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Jewish Journal

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June 16, 2017

Should Rabbis Address Politics from the Pulpit – an LA Jewish Journal Debate

Leave a Comment / Blogs /

The debate between two colleagues whom I admire deeply, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, is poignant, honest, gracious, and deeply important.

The Los Angeles Jewish Journal has printed Rabbi Wolpe’s initial op-ed and Rabbi Jacob’s response.

I agree with both on a number of points they make, but I side with Rabbi Jacobs.

There is a huge difference between being partisan and political. I do not use my pulpit to preach partisan politics, but I do speak about the great policy issues that have moral and ethical implications. Jewish tradition does indeed say a great deal about those questions and, yes, Rabbi Wolpe is right, there are views that may seem contradictory to each other but are both “Jewish” views.

My friend Yossi Klein Halevy, for example, speaks about Purim Jews and Pesach Jews. The former reminds us not to be naive, that there are enemies out there wishing us ill. The latter reminds us not to be cruel, that we who know the heart of the stranger and have in our history suffered the tyrant’s lash understand the critical importance of our remaining compassionate even in the midst of evil.

See “Why my friend David Wolpe is wrong: A ‘politics free’ pulpit is an empty …”

jewishjournal.com/op…/220363/rabbi-wolpe-politics-synagogue/

Should Rabbis Address Politics from the Pulpit – an LA Jewish Journal Debate Read More »

Bipartisan backing builds for Taylor Force Act

Leave a Comment / United States /

With the issue of Palestinian payments to families of terrorists receiving increased attention on Capitol Hill, a growing number of influential Senators — including top Democrats — have signaled their intention to support the Taylor Force Act. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told an audience at the Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Leadership Mission on Thursday that he “feels so strongly” about the bill, which would completely defund US assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if the stipends do not end. “If the President is unable to get Palestinians to cease these payments, Congress is going to act,” Schumer said.

[This story originally appeared on jewishinsider.com]

The Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Ben Cardin (D-MD) told Jewish Insider, “I very much support what Senator (Lindsey) Graham (R-SC) is attempting to do.” (Graham is the lead sponsor of the Taylor Force Act). Cardin clarified that he does not oppose in principle the cutting of all US assistance to the PA, while acknowledging that the bill “may need some adjustments.”

“We must end the practice of Palestinians rewarding those who kill Jews,” announced Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who also serves on the SFRC, to a cheering OU crowd. “We are working very hard with our colleague Senator Graham, who sponsored the Taylor Force Act, to define it in a way that meets that goal but doesn’t undermine in some respects the potential challenges that the state of Israel has.”

Chairman of the SFRC Bob Corker (R-TN) noted on Tuesday during Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s testimony that he intends to advance a form of the legislation past the SFRC by the August recess. The Tennessee lawmaker also stressed on Thursday to Jewish Insider that the bill would be a “Taylor Force-like Act.”

However, some Democrats expressed skepticism. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) emphasized, “I am not sure that it’s in anyone’s interest to cut off assistance to the Palestinian Authority.” Supporting the spirit of the bill, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) was concerned about the potential fallout of a complete cut-off. “To the extent that it is a targeted way to remove financial support for the despicable practice of providing bonuses for the families of suicide bombers or terrorists, I will support that. To the extent that it is overly broad and cuts off all assistance to all Palestinian entities, I don’t think that’s in the security interest of Israel or the Palestinian Authority,” he said.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), an original co-sponsor of the Taylor Force Act, reiterated his enthusiasm for the legislation. “We need to bring it up. We need to vote on it. We need to pass it.” The Texas lawmaker also cited his resolution that he introduced in January to completely defund the United Nations due to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement constructions.

In addition to the Taylor Force Act, Senators at the Orthodox Union event also discussed the importance of fighting the BDS movement, Thursday’s 98-2 Iran sanctions vote, and the Jerusalem reunification resolution recently passed. “It’s been a pretty good two weeks for Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel),” asserted Schumer.

Cardin was introduced as the only sitting Senator who is a member of an OU Synagogue.

While not mentioning President Donald Trump’s decision to sign a waiver and keep the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Cruz charged, “I believe it is long pass time to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem where it belongs.” The top Senate Democrat agreed with the Cruz on the issue of the US Embassy with Schumer explaining the importance of transferring the Embassy to Jerusalem, “We ought to get it done once and for all.”

