations identifies various categories of people who, according to their descriptions in the text, would today fall under the broad umbrella of “transgender.” These include the tumtum (someone with hidden or underdeveloped genitalia), the androgynos (a person with male and female sex organs), the eylonit (a masculine woman) and the saris (a feminine man).

To be sure, you won’t find a transgender liberation manifesto in the Talmud. But you will find thoughtful discussion of real people whom the rabbis clearly encountered in their lives, and an attempt to discern their roles in society. 

Like Mr. Prager, the rabbis concerned themselves with distinctions and differentiation. Unlike Mr. Prager, they well understood and acknowledged the magnificent diversity of human gender.

Mr. Prager’s decision to single out and scorn a specific rabbinic leader and Jewish institution is evidence that his voice does not belong in our discourse or any self-respecting Jewish publication. His words foment fear and hate, and serve to bully and intimidate. 

Our community must resolve to place understanding and inclusion at the forefront of our thinking and our actions. Mr. Prager’s recent comments notwithstanding, the news on that front is encouraging. 

In addition to the historic victory in the Supreme Court for marriage equality earlier this year, last month the Union for Reform Judaism publicly affirmed its commitment to the full equality, inclusion and acceptance of people of all gender identities and gender expressions.

We challenge the Jewish community to build upon this momentum and use Mr. Prager’s words to spur us further, faster. It would be a terrible loss if even one Jewish organization thought twice about embracing or hiring a transgender individual for fear of being attacked in the Jewish media. Or worse yet, if even one transgender Jew decided to leave the Jewish community for fear of rejection.

We urge Jewish leaders of all denominations and movements to join with unflinching courage the fight for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews in Jewish life. 

Know that all of us at Keshet — and countless others — will always stand with you.

Idit Klein is executive director of Keshet, a national grass-roots organization that works for the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews in Jewish life. Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman is director of youth learning and engagement at Temple Beth Am, a Conservative congregation in Los Angeles, and a Keshet educator. B. Andrew Zelermyer is chair of the Keshet board of directors.

Why transgender inclusion is a Jewish imperative Read More »

Chief Rabbi’s rebuke is divisive

Leave a Comment / Opinion /

Last week, Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau publicly rebuked Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister of education and Diaspora affairs. Bennett’s religious sin, per Lau, was visiting the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, and tweeting an enthusiastic reflection of the school and the love for Israel and Judaism that he had seen there. 

According to Rabbi Lau, Bennett should have consulted with a rabbi before the visit. Lau expects Bennett to heed rabbinic “guidance,” which, per Lau, would instruct him that such a visit is prohibited because by visiting, one conveys legitimacy to this Conservative institution and its path. Had Bennett consulted him, stated Lau, he would have told him that such a gesture was not allowed, insofar as the school bears a Conservative identity, as Schechter schools do, for Conservative and Reform Judaism “distance Jews from the tradition, from the past and the future of the Jewish People,” and their children are destined to be lost to the Jewish fold.

Lau’s lashing out is representative of so much that is wrong with the institution of the chief rabbinate and the threat it poses to the Jewish people, Israel’s core strategic interest, and the future of Israel’s relationship with American Jewry. 

Moreover, Lau’s outrageous admonishment also raises serious questions as to his integrity and basic wits. In January, Lau visited de Toledo High School (formerly New Community Jewish High School) in Los Angeles, the second-largest Jewish high school in the United States. The school rightly prides itself for celebrating a pluralistic Jewish environment. Its faculty consists of rabbis of all streams, it holds egalitarian prayer services, and at its graduation ceremonies, in a way that reflects its egalitarian religious spirit, male and female graduates wear the school tallit. True, the school does not bear the labels “Conservative” or “Reform,” which Lau disdains, but it treats non-Orthodoxy and pluralism as virtues, while Lau holds them to be religious abominations. In fact, Lau also didn’t see anything wrong with visiting the communal Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital, yet another pluralistic school, in October. The lovely photograph, including a young girl wearing a kippah among the group of students with whom Lau met, speaks for itself. 

How feeble minded does Rabbi Lau think we all are? If the mere visit to a school implies legitimization of its Jewish path, then Lau’s rebuke reeks of hypocrisy. Making a distinction between the labels “Reform” and “Conservative” on the one hand, and the labels “pluralist” and “egalitarian” on the other is ridiculous. We would be overjoyed to hear that while Rabbi Lau does not approve of Reform and Conservative, he does give his stamp of approval to egalitarian minyanim and the active participation of women in religious ritual life, attired in prayer shawls, studying for the rabbinate, etc. And if he doesn’t, as we regretfully suspect, why does he think that his visits do not impart a similar level of legitimization to these patently non-Orthodox practices and norms? Is this yet another case of, ‘Do as I preach, not as I do’ (Matthew 23:1-4)?

