Podcast Trailer
Here’s the Trailer for our podcast “You Don’t Know Schiff” where we’ll interview some entertaining and funny guests and hopefully you’ll learn some new Schiff about a lot of things.
November 4, 2021
Meet The Only Jew Running For LA City Attorney
Had you asked Hydee Feldstein Soto five years ago if she’d ever consider running for public office, she’d likely have asked if you were joking, then returned to structuring and negotiating multibillion-dollar contracts for her legal clients.
“I have never aspired to be a politician,” she told The Jewish Journal on a video call. “It’s not something I ever wanted to do.”
And yet, after three-plus decades working as a lawyer in several private practices, Feldstein Soto is doing exactly what she never expected she’d do—campaigning to become the next City Attorney of Los Angeles.
If she were to win, she’d be the first woman to hold the position, which was created in 1850. She’d also be the first Latina Jew to serve as Los Angeles City Attorney and is the only Jewish candidate running to succeed Mike Feuer, a progressive Jew who will be termed out.
Feldstein Soto’s journey to this point has been unconventional, yet remarkable.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she spoke Spanish at home and English in the classroom. Though her mother wasn’t Jewish (her father was), she started studying Torah at age 11. As a teenager, she converted to Judaism, which she says is as much a part of her identity as “having five fingers on my right hand.”
“I’ve always felt like a Jew,” Feldstein Soto said. “It was just part of my life; I never really questioned it.”
But growing up Jewish in Puerto Rico forced her to reconcile both aspects of her identity at an early age. While fellow Puerto Ricans used disparaging words likening her to a foreigner due to her last name, members of her own synagogue similarly invoked Yiddish-based tropes referring to non-Jews.
“Until I converted, I kept thinking I fit in nowhere,” she said. “As I matured and grew into my own skin, I got to the point where I viewed that as a plus. I owned both parts of my heritage.”
At age 17, she moved to the United States to attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. She later attended Columbia University School of Law, graduating in 1982.
Thus began a career in financial law, which includes everything from commercial finance and lending to restructuring and bankruptcy. She even served as general counsel for an entertainment company.
Her professional accomplishments may be equally matched by how she navigated what was, for the longest time, a male-dominated field. Feldstein Soto says she led efforts to secure an emergency childcare facility at one of her firms as well as a private nursing room for new mothers. She also succeeded in getting sexually explicit images removed from the copy room in one of her first jobs in the early 1980s.
But her experience managing financial transactions dwarfing the annual budget of Los Angeles are what make her more than qualified to be the next City Attorney, Feldstein Soto says.
“It’s a job I can do from Day One,” she said. “Most of the job is what I did for a living.”
So why the sudden change of heart for Feldstein Soto when it comes to running for public office? For one, it’s a direct response to experiences she’s had speaking with former Angelenos who have left town for places like Utah, Texas, Tennessee, and Nevada.
It’s a direct response to experiences she’s had speaking with former Angelenos who have left town for places like Utah, Texas, Tennessee, and Nevada.
“I think that the only thing that’s improved since I moved here in 1982 is the air quality,” she said. “Everything else, to me, has declined, and the rate of decline has accelerated precipitously over the course of the last 8 to 10 years.”
“I don’t want to give up on our city,” she added.
That “everything else” she aims to address includes increasing transparency and accountability in city government, addressing homelessness without criminalizing poverty, and protecting vulnerable communities from violence. More specifically, she called out how easily accessible firearms are to dangerous people and expressed concern over recent attacks at houses of worship, from Jewish synagogues to Black churches to Sikh temples.
“The incidents of trying to make people feel afraid as they go to pray is really something we need to work on,” she said. “I would start by appointing a hate crimes deputy.”
The second reason she shifted her outlook is due to her late father Stanley L. Feldstein, who passed away in March 2020. A well-respected attorney in his own right, the Staten Island native is notable for establishing the law firm that eventually forced the Puerto Rican government to shut down a prison notorious for mistreating inmates.
“He was a corporate lawyer by day, a do-gooder by night, and a mensch all the time,” Feldstein Soto said. “If I can positively affect the lives of 30 percent of people he affected, I’ll feel good about having lived up to his legacy.”
She called out how easily accessible firearms are to dangerous people and expressed concern over recent attacks at houses of worship, from Jewish synagogues to Black churches to Sikh temples.