Bipartisan backing builds for Taylor Force Act Read More »

Israeli police officer killed in Jerusalem stabbing, attackers killed

Leave a Comment / Israel /

An Israeli policewoman was killed in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Two assailants attacked a group of officers with knives on Friday at Damascus Gate, The Times of Israel reported. Both were shot and killed. One of the attackers was reportedly holding a gun, but it jammed.

Staff Sergeant Major Hadas Malka, 23, was evacuated to Hadassah University Medical Center in critical condition from her stab wounds. Hospital officials later pronounced her dead.

Israeli security services later identified the attackers as 19-year-old Bara Ibrahim Muhammad Saleh; Adel Hassan Ahmad Anakush, 18; and Osama Ahmad Mustafa Atta, 19. All are from the West Bank.

The first attack occurred near Damascus Gate at the entrance of the Old City, resulting in the death of the Border Patrol officer.

The second attack reportedly occurred near Zedekiah’s Cave, located in the Muslim quarter of the Old City.

Israeli police officer killed in Jerusalem stabbing, attackers killed Read More »

The German and the Israeli

Leave a Comment / Personal History, Uncategorized /

I’m not sure how to view what happened at lunch today. Coincidence? Serendipity? Or “bashert”, the Yiddish word that means “meant to be”.

I know several now-middle-aged Germans who never met a Jew until, as adults, they traveled outside their country. Nearly twenty years ago, one such German was my seatmate on a long, delayed trans-Atlantic flight. Andreas, from Cologne, was happy when I mentioned that my mother was born in Germany; his expression, however, turned somber when I explained that we’re Jewish, and she and most of the rest of her family managed to escape their “heimat”, or homeland, in the years after Hitler came to power. Other relatives, of course, were not so lucky.

Whenever I meet young Germans, here or during my four trips to that country, I do my best to make relevant and real what seems like ancient history to them. We ended up speaking for hours about my family’s experience in the Holocaust and his family’s actions during the Third Reich. Although he knew neither Jews nor Shoah survivors, he was surprisingly sensitive to my stories and clearly moved by them.

Andreas and I became friends on that flight, and have stayed in touch since then. I visited him once in Cologne, and he’s visited me at my home in New York, where he travels every year for business.

He was in town this week, and we went to lunch at a pleasant Long Island restaurant overlooking a pond. The conversation inevitably turned to politics and history, and we discussed whether there is any basis for comparing America’s current leader to Germany’s long-dead Fuehrer. We spoke about his two sons, ages 14 and 11, and what they know of Germany’s history.

After we finished eating, we went outside to the restaurant’s balcony to take some pictures with the spring scenery. We were alone for a couple of minutes until an elderly white-haired woman stepped outside and asked us if it was OK to smoke there. I said I had no idea, and she apologized, saying she’d mistakenly thought we were restaurant employees. By that time I’d recognized her accent, and asked in Hebrew, “You’re Israeli, right?”

She was surprised, but laughed and confirmed my hunch. Continuing in Hebrew, I asked if she’d been born there. Again, laughter, and the response “What, you want to know my whole complicated life story?”

Well, I answered, I’m a reporter, and yes. Go right ahead! After she spoke for two minutes in Hebrew, I stopped her and said (in Hebrew), please repeat that in English, as I want my friend, a non-Jewish German, to hear this.

So Maya told us how she was born in Tel Aviv in 1938, but the following year, her parents inexplicably decided to return to Europe, where they’d been born, with her and her eight-year-old brother. To their horror, they soon were entangled in the Nazi web, fleeing from place to place, country to country, hiding in forests, being caught and escaping detention… all in all, a typical Holocaust survivor’s story (if it can even be said that there is such a thing). Maya only remembered the last, frantic years of the saga clearly, from ages four to six; she discovered the rest of the details years later from her parents and brother.

“And then”, she concluded, “we finally returned to Tel Aviv from Europe after the war ended, and we were all almost killed in a huge explosion. We made it into the shelter in the nick of time”.

With that, Maya said she had to get back to her friends, having decided to forego her smoking break for our entirely unexpected chat.