The chief rabbi is Israel’s highest religious Jewish authority. For him to label Conservative Judaism, a key pillar of the American Jewish community, as “distancing Jews from the Jewish people,” is not merely an example of ignorance and bigotry, but also an unacceptable pitting of the State of Israel against the pluralistic Jewish Diaspora. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sensing the gradual distancing of American Jewry from Israel, and recognizing the devastating strategic impact that this may have on Israel’s core interests, has proclaimed the antithesis to Lau’s sentiments. Netanyahu knows how essential the Diaspora communal leaders, philanthropists and investors are for Israel’s well-being. There simply can be no greater contradiction than that between Lau’s outrageous assault on America’s diverse Jewish tapestry and Netanyahu’s welcomed declaration at last month’s General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America that he would “ensure that all Jews — Reform, Conservative and Orthodox — feel at home in Israel.”

Lau is not only ignorant of the state of contemporary world Jewry, but is also dismissive of the limitations imposed by Israeli law upon his office. In the early ’80s, the Supreme Court ruled that the chief rabbis had no authority to interfere in the functions of state officials! 

It’s time Netanyahu recognizes the dire need to dismantle the regressive, bigoted state rabbinate. If he is serious in declaring that he wants to ensure that all Jews, regardless of religious denomination, feel at home in Israel, surely he must realize that the rabbinate’s continued demonization of the pluralistic Diaspora and its continued monopoly over Jewish life contradicts his praiseworthy vision. He also surely knows that the overwhelming majority of Israelis will applaud him if he were to embark upon a path of religious freedom and equality. Mere verbal commitment to the promise of freedom of religion and conscience enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence is simply not enough anymore. Whether the chief rabbi is a hypocrite or merely witless, he is a threat to Jewish unity and to the Jewish, democratic State of Israel. 

Rabbi Uri Regev heads Hiddush — Freedom of Religion for Israel, Inc. — a transdenominational Israel/Diaspora partnership for religious freedom and equality in Israel. 

Chief Rabbi’s rebuke is divisive Read More »

Watch Bernie Sanders discuss his ‘absolutely dope’ civil rights record with Killer Mike

Leave a Comment / Culture, Election 2016 /

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently sat down for a videotaped talk with an unorthodox interviewer: Killer Mike, a rapper and black activist known for being half of acclaimed rap duo Run the Jewels.

The interview took place at an Atlanta barber shop owned by the “raptivist,” real name Michael Render, in late November, just before he introduced Sanders at an official campaign rally. Killer Mike published the hour-long recording Tuesday in a series of six videos on YouTube.

Sanders, an independent U.S. senator for Vermont, used the opportunity to pitch his democratic socialist message to African-Americans — referencing his organizing work during the civil rights movement and his reverence for Martin Luther King, Jr.

Killer Mike — who frequently appears on TV shows and at schools to talk about police brutality and other racial issues — was impressed enough to employ “some rap language,” saying: “That’s some bomb sh–. That is absolutely dope.”

The two men covered a wide range of issues, including economic inequality, health care, education, social justice and even gun rights — pausing infrequently for fist bumps. More than 230,000 people have viewed the first video in the series in just over a day.

Toward the end of the exchange, Killer Mike said he wished he could take Sanders on a barbershop tour. He thinks Sanders’ message would resonate with black people if they heard it.

“You take me to barbershops, I’ll be there,” Sanders said.

Polls have Sanders trailing Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 points in the race for the Democratic nod.

Watch Bernie Sanders discuss his ‘absolutely dope’ civil rights record with Killer Mike Read More »

Decorating with Pantone’s 2016 colors of the year

Leave a Comment / Culture, Home /

Every December, the arbiters of style at the Pantone Color Institute look into their crystal ball and forecast the hot color trend for the coming year. This year, for the first time, the global color authority has named not just one, but two colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity.  

Pantone’s annual announcement inevitably has its naysayers (people are still upset about last year’s wine-hued Marsala), and initially I, too, was disappointed by this year’s choices. At first glance, Rose Quartz and Serenity seem just a fancy way to say pale pink and powder blue, in other words, “baby nursery.” 