Given her resume, background, and demeanor, it tracks when Feldstein Soto says she doesn’t believe that being a woman, a Jew, or a Latina are good enough reasons on their own to vote for her. However, she said she would embrace the best of each as Los Angeles City Attorney.
“I draw on Jewish values in my personal life and in my career,” citing justice and personal accountability as front and center for her. Meanwhile, she noted that “we Latinas tend not to take credit” while emphasizing hard work, inclusivity, and communication.
Though she said that her primary identities aren’t in conflict with each other as much these days, she experienced a clash of the two recently after Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez advocated against funding the Iron Dome, Israel’s air defense system.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Feldstein Soto said, noting that progressives in Congress say they believe in protecting women and children. “What you’re doing is exposing innocent people to the rockets targeting them.”
Perhaps the greatest difference between Feldstein Soto and Ocasio-Cortez is notoriety. AOC is a newsmaker with 12.7 million followers on Twitter while Feldstein Soto is a workhorse who never sought the public eye. The fact that she is a bit of an outsider though is what makes her perfectly suited for this position, she said.
“This race is for an attorney—the kind of lawyer that I’ve been.”
When Angelenos fill out their ballots next November, Feldstein Soto wants them to know that she’s dedicated to making the city work for its people.
“I’m here to do the job and make sure we deliver the results that the residents of this city deserve,” she said. “They’re not getting them now.”
Benjamin Raziel is a writer and novelist based in Tel Aviv.
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Antisemitic Graffiti Found at SD Schools
Antisemitic and homophobic graffiti was found at a high school and middle school in Chula Vista on October 31.
The San Diego Union-Tribune and NBC San Diego reported that Bonita Vista High School and Bonita Vista Middle School were both vandalized with black, teal and yellow graffiti; a picture showed that the graffiti featured a swastika as well as the words “Mr. Hitler” and “Jews,” with the latter being crossed out with an “X.” A window was also broken at the high school.
OUTRAGEOUS – a San Diego area High School and Middle School were vandalized with the word “Jews” crossed out with an X, a reference to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and a swastika.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. https://t.co/9jDsQmOYNT pic.twitter.com/TcVlTuLOov
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 4, 2021
The graffiti has since been removed and is believed to cost the high school $1,600 and $1,000 for the middle school. Police believe the two incidents are related and are investigating them as a hate crime.
“This morning I stood in solidarity with [Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas], Councilmember [Steve Padilla], [Sweetwater Union High School District] & community organizations to denounce antisemitic and homophobic vandalism that occurred in South Bay schools this past weekend,” San Diego County Vice Chair Nora Vargas tweeted. “Hate has no place in our community.”
This morning I stood in solidarity with @MayorMarySalas, Councilmember @StevePadillaCV, @SUHSD & community organizations to denounce antisemitic and homophobic vandalism that occurred in South Bay schools this past weekend. Hate has no place in our community. #NotOnMyWatch pic.twitter.com/ohFY4XPEc2
— Supervisor Nora Vargas (@SupNoraVargas) November 4, 2021
[/speaker-mute] Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Tammy Gillies condemned the graffiti in a statement and praised the police, Padilla and the city of Chula Vista for their response to the graffiti. “Much like the distribution of extremist propaganda, hate-filled graffiti seeks to intimidate and influence a vulnerable populace, in this case students––which by extension, hurts the community and inflicts wounds on the diversity and inclusiveness educational institutions seek to achieve.”
On Monday 11/1, vile and hateful graffiti was found tagged at two @SUHSD schools.
In a time of rising antisemitism, we are grateful to Chula Vista Councilmember @StevePadillaCV and @thinkchulavista for their strong response to this incident.
See our full statement below: pic.twitter.com/FQhogrEeHG
— ADL San Diego (@ADL_SD) November 4, 2021
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Aspire Higher Especially during the COVID coaster
By Ken Lindner, author of Aspire Higher
The choices that you make can profoundly change your life! The state of your life, your feelings of self-worth and self-esteem, your self-image and your confidence that you can truly effect positive change in your life are direct reflections of the positive and beneficial or the negative and/or self-sabotaging choices that you have made. Think of it this way: Choices are like train tracks. Trains go where the tracks take them and the path of your life goes according to the positive or poor life choices that you make. The FANTASTIC NEWS is that starting today, no matter where you are in your life, you can jump-start it and elevate your feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, your self-image, and your optimism by making positive and constructive life choices each and every chance that you get!