She went inside, and I turned to Andreas. He looked stunned, his eyes wide with astonishment at what he had seen and heard over the previous five minutes. I had to smile. “This is not exactly the kind of unplanned conversation you might have with a stranger in Deutschland, is it?”, I said. “In fact, I guess this is the first time you’ve actually met someone who survived the Holocaust”.

Andreas nodded. “You know”, he said slowly, shaking his head in disbelief, “I was thinking the most interesting thing I would tell my kids next week was about the 35-mile bike tour I took from Jersey City. But now I have a very different story to share with them.”

The German and the Israeli Read More »

What’s going on in L.A., 6/16-6/23

Leave a Comment / Culture /

FRIDAY JUNE 16

“STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE”

The film tells the story of the Austrian-Jewish writer Stefan Zweig and his life in exile in Brazil after Hitler came to power. The film is about a great artist during a time when Europe was coming apart. Written and directed by Maria Schrader, one of Germany’s most acclaimed actresses. Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 478-0401. laemmle.com.

SATURDAY JUNE 17

“AUTHOR! AUTHOR!”

Adapted from the stories and letters of Sholem Aleichem, “Author! Author! “is a raucous musical for all ages that celebrates the humor and wisdom of the Yiddish writer, with Chris DeCarlo in the title role. 2 p.m. $29.50; discounts available. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica. (310) 394-9779. santamonicaplayhouse.com.

“THE SPACE BETWEEN”

Jewish Women’s Theatre and NEXT @ The Braid present “The Space Between,” an original salon-style show featuring millennial stories. It was created by 12 young artists who explore humorous, heartbreaking and surprising stories that reveal what really divides us. Snacks, treats and parking included. 7:30 p.m. $10; $15 at the door. Tickets available at eventbrite.com. The Downtown Loft, 416 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. (310) 315-1400. jewishwomenstheatre.org.

DANCE MIXER FOR 55 AND OLDER

Jewish singles 55 and older: It isn’t easy out there. So here comes the Summer Blast Dinner Dance, featuring live music by the Donald Dean Band, playing hits of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Everyone is welcome: singles, couples, dancers with or without partners. Complete dinner, dessert, wine, beer, soft drinks. Free parking. Dance hosts, icebreakers, line dances. $25 at the door. No reservations needed. 7 p.m. Stephen Wise Temple, Zeldin-Hershenson Hall, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles.  (310) 204-1240

GABRIELA KOHEN: “DECODING THE TABLECLOTH”

Critically acclaimed New York actress, playwright and drama therapist Gabriela Kohen will perform her autobiographical one-woman show, “Decoding the Tablecloth.” In English, Yiddish and Spanish, Kohen portrays more than 20 characters from five generations. Her intense yet humorous narrative provides insight into the trauma, resilience and wisdom that is transmitted from one generation to the next. Wine and cheese reception to follow. Proceeds will go to the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health and the Group Psychotherapy Association of Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. $100; $80 for students. Admission is tax deductible. Congregation Kol Ami, 1200 N. La Brea Ave., West Hollywood. Also at 3 p.m. June 18 at the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice. gpala.org/events.

SUNDAY JUNE 18

DANIEL SCHLOSBERG

Pianist Daniel Schlosberg will perform short pieces by Beethoven, Poulenc and Ruggles. 6 p.m. Free. Bing Theater, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.lacma.org.

MONDAY JUNE 19

IDF CHOIR CONCERT

The Israel Defense Forces Choir, directed by Maestro Ofir Sobol, and the U.S. Army 40th Infantry Division Band will perform a Gala Concert Tribute to Israel and the USA, featuring IDF Chief Cantor Lt. Col. Shai Abramson, Cantor Netanel Baram and baritone Colin Shachat. 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $36. Young Israel of North Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills Synagogue, 9261 Alden Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 276-7650. beverlyhillssynagogue.org/concert.

“BAD JEWS”

Daphna Feygenbaum claims she is the most devout Jew in her family, and when her less observant cousin arrives to claim a treasured family heirloom, a devastatingly funny battle ignites in the play by Joshua Harmon, which returns to Los Angeles through June 25. 8 p.m. $10; tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. The Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 990-2324. whitefiretheatre.com.