But according to Pantone, these colors were chosen to challenge, not reinforce, gender stereotypes. “In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted color trends throughout all other areas of design,” Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, said. “This more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity.” 

So they’re upending the notion that pink is for girls and that blue is for boys, which I like. In fact, prior to World War II, blue was the recommended color for girls and was considered more dainty, while pink — derived from red — was seen as a stronger color and, therefore, more appropriate for boys. 

So how do these two colors work in the home besides getting us all riled up about gender stereotypes? Happily, they look great on furniture and décor. Both pastels are so soft that they fall in the neutral category. And as neutrals, they go with practically anything.

Expect home furnishing companies to jump on the bandwagon and begin offering more products in these cotton candy shades over the next year. In the meantime, here are a few to whet your appetite. The year 2016 is looking like a beautiful one indeed. 

SERENITY

1. Rectangular Tray from Accents by Jay (above)

” target=”_blank”>jonathanfongstyle.com.

Decorating with Pantone’s 2016 colors of the year Read More »

Moving and shaking: Chanukah, Tipsy Torah and more

Leave a Comment / Los Angeles, Movers & Shakers, Moving & Shaking /

An annual Chabad menorah-lighting took place before sundown on the afternoon of Dec. 8 on the Spring Street steps of Los Angeles City Hall.

The festive event brought together local elected officials and Chabad leaders. Together they lit two candles on the Katowitz menorah, which was rescued from a Polish synagogue  that was destroyed on Kristallnacht.

Those in attendance included L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and West Coast Chabad Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin — the two interrupted a moment of dancing to embrace. They were joined by L.A. City Council members Paul Krekorian, Paul Koretz, David Ryu and Mitch O’Farrell; Consul General of France in Los Angeles Christophe Lemoine; Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles David Siegel; L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer; L.A. City Controller Ron Galperin; and others.

Chanukah is “not just a time we celebrate miracles — we celebrate hope,” Koretz said, standing between the menorah and a large framed photograph of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

After the candlelighting, attendees joined hands and danced in a circle, while a keyboardist played Jewish music. A Chabad children’s choir performed additional music under the direction of Chabad Rabbi Mendel Duchman.

Approximately 65 people attended the gathering. Cunin told the Journal that this year’s event was the 33rd Chabad menorah lighting at City Hall.

On the night before Chanukah began, the Dec. 5 premiere screening of “Tipsy Torah: Hanukkah,” the second installment of the “Tipsy Torah” short comedic film series, was held at the Beverly Hills home of Sue and Barry Brucker.

Lauren Kay and Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills Associate Rabbi Sarah Bassin, co-star in the latest episode of “Tipsy Torah.” Photo courtesy of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills 

Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills (TEBH) Associate Rabbi Sarah Bassin was among attendees and is one of the leaders of “Tipsy Torah,” an effort of the TEBH young professionals group, YoPro.

Inspired by the television show “Drunk History,” “Tipsy Torah” offers drunken retellings of stories in Jewish history. The first installment, which premiered last year and is currently available on YouTube, told the Purim story. The latest one tells the Chanukah story, and can also be viewed online.

“Tipsy Torah: Hanukkah” premiered as part of the Infinite Light initiative, a self-described “city-wide celebration of miracles — a curated, weeklong festival of creativity and community” organized by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ NuRoots program.

Lauren Kay, Margo Rowder, Adam Everett and Bradley West co-star in the film; additional performers include Danielle Soto and Yaron Shani. Yael Tygiel and Bassin served as co-executive producers.

A Dec. 6 Friendship Circle of Los Angeles celebration, titled “Chanukah in Israel,” attracted nearly 350 people to the organization’s headquarters on Robertson Boulevard. 

Rabbi Michy Rav-Noy, executive director at Friendship Circle Los Angeles (FCLA), Bracha Gabaie and FCLA volunteer Yetzirah Cohen came together for an Israel-themed Chanukah party at FCLA. Photo courtesy of Friendship Circle Los Angeles

Philanthropists Joy and Jerry Monkarsh co-sponsored the festive gathering, during which children recited the blessing and lit candles on a menorah. Additionally, children received gifts courtesy of the Lev Foundation, an organization with Iranian-American Jewish roots. 

Those leading programs included Jake Weiner, founder and director of Zooz Fitness, a company offering fitness programs for young people with special needs. Weiner led an interactive Israel Defense Forces-inspired boot camp that doubled as a fun fitness activity for the children.

The Friendship Circle of Los Angeles is a Chabad program serving children with special needs by, among other things, pairing them with young mentors in the Jewish community. It also provides support services for the families of the children.