As an ardent student of decision-making since college and having counseled thousands of individuals over the past 38 years to make tens of thousands of positive life and career choices, I have time-and-time-again observed the following: 1. Your positive life choices can make you feel good/or great about yourself and your life; they can inspire and instill empowering feelings within you of confidence, mastery, and healthy self-love, and at some point, when you have a sufficient amount of these potent feelings, they can trigger your desire to respect, have compassion and empathy for, and sincerely care about and support others. The underlying concept here is that if you feel really good or great about who you are, how you conduct your life, and how well your life is going, these highly potent, positive feelings will organically lead you to want to elevate the lives of others by helping, enhancing, and supporting them. And, the beautiful by-product of elevating others, is that your life, your happiness, and your fulfillment, along with your feelings of self-esteem and your self-image will be elevated as well.
2. There are things in life you can’t control, but you can control your choices, emotions, responses, and actions. Taking constructive control of the things that you can control through your positive life choice-making is confidence-building, masterful, empowering, and elating. All of these are nurturing and wonderful feelings, assets, and blessings.
3A. Your constructive, wise, and beneficial life choices will positively reinforce and lead you to make more and more positive life choices in the future because you truly enjoy the sweet fruits of successfully elevating your life, your well-being, your self-image, and your confidence that you can effect tangible, positive change in your life. Every time you make a positive life choice and enjoy its beneficial results, you are motivated to make more positive life choices, because you love the empowering feeling of being able to make your life far better than it was. Essentially, the success and positive feelings derived from making great choices organically create a hunger within you to experience more success and the empowering and elating feelings that sustained success brings, by making more positive life choices whenever you have the opportunity. 3B. Your negative, self-defeating, and/or self-sabotaging life choices will make you feel badly about yourself as you see the quality of your life start/continue to spiral downward with each poor choice that you make. You also begin to lose confidence that you can make any positive life choices that will elevate you and the state of your life. As a result, you feel great anxiety, demoralized, and hopeless about your lot in life, as well as emotionally and psychologically mired in a debilitating life-funk with no apparent means to escape. And the more you, your feelings of self-esteem, your confidence, and your hope to enjoy a better life spiral downward, the less you feel that you can have or deserve a better life through the choices that you make. So a virulent, vicious cycle is started as you continue to make more and more poor/self-destructive life choices.
Additionally, the “negativity bias,” which is our proclivity to see and be effected by negative things much more than positive ones, which looms in all of us to varying degrees, will exacerbate an already negative frame of mind and feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness.
3C. What you can glean from the above is that making positive, enhancing, and psyche- and life-elevating choices positively reinforce and naturally lead you to make more life-enhancing choices; whereas negative and self-defeating life choices make you feel badly about yourself and that you’re a “loser” or a “victim“ who is impotent to raise the quality of your choice-making and incapable of ever being their best self and attaining their most treasured goals and dreams. As a result, you continue make bad decisions and self-sabotaging choices, as you lack the core-confidence that you can raise the quality of your life. 4. In my book, “ASPIRE HIGHER”, I discuss the all-important concept of being a “solutionary.” What this means is that when you’re faced with finding a constructive solution to a problem or challenge, you not only find a solution that benefits you, but one that also enhances others. When you make life choices and decisions that elevate others as well as yourself, this process continues to raise your feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, along with your self-image and confidence that you can do amazing things for others—such as endeavoring to understand where they’re coming from, who they truly are, and why they act as they do. Doing this can gift you and the world with beautiful fruits such as mutual respect, compassion, and empathy for others, as well as civility and peace among all people, groups, religions, and countries. It is these positive, caring, and loving life choices that will elevate your life and the lives of others, as well as radiantly illuminate our golden path to world peace.
5. With all of the rampant violence, negativity, distrust, division, racism, vitriol, and Covid-related challenges and losses in the world, debilitating feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, alienation, and feeling emotionally and psychologically “stuck” are pervasive. We all at times feel as if we need to turn to a more positive, uplifting, and inspiring page in our life’s book, and with great optimism and fervor for enjoying far brighter days ahead, jump-start our lives. Additionally, many of us perceive that we are forever shackled to our past, our lot in life, and to an unappealing or demoralizing future. I CAN TELL YOU THAT THIS IS NOT THE CASE! Or put in another, more poetic way, “Be tired, mired, and so uninspired—no more!”