“AN EVENING WITH THE REBBE”

Commemorate the 23rd yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson during an evening that will feature multiplatinum recording artist and songwriter Alex Clare and the Cunin Brothers performing and sharing soulful Chasidic melodies composed and taught by the Rebbe. David Suissa, president of TRIBE Media and the Jewish Journal, will be the guest speaker. There also will be a screening of the film “Marching Orders,” which focuses on the Rebbe’s vision of the essence of every Jew and the infinite value of every mitzvah. 7:30 p.m. $150. RSVP to info@beverlyhillsjc.org. The Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills. aneveningwiththerebbe.eventbrite.com.

TUESDAY JUNE 20

“THE JEWISH FUTURE IN A CHANGING AMERICA”

For the past six months, the Jewish community and the country have been engaged in introspection and debate about the altered political world in the United States and the challenges that its democracy faces. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Bret Stephens has been at the center of that debate. Stephens, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal for 11 years and now with The New York Times, will discuss the Jewish future in a changing America. 7:30 p.m. Free. Stephen Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 476-8561. wisela.org/bretstephens.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 21

“JEWS IN BASEBALL”

The Rosenberg Cultural Center presents a movie and discussion called “Jews in Baseball.” Learn about Jewish players, Jewish leagues and more with Rabbi Rebeccah Yussman. Lunch, followed by “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg,” a film about one of the most famous Jewish players in baseball history. 11 a.m. Free. Temple Menorah, 1101 Camino Real, Redondo Beach. (310) 316-8444.

THE FUTURE OF PRECISION MEDICINE

Health care professionals and future parents are invited to learn about the potential of precision medicine and the ethics and impact of genetic testing on family planning. Speakers include Dr. Serge Alexanian, director of special operations for UCLA’s Department of Pathology; Sayeh Farivar, genetic counselor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Dr. Claudia Mikail, director of the Center for Preventive Care and Genetics; and Dr. Steve Rad, faculty member at the Fetal Treatment Center at the UC San Francisco Medical Center. 7 p.m. $10; $15 for two through June 20. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. yala.org.

JEWISH SPEED DATING

Nothing beats meeting someone face to face. You will have the opportunity to meet 10 Jewish singles for five minutes each. At the end, you will select those whom you liked, and if any of them also picked you, it’s a match. The rest is up to you! 8 p.m. $30; tickets available at eventbrite.com. Kung Pao Bistro, 7853 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. (888) 729-5552. lafirstdates.com. 

What’s going on in L.A., 6/16-6/23 Read More »

obituaries funeral obits death

Obituaries, week of June 12

Leave a Comment / Obituaries /

Marvin Bornstein died May 20 at 98. Survived by daughter Deena (Todd) Kobernick; son David (Lorrie) Bornstein; 6 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild. Malinow and Silverman

James Eisenberg died May 22 at 76. Survived by wife Deborah; daughter Lindsy;
sons Alexander (Holly), Paul; 4 grandchildren. Hillside

Vivian Felsot died May 26 at 96. Survived by daughters Debra (Andy) Krasnoff, Nancy (Gerald) Love-Weeks; son Ron (Bobbi); 4 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren.
Groman Eden

Adrienne Filer died May 24 at 78. Survived by husband Armand; son Kirk Filer; brother Alan Nelson. Mount Sinai

Alice Fisher died May 24 at 91. Survived by daughters Linda (Rick Schwartz), Amy Sue; son Mark (Julia Phillips); 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren. Hillside

Donald P. Goodman died May 25 at 82. Survived by wife Sally; daughter Lesley Bloom; son Ken (Cindy); 5 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Henrietta Goodman died May 22 at 93. Survived by daughter Paula (Alan) Harris.
Hillside

Beatrice Gordon died May 22 at 94.  Survived by daughters Debra Gordon-Goldman, Adele (Gary) Sanders, Teri Rappaport; sons Howard, Mark (Melina); 8 grandchildren. Hillside

Stanley Gottlieb died May 24 at 93. Survived by wife Jacquelyn; daughter Phranc. Hillside

Morris “Moe” Grossblatt died June 3 at 88. Survived by wife Gloria; daughters Julie Etherington, Lynn Burr, Bonnie (Randy Todd) Grossblatt Todd; son Michael (Jane); 3 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Florence Grover died June 2 at 86. Survived by daughter Marlea. Mount Sinai

Najieh Hakimpour died May 10 at 104. Survived by sons Naji, Khosrow. Chevra Kadisha

Marilyn Hall died June 5 at 90. Survived by husband Monty; daughters Joanna Gleason (Chris Sarandon), Sharon (Todd Ellis Kessler); son Richard; 5 five grandchildren; sister Peggy Cooper.