A Dec. 10 Chabad Chanukah parade featured a procession of an estimated 100 cars with electric menorahs latched onto their roofs or trunks. The vehicles drove along Waring Avenue, Melrose Avenue, La Cienega Boulevard and Third Street. 

Students at Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad organized the parade, which coincided with the fifth night of Chanukah. 

Los Angeles Police Department officers blocked off several streets to accommodate the parade, which occurred in the evening and featured a variety of cars including convertibles, limousines, minivans and more.

“We want to spread the light of Chanukah, especially during these times of darkness,” Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad Rabbi Ben-Zion Oster said. 

Earlier in the day, a similar, albeit smaller, parade, organized by Chabad of Santa Monica took place in the Santa Monica area. On Facebook, Chabad of Santa Monica Rabbi Eli Levitansky said 14 cars participated “in memory/honor of the 14 victims of terror in S. Bernardino.” 

The Beverly Hills Jewish Community Synagogue (BHJCS), which holds services at the Beverly Hills Hotel, held its 18th annual menorah lighting at the hotel Dec. 7. At the event, BHJCS presented the hotel with the Excellence in Community Service award. 

The approximately 100 attendees included Vice Mayor of Beverly Hills John Mirisch; Beverly Hills real estate mogul and philanthropist Stanley Black; General Manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel, Edward Mady; BHJCS Rabbi Yosef Cunin; and others, according to Cunin.

“The Beverly Hills Hotel has been most welcoming to our very diverse community and has opened its doors and hearts to the Jewish community,” Cunin, who presented the award to Mady, said in a statement. 

Cunin leads services with Cantor Levi Coleman at BHJCS.

A Chanukah-themed boat is manned by, from left, Yoni Merkin  and Adam Stein during the annual Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade on Dec. 13. Photo courtesy of Sharon Merkin

“Questions? Comments? Kvetches?” Michael Medved asked, kicking off a Q-and-A on Dec. 3 at Beth Jacob Congregation.

Medved, the popular radio host, is used to fielding all of the above when he appears on air. It was no different for him in person, as was reflected during his keynote address at the 2015 Orthodox Union (OU) West Coast Convention. Titled “Leadership in Troubled Times,” the convention took place in Los Angeles Dec. 3-6.

Michael and Diane Medved attend the kickoff of the Orthodox Union West Coast convention. Photo by Ryan Torok

Medved made perhaps his most poignant point when he bridged the spiritual and the political, saying that an important characteristic of any leader is perspective. And how does he believe one can achieve perspective?

“Shabbat provides perspective,” Medved said. He emphasized the importance of the nation’s political leaders having this quality, saying, “Perspective is the key area for a leader.”

The lecture drew approximately 200 attendees, including one who boldly asked Medved to predict who will win the 2016 presidential election.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida has “the best chance of being a truly successful president,” Medved said, citing what he said is the candidate’s ability to work with people with whom he disagrees.

Beth Jacob Congregation Senior Rabbi Kalman Topp kicked off the event with introductory remarks, and the congregation’s Associate Rabbi Adir Posy concluded with announcements.

Diane Medved, the keynote speaker’s wife and an author, also attended. She and her husband signed copies of some of their books in the shul’s lobby following Medved’s lecture.

This year’s OU convention also featured a Dec. 5 presentation by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., discussing “Political Leadership Today and Tomorrow — Election 2016”; Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center participating in a Dec. 6 panel titled “Jewish Leadership in Today’s World”; and others.

OU oversees the youth group NCSY, formerly known as National Conference of Synagogue Youth; operates a kosher certification agency; and more.

Nearly 1,000 people representing the many faith traditions of Los Angeles gathered on the front steps of City Hall on Dec. 13 at an afternoon rally organized by local Muslim groups, with the support of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, to affirm unity and reject violence, extremism and hate. 

Women in headscarves, women in kippot and women wearing crosses stood together holding banners reading, “Muslims and Friends Against Extremism.” Children held signs that proclaimed, “Hate Divides, Love Abides,” and young men at the bottom of the steps held up banners that said, “ISIS Is Not Islam.” 

The program began when Aziza Hasan, executive director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, introduced an interfaith children’s choir, and the crowd joined the singers in a song written in honor of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez offered a prayer for peace, and the crowd applauded wildly when Garcetti affirmed the belief that diversity is the heart and strength of Los Angeles, an idea that was embraced by other speakers, including Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck. 