STARTING TODAY, make each and every choice that you are blessed to be presented with—-be it big or small— a positive, constructive, and beneficial one. Baby-step, by baby-step, positive choice, by positive choice, your confidence, spirit, optimism, feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, and your self-image will begin to elevate. All of which will give you the highly empowering motivation to continue to make positive life choices for yourself, for those you love, and for others—whether you know them or not, without any expected payback to you, karmic or otherwise. Making the conscious choice to perform unconditional kind, supportive, and/or loving acts is pure, soul-nourishing “Altruistic Love.” It is the highest of all loves and the most heart and soul nourishing, empowering, and elevating love. It is an everybody-wins-big-time love to be embraced and practiced.
**************************** You can immediately jump-start and begin to dramatically improve your life, your self-image, and your ability to live your very best and highest life, by beginning today to zestfully seize each and every opportunity to make a choice or decision that you’re presented with, and make it a positive, constructive, and enhancing one for you, those you love, and for others. These choices will light-up your life, heart, and soul, as well as the lives, hearts, and souls of those you love and others whom you elevate by your thoughtfulness, kindness, caring, and love. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay. I’m deeply grateful, and may all of your choices be positive and loving ones.
Do you want to Choreograph your Career by Consistently implementing Conscious, Constructive, success-evoking Choices, made with Cognitive Clarity? Learn more about Ken Lindner’s book, Career Choreography: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Finding the Right Job and Achieving Huge Success and Happiness in my article for Thrive Global: “Prepare Your Pandemic Pivot with Ken Lindner’s 8C’s“
Ken Lindner graduated Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude, and from Cornell Law School. Ken’s college honors thesis was devoted to decision-making and he has been an ardent student of the dynamics of the positive life choice since then. Besides “ASPIRE HIGHER”, he has written 5 other books. To learn more, please go to positivelifechoicepsychology.com
Meet Ken Lindner at Stephen Wise Temple
Tuesday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m.
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Old Friends – A poem for Parsha Toldot
Why have you come to me, since you hate me,
and you sent me away from you?
Genesis 26:27
Some of the friends I have today are
not the same ones I used to have.
Things change. Words are spoken
like feathers from a shattered pillow –
so easy to spread, and impossible
to gather back.
Just recently I received an email
telling me all about my lifetime of
mistakes, and as a result they
would definitely not be helping me
re-home kittens, any time soon.
I’d rather build a bridge than burn one
but getting the permits can take forever
and if I’m the one who broke it, the approval
committee is already against me.
I’ve come to accept there are
holes in my heart that will remain
forever vacant.
There’s only so much room for
demolition in there so I try to receive
everyone as if they’re one of the thirty-six.
That’s universal. I remember my
high school friend, who is still a friend,
who told me he wanted to meet everyone
as if they were the Buddha.
Or our music teacher, of blessed memory
who told us everyone is a goldmine.
This is what I think about when
they cut me off on the freeway.
Their soul is pure and good.
Their intentions only momentarily lapsed.
Every one, a human with blood and breath.
Never to be sent away.
Los Angeles poet Rick Lupert created the Poetry Super Highway (an online publication and resource for poets), and hosted the Cobalt Cafe weekly poetry reading for almost 21 years. He’s authored 25 collections of poetry, including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion“, “I’m a Jew, Are You” (Jewish themed poems) and “Feeding Holy Cats” (Poetry written while a staff member on the first Birthright Israel trip), and most recently “The Tokyo-Van Nuys Express” (Poems written in Japan – Ain’t Got No Press, August 2020) and edited the anthologies “Ekphrastia Gone Wild”, “A Poet’s Haggadah”, and “The Night Goes on All Night.” He writes the daily web comic “Cat and Banana” with fellow Los Angeles poet Brendan Constantine. He’s widely published and reads his poetry wherever they let him.
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Isaac’s Benison and the King James Bible
Before Isaac promised young Esau his benison
he asked him to hunt and prepare him some venison,
punning in English, which Moses then spoke,
his Hebrew translation no joke, and not woke.
This wordplay in English reflected the aims
of Isaac, which proves that the tongue of King James
was the Bible’s original. Isaac was asking
for venison-benison, pun-multitasking.
Angels can’t speak Aramaic, I’ve heard;
except sahadutha they don’t know a word
of what for the Jews was the Hebrew vernacular––
their Britspeak confusion therefore is spectacular.