David Kauffman died May 26 at 92. Survived by wife Ruth; daughters Pamela Forrest, Brocha Friedman; 10 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Sheldon H. Levy died June 3 at 84. Survived by wife Marion; sons Loren (Candi), Adam (Kristie); stepdaughters Linda (Rodrigo) Gage, Lauren (Glen) Segal; stepsons Bradley (Adrian) Gage, Brian (Amy) Gage; 14 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Klara Levyant died May 23 at 92. Survived by daughters Irina Landa, Alla Kushnir; 4 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; sisters Tanya, Raya. Mount Sinai

Bernard Liebeskind died May 25 at 94. Survived by son Howard. Mount Sinai

Barbara Webber Livingston died June 2 at 85. Survived by daughter Robin Leonard; son Greg Gordon. Mount Sinai

Sylvia Maye died April 22 at 92. Survived by daughter Deni (Alan) Davidson; sons James (Dana) Hornstein, Donald (Amy Sheck) Hornstein; 5 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; sisters Esther Jackel, Evelyn Litwin, Shirley Perlin; brother Paul Woods. Hillside

Ronald Michelman died May 29 at 70. Survived by wife Gail; daughter Kimberly Font; son Ryan (Sara); 4 grandchildren. Hillside

Lewis Notrica died Aug. 15 at age 91. Survived by wife Mari; daughters Jody Notrica Benon, Judy Brassfield, Nicole; grandsons Sam Lewis Notrica Benon, Aron Lee Notrica Benon; 5 additional grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; brother Morrie. Hillside

Jerome Charles Porter died June 4 at 86. Survived by wife Eileen; daughter Janice (David) Gantenbein; son Jeffrey (Cari); 4 grandchildren; brother Hale (Sydney). Malinow and Silverman

Louis Pygin died May 31 at 90. Survived by son Alan (Cynthia); 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Irwin Rappaport died May 19 at 88. Survived by 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Lilyan Ross died May 20 at 102. Survived by daughters Judith Hanelman, Rebecca (Edmund) Green, Nancy (Mark) Schneider; 5 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Rose Scharf died June 3 at 91. Survived by sons Lee, Jay, Kenny; 4 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Bernard Selber died June 1 at 97. Survived by sons Richard, Michael. Mount Sinai

Ester Tepper died May 20 at 85. Survived by husband Nisan; daughter Bati (Brian) Prince; sons Yaniv (Nina), Gil (Dana), Danny; 12 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild. Hillside

Ira West died May 21 at 78. Survived by brother Noland. Mount Sinai

Marilyn Joyce Wroobel died June 5 at 81. Survived by daughter Julie; son Barry; 2 grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Shira L. Young died May 30 at 67. Survived by mother Bina; sisters Naomi Young, Linda (Sol) Raviv. Adat Shalom Memorial Park, Michigan 

Obituaries, week of June 12 Read More »

Letters to the editor, week of June 12

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized /

Kudos to the Journal

Thank you for important information covering many topics. As an African-American female Jew, I’m feeling pressure from all sides. I’m glad you’re out there.

The article about Michael Twitty: Thank you (“A Taste of Black History and a Side of Jewish Culture,” March 31).

Laura D. Joyner
Los Angeles

… or Not

Lately, I hate to take your paper in hand because it is more political than Jewish.

I find the same vitriolic remarks as Sen. Chuck Schumer’s, audacious and calumnious, insulting our president.

You also are insulting your other readers who value and respect Donald Trump.

The only Jew at heart in your newspaper is David Suissa. He lived in another country as a Jew, and he understands the plight of Judaism better than anybody else.

Tame your horses, get a feeling for your readers.

Elvira Schwartz
Los Angeles

Foundation Forging Change With Grants

I want to commend the Journal for the important public service provided through its coverage of the inaugural Los Angeles edition of Slingshot, A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation (“New L.A. Guide Spotlights Top Jewish Nonprofits,” June 9). Since its inception, Slingshot has become the Michelin Guide of Jewish social innovation, serving an instrumental role in calling attention to and recognition for initiatives that are reimagining and reanimating our communities. It is an invaluable resource for, among other purposes, engaging volunteers and highlighting funding opportunities for prospective donors.