IKAR Rabbi Sharon Brous and Muslim leader Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini attend a rally at Los Angeles City Hall on Dec. 13. Photo courtesy of IKAR

Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR spoke passionately about Jewish reaction to any attempt to single out a religious minority. “For us,” she said, “it is personal.” Muslim leaders Muzammil Siddiqi, Islamic Shura Council of Southern California chair, and Shia Muslim Council of Southern California President Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini shared the podium as well. Before a closing rendition of “Hine Ma Tov” by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels and a group of drummers, the mayor of San Bernardino, R. Carey Davis, asked everyone present to remember the victims of the Inland Regional Center shooting and their families in their evening prayers. 

— Darcy Vebber, Contributing Writer

Rep. Ted Lieu announced on Dec. 4 the introduction of “a resolution to champion the importance of the U.S.-Israel economic relationship and encourage new areas of cooperation,” according to a statement released by Lieu.

The authors of what is described as a bipartisan resolution include Lieu; Ted Poe, R-Texas; Rep. Ed Royce, D-Calif.; and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

Lieu said the resolution marks a significant milestone in U.S.-Israel relations.

“Since the signing of the U.S.-Israel trade agreement 30 years ago, Israel has become one of our most dynamic economic partners in the entire Middle East and North Africa. Despite representing a mere 2 percent of the region’s population, it has become a top U.S. trading and investment relationship,” he said in the statement. “What makes the relationship truly unique, however, is the cutting-edge innovation that I have witnessed firsthand.”

Lieu, who represents the state’s 33rd District — geographic areas of the district include Santa Monica, Malibu and Beverly Hills — broke ranks with his political party this summer when he supported a resolution to oppose the U.S.-brokered nuclear agreement with Iran, an agreement also opposed by leadership in Israel.

“Our resolution today recognizes that the U.S.-Israel economic relationship has become central to our strategic partnership,” Lieu said. “I plan to work with my colleagues to seek out new ways to deepen that relationship even further and address the shared challenges our two nations face.”

On Nov. 10, the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles Vice President of Development Baruch S. Littman as Outstanding Professional of the Year, during the association’s annual gala at Paramount Studios.

“I am inspired on a daily basis by the generosity of the Jewish Los Angeles philanthropists with whom I interact,” the honoree said in a statement following the ceremony. “Their acts of chesed [loving-kindness] and tikkun olam [repairing the world], as well as desire to leave meaningful legacies, make my work such a joy.”

Actress Heather McDonald presented an Outstanding Professional of the Year award to Baruch Littman, vice president of development at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Photo by Bebe Jacobs Photography

Actress Heather McDonald presented the award to Littman, who has been working with the foundation for more than 16 years.

The foundation is charged with distributing money to organizations in the Jewish community. Littman is “part of a leadership team that has grown charitable assets under management from $250 million to more than $1 billion,” according to a press release. The foundation serves 1,200 donor families and last year distributed more than $75 million in grants.

The gala celebrated the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Los Angeles chapter’s 30th anniversary and coincided with National Philanthropy Day.

Moving and Shaking highlights events, honors and simchas. Got a tip? Email ryant@jewishjournal.com.

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German politician charged for publicly displaying Auschwitz tattoo

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

A far-right German politician has been charged with incitement for publicly displaying a large tattoo of the Auschwitz death camp on his back.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that Marcel Zech, a county council member near Berlin, is accused of violating Germany’s ban on the public display of Nazi symbols, The Associated Press reported.

Zech’s tattoo was visible on November 21 when he visited a swimming pool in Oraneinburg and another visitor took a photo of it. In addition to the image of what appears to be the Auschwitz gate, the tattoo features the words “Jedem das Seine” (to each his own), which appeared on the gate of the Buchenwald death camp.

If convicted, Zech, who is 27 and a member of Germany’s National Democratic Party, could face up to five years in prison. His trial will begin on December 22.

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Congress passes bill targeting Hezbollah’s finances

Leave a Comment / United States /

Legislation targeting the financing of Hezbollah passed both houses of Congress.

The House of Representatives unanimously approved the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 on Wednesday. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law.

The act directs the president to prohibit foreign banks from doing business with the Shiite militant group. The treasury would further be compelled to ban or sanction financial institutions that facilitate transactions with Hezbollah, which the United States classifies as a terrorist organization.

The bill originated in the House and was approved by the Senate last month. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., authored the original legislation in their respective chambers.

The American Israel Public Affairs committee commended Congress for passing the legislation in a statement Wednesday.

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