All speak fluent Hebrew and no other speech
is by them understood, and is far out of reach
to most who aren’t Jews, whom Hashem (thank You!) chose
to worship in Hebrew, His tongue, they suppose.
Though Mordecai spoke many tongues, it is said,
for Moses pure Hebrew was as foreign as bread
made of rye is for people who eat watermelon.
Egyptian he spoke until forced as felon
to spend forty years as a fugitive––pidgin
was all that he learned from Zipporah in Midian,
a black lass, they say, and I find this ironic––
what she may have taught him was ancient Ebonic,
since there was no ulpan in Midian for learning
Ivrit. When he saw a strange bush brightly burning,
but, unharmed, alive, he was terribly puzzled,
but couldn’t address it, linguistically muzzled,
refusing commands of a God called “I Am,”
dismissing its content as spurious spam,
which leaves me quite baffled––how could he have written
the Bible which I’ve proved King James wrote in Britain!
Gershon Hepner is a poet who has written over 25,000 poems on subjects ranging from music to literature, politics to Torah. He grew up in England and moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Using his varied interests and experiences, he has authored dozens of papers in medical and academic journals, and authored “Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel.” He can be reached at gershonhepner@gmail.com.
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A Bisl Torah: Hanging On and Letting Go
On Wednesday evening, my husband and I were glued to the television. Not sharing a favorite movie but rather, drawn to the car chase on the 405. This time, a stolen big rig. We fell asleep listening to the anchors offer the same details: the big rig was still hanging on. No signs of giving up or letting go.
This kind of “entertainment” isn’t new for our family. We are drawn to the idea that someone knows they will be caught and yet, they keep running away. The chase always ends. But the perpetrator holds on, keeps driving and we feel a relentless need to see if the outcome might be different. Either our watching is driven by a fear of missing out on the ending or perhaps, we tangentially relate. Connected to a persistent family motto: keep hanging on. Don’t ever give up.
But what if giving up is the healthier road to travel? The phrase “giving up” connotes not offering all of one’s potential. Not searching out every solution. Instead, let’s reframe “giving up” as letting go. That sometimes, letting go of one idea opens the possibility for another to take its place. Letting go doesn’t have to mean the journey is over. Whether this pertains to saying goodbye to a toxic relationship, closing the door with professional pursuits, or releasing one perspective to make room for another, hanging on is not always the best road to travel. The car chase isn’t always worth watching.
The Torah depicts Jacob clinging to Esav’s heel as he emerges through birth. There is an inherent tension between the brothers, evidently described in the Torah as “both the children struggled in her womb.” Jacob’s physical grabbing foreshadows his manipulation in stealing back his birthright. But perhaps, Jacob believed “hanging on” was the only road towards achieving the stature and title he believed he deserved. And it was this “hanging on” that perpetuated a fearful relationship between brothers, one that might have looked different if letting go was a plausible option.
Sometimes, letting go is the way to see another door, a hidden exit. We are drawn to the chase but perhaps, we can push ourselves to be drawn to a journey not yet traveled.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is a rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
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GW Chabad Rabbi Responds to Antisemitic Email: “I’m Sorry That My Jewish Identity and Pride Make You So Mad”
George Washington University (GWU) Chabad Rabbi Yudi Steiner shared in an Instagram story an antisemitic email he had received and his response showing pride in his Jewish identity.
The Rohr Chabad Center at GW’s Instagram story shared a screenshot of the email alleging that “Am Yisrael Chai,” which translates to “The People of Israel Live,” is the equivalent of “Heil Hitler.” “It’s a chant of Jewish supremacy: ‘We will oppress you goyim all we like.’” The email went onto compare mezuzahs to swastikas, accused Israel of “murderous racism,” and called the recent vandalism of a Torah at GWU’s Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity “An Act of Resistance against The Oppressor.” The email concluded by stating: “History is repeating itself because dumb Jews like you are making the same dumb mistakes German Jews made. You people must have a death wish.”
The Chabad’s Instagram story also shared Steiner’s response to the email. “I’m sorry that my Jewish identity and pride make you so mad,” Steiner wrote. “Please know that every attack on our people will be met with more Mezuzot and more proud Jews.”
He added: “Smearing our Jewish pride as the racism that hurt 6,000,000 of us is an ugly fail at intimidation.”
Steiner concluded by suggesting that one day the person behind the email might “tire of being a racist bigot and become a friend of the Jewish People. Until then, I’ve got lots of mezuzot to affix.”