As Slingshot Executive Director Stefanie Rhodes rightly notes, Los Angeles is at the epicenter of Jewish social entrepreneurship. Consequently, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) is duly proud to be a sponsor of the new Los Angeles edition. It makes me prouder still that 15 of the 26 organizations featured on the local list — and no fewer than five in the Slingshot national edition — were recipients of significant seed funding from The Foundation in the form of our annual Cutting Edge Grants. This support has enabled the launch of many of the listed organizations as well as the creation of catalytic new initiatives within established institutions. Since 2006, we have awarded more than $15 million to more than 80 innovative local programs that engage and forge inclusive pathways into local Jewish life.

These social entrepreneurs and their organizations’ lay leaders are igniting the flame beneath the local Jewish future. It’s a fire that burns brightly and will serve as a beacon for us all.

Marvin I. Schotland
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

Prager Should Know Better

Once upon a time, before Dennis Prager blamed all things negative on liberals, he would tell his radio audiences that he deplores generalization.

I’m a liberal and Prager doesn’t know me. Moreover, to the best of my knowledge, he doesn’t know any of my family or friends. And I doubt he knows “all” liberals he condemns. Because some of us don’t agree with every observation he expounds upon doesn’t make all of us responsible for destruction of Western civilization.

Prager should stay true to who he says he is. All liberals, all Jews, all ‘whatevers’ are always on the wrong side of an issue. Generalizing, and its next step down, stereotyping, is the stuff of ignorance. Isn’t a recognized great thinker like Prager beyond that?

Joe Siegman
Los Angeles

History Brought to Life

As Bob Hope would sing, “Thanks for the Memory.”

I loved the Journal using the cover story of the old Heritage Southwest Jewish Press from June ’67 with its own story (“Los Angeles Rallied Around Israel in ’67,” June 2). It was a joy to read Tom Tugend recalling his Jewish journalistic roots on 2130 S. Vermont Ave. (Heritage’s editorial office), not far from the old Jewish Federation building.

I hope to see Tugend’s byline in the Journal for many years. He is living Jewish history in his own incredible life.

Reuven Davidson
Jerusalem

First-Person Stories

The recent addition of a mini personal story at the last page of every Jewish Journal is a real winner. I never miss it — truly great stories that trump (excuse the pun) so much of what passes for worthwhile news these days.

I am impressed … really.

Arnold Ross
via email

Letters to the editor, week of June 12 Read More »

love heart meant2be marriage

She was ready to play this role

Leave a Comment / Culture, Meant2Be, Personals /

I’ve been married many times and mothered many children. I’ve walked down three aisles and run headlong down another. I’ve worn many wedding gowns and endured labor with a husband Lamaze-ing by my side.

I’ve never been divorced, a mother, nor a bigamist, but this is not a riddle. In real life, I didn’t get married until I was 65.

As a lifelong actress, I went through the many phases of courtship, nuptials, child rearing and relationships — scripted. My ceremonies were cluttered with lighting, sound men, camera tracks and cables. Strangers attended — my family was never invited. Three of my “husbands” died, one in a drama, two in comedies: one on our honeymoon, one at the altar just as he said “I do.”

In my pretend life, I loved them all in that intense but temporary way we actors love. When the show ended, I couldn’t mourn long, because soon there was another story waiting. I rehearsed all the feelings of love and commitment in many forms for many years, but longed for real love.

One summer, a first-time fake bride at 23, I played Sharon in the musical “Finian’s Rainbow.” I strolled down the theater aisle with the man playing my father, longing for a ceremony with my own proud father giving me away. I hoped for a marriage that would last beyond the end of summer stock.

I was grateful my next marriage did not last — to a character obsessed with the Three Stooges in a movie that included footage of them. My fake fiancé’s farce addiction extended to our reception, during which we were pelted with cream pies flung by the real Larry, Moe and Curly in clips from an old film. The pies were caught by my face, wedding dress, hat and bouquet. Of all my fake weddings, that one was the most messy.