Steiner told the Journal that he has been in contact with the university since the Torah vandalism occurred and “they’ve been very responsive. I’ve not been in touch with the Authorities about this hateful and ignorant email because I don’t feel personally threatened.” He added that he “debated whether I should share the email with the public.” “In the end I felt that this was the perfect opportunity for me to model what I feel is the best response to hate. Number one, do not get intimidated; react cautiously but don’t overreact, and above all, convert the negative energy into positive energy to do something good.”
GW for Israel President Ezra Meyer also said in a statement to the Journal, “The message sent to Rabbi Yudi is yet another example of the unchecked antisemitism that persists in our society. We’re shocked and offended by this cowardly act of hate. Unfortunately, those who speak up are often targeted by online bigotry, as we have routinely faced these types of comments ourselves. We look forward to working with the GW administration to effect as much change as possible within our own community.”
Jewish on Campus shared screenshots of both emails, tweeting that the initial email was filled with “Holocaust inversion, blood libel, Elders of Zion conspiracies” while Steiner’s response was “powerful and moving.” “He reminds us that we must stand together as proud Jews, unintimidated in the face of hatred.”
StandWithUs Co-Founder and CEO Roz Rothstein said in a statement to the Journal, “It’s hard to believe that anyone would have sent such insulting, threatening and hateful garbage to another human being, let alone to a Rabbi. Threats and bigotry like this that start with Jews never ends with Jews. We are heartbroken that Rabbi Yudi would have ever received such a dreadful message and offer him our full support. The hundreds of people who gathered yesterday in support of the Jewish community at GWU after a Torah on campus was desecrated, bear witness to the recognition that there is no place in decent society for such hateful and out-of-touch sentiments or actions.
“We commend Rabbi Yudi for his encouraging response to this abhorrent message, and hope the Jewish community will, as he has pledged to do, continue to express pride in their heritage and identity.”
On October 31, the GWU TKE Torah was torn and dripping with laundry detergent in an act of vandalism; the following day, hundreds of people showed up to a solidarity rally and public Torah reading in response to the vandalism.
New Academy Museum Showcases the Best in Film Over the Past Century
The new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in September, is not just a celebration of the 93 films that have won Best Picture, or props behind glass. It also doesn’t shy away from some of the film industry’s most cringeworthy acts over the past century.
The renovated 82-year-old Saban building that houses the Academy Museum stands at the northeast corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, just across the street from the Petersen Automotive Museum. Inside, there’s a three-floor “Stories of Cinema” journey through the history and mechanics of film, and nearly the entire fourth floor is dedicated to a temporary exhibit on Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki of “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” The top floor features the Dolby Family Terrace, which provides a view of the city from the Miracle Mile to the Hollywood Hills.
Here are a few reasons why you should visit the museum.
E.T. and Jaws in the flesh
One particular exhibit shows a plethora of fantasy and science fiction character suits and molds. You can look E.T. in the eyes, stand next to R2D2 and see a mold of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bloodied head from “Terminator 2.” One of the last known “Jaws” sharks hangs from the escalator ceiling.
Old Hollywood
There is no shortage of homage to the early years of film. In the “Significant Movies & Moviemakers” section, the first film exhibited is “Citizen Kane,” widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time. Throughout the building are giant posters of the L.A. landscape long before freeways divided the city. “The Wizard of Oz” exhibit has Dorothy’s ruby slippers, previously unreleased promotional photos of the cast and the Tin Man’s oil can.
“Scary Movie 2” and “The Big Lebowski”
If you don’t dig old movies or Oscar winners, there’s still something for you at the Academy Museum. You can see the bathrobe worn by Jeff Bridges in cult favorite “The Big Lebowski” in the costume exhibit. In a depiction of the art of storyboarding, four sketches with directors’ notes are on display from the film “Scary Movie 2”—a film with a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Oscars themselves
Did you know that in 1994, Steven Spielberg was nominated for “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List,” two very different films?
There is an entire room surrounded by video of some of the most memorable Oscars acceptance speeches. You can also see actual Oscar statuettes on loan to the museum, dating all the way back to the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1927. There is a detailed chronology of Oscar winners you can read, loaded with facts and firsts. Did you know that in 1994, Steven Spielberg was nominated for “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List,” two very different films?
The controversy
There is no shortage of controversy surrounding the film industry and