In a case of “life leakage” and “location romance,” I longed to marry the actor who played George Seurat in Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sunday in the Park With George.” My character, Seurat’s model, Dot, ended up in a fallback marriage. The pain of settling for less than my heart’s desire haunted me beyond the production. It probably kept me from making a mistake in a short, starter marriage. Sadly, most of my real relationships seemed just as ephemeral, especially without benefit of a lush score played beneath.

Losing a husband to a brain tumor — with Kirk Douglas, as my fake father-in-law, sobbing by my side — sobered me to how painful the loss of a loved one could be. On one comedy series, I was betrothed to a handsome plastic surgeon who performed an emergency nose job on me when I fell face-first in a diner. He proposed to the results of his artistry on the spot. After he died during our ceremony, the writers wrote me a rebound wedding to another man … who died on our honeymoon.

Out of pity for me, the show’s designer slipped this 40-year-old spinster one of the wedding gowns to keep. It was gorgeous, cut to fit me. “I’m going to wear this gown someday for real,” I swore to him, to the dress and myself. “Yes,” he patronized. “Of course you are.”

I kept it wrapped in plastic in my closet like Miss Havisham did for 25 years in “Great Expectations.” I’d look at it every few years and renew my vows to it.

By my late 40s, not having a real husband or kids weighed on me. When my real father died, hopes of him giving me away died, too.

Then, when I was 64, a real man, with whom I shared an actual, long-lasting love, proposed to me in a hotel bathtub. It wasn’t at all as I pictured a proposal would be. I was wearing nothing but a shower cap and glasses. The lighting was fluorescent, the overhead heater so loud I had to shout “YES!” It wasn’t orchestrated theatrically, but it was gloriously, skin-pinchingly real.

I took the costume gown from the closet and pulled it from its plastic. And when I had just qualified for Medicare, Stan Friedman, my nice Jewish psychologist, married me, and I became a joyous stepmother for the first time in any medium.

We had a wedding more beautiful than all the fake ones, without makeup or hair people to touch us up. And our real friends and family gave us a standing ovation as we came up the aisle. How I loved getting married, and I don’t mind if I never do it again.

Unlike some of my fake husbands, handsome Dr. Stan thrives by my side. We have many romantic, unfilmed moments every day.  And, best of all, no one ever yells “Cut!”

Melanie Chartoff has acted off- and on Broadway and in many TV series; appears in “Alexander IRL” on YouTube Red; and
premieres her musical “Odd Woman Out” July 8 at the Joshua Tree Comedy Festival.

Do you have a story about dating, marriage, singlehood or any important relationship in your life? Email us at meant2be@jewishjournal.com. 

She was ready to play this role Read More »

Bernie Sanders ally trying a second time to unseat Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Leave a Comment / United States /

A law professor and Bernie Sanders backer will try again to unseat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida’s safely Democratic 23rd Congressional District.

Tim Canova announced Thursday that he will launch a primary challenge to Wasserman Schultz, the former head of the Democratic National Committee. Last August, Wasserman Schultz defeated Canova, 57-43 percent, in the primary despite the heat she faced after stepping down weeks earlier from the DNC over allegations that it unfairly favored Hillary Clinton over Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Canova pressed the issue during his campaign, saying he, like Sanders, represented the progressive grassroots, while Wasserman Schultz, a Jewish pro-Israel stalwart, represented the corrupt establishment. Sanders, a Vermont Independent, urged followers to contribute to Canova’s campaign, which raised more than $3 million.

Critics of Canova have noted his apparent support for a conspiracy theory, popular in conservative circles, suggesting that a young Jewish DNC staffer, Seth Rich, might have been murdered last year because he leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks. Rich, 27, a Nebraska native, was shot dead while walking to his home in Washington, D.C.. before dawn on July 10, 2016.

Police have speculated that he was the victim of a robbery gone awry and Rich’s family has begged proponents of the WikiLeaks theory to desist.

In January, Canova posted on Facebook that Rich “may have been the WikiLeaks source of the leaked DNC emails. He was gunned down, assassinated under suspicious circumstances just days after publication of those leaked emails.” In March, Canova called for a “nonpartisan investigation” of Rich’s murder.

Asked Thursday if he still suspects DNC involvement in Rich’s death, Canova told the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel, “I have no idea. I wondered what the DNC under Wasserman Schultz was capable of, but I don’t know.”

He added: “What I said on Facebook was that folks had suggested it and we should find out what happened. It’s that simple.”

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Parashat Sh’lach: Curiosity over assumptions

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I was one of about 400 people in attendance last week at the NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change iftar at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

An iftar is the delicious, joyous evening meal eaten during Ramadan, when for a month each year Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, encouraging one another to focus even more on God, prayer, good deeds, study, charity, family and community. And NewGround is an award-winning, Los Angeles-based organization that holds yearlong training sessions for Jewish and Muslim high school students and millennials, bringing them together to build real relationships.

NewGround’s iftar not only was a tasty meal together, but an evening of learning about NewGround’s approach to relationship building. Among NewGround’s stated values is “Curiosity Over Assumptions.” 

While listening to the Muslim and Jewish NewGround fellows, I couldn’t help but think what the history of our religions might have been, or anyway what Judaism might have become, if the story told in Parashat Shelach Lecha had gone a different way.  

“Shelach lecha,” God says to Moses at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion. “Send, for yourself, men to scout out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people” (Numbers 13:2).  

Moses chooses 12 men — a leader from each tribe — and they return after 40 days with grapes so big it takes two men to carry a single cluster.

The scouts return bearing not only fruit but also tales of who and what they saw. While Israel’s modern Ministry of Tourism logo uses the giant grapes as a symbol of the plentiful reasons to visit the Jewish state today, 10 of the scouts in our Torah story use them to illustrate a more ominous idea — the giant grapes fed giant people: “All the people that we saw in it are men of great size … and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them. And the whole community broke into loud cries” (Numbers 13:32-14:1).  

What if those scouts, or the community they reported to, had taken a page from NewGround’s playbook and put “curiosity over assumptions”? Suppose they’d attempted to meet the people instead of spying on them? Attempted to talk with them, rather than make assumptions about them?  

And suppose they’d done the same with one another, encouraging one another rather than belittling themselves. In one midrash, God says to the doubtful scouts, “I can forgive you seeing yourselves as grasshoppers, but did you know how I made you look to them? Who can say that you did not appear in their sight as angels? What have you brought upon yourselves?” (Numbers Rabbah 16:11).

Indeed, they bring great harm upon themselves. While in last week’s Torah portion, day after day of “nothing but this manna to eat” had some Israelites reminiscing (misremembering?) the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic they ate in Egypt (Numbers 11:5), now the report of the 10 pessimistic scouts has some saying, “It would be better for us to go back to Egypt … ” (Numbers 14:3). Infuriated by their fear of the future and their longing for a mostly imagined past, God kills the 10 scouts and condemns the entire first generation to die off before any may leave the wilderness: “You shall bear your punishment for 40 years, corresponding to the number of days — 40 days — that you scouted the land” (Numbers 14:34). God rewards only the two scouts Joshua and Caleb, imbued by God with ruach acheret, “a different spirit” (Numbers 14:24).  For attempting to encourage rather than frighten the people, they survive to enter the Promised Land with the next generations.

In a 2016 dvar Torah on Shelach Lecha, the esteemed British Rabbi Jonathan Sacks passed along a teaching from the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson about where the 10 dubious scouts went wrong.

They liked the wilderness too much; they treasured God’s nearness there and didn’t want to leave that place. But, according to Rabbi Sacks, Rebbe Schneerson teaches: “That is not what God wants from us. [God] wants us to engage with the world … to heal the sick, feed the hungry, fight injustice with all the power of law, and combat ignorance with universal education. [God] wants us to show what it is to love the neighbour and the stranger … ”

No wonder the 10 scouts balked at the challenging future they imagined.

Of course, God doesn’t promise it will be easy, nor does Rebbe Schneerson, nor does NewGround.

Lest we find ourselves like our ancestors — crying out loud in fear and anger, unable to hear, let alone listen, to one another, longing to return to a time and place that existed only in our imaginations — perhaps we’d all do well to search for new ground, to find within ourselves ruach acheret, the “different spirit,” the angel that God plants within faithful, optimistic hearts and souls.

Rabbi Lisa Edwards is senior rabbi of Beth Chayim Chadashim (bcc-la.org), an inclusive Los Angeles congregation founded in 1972 as the world’s first lesbian and gay synagogue.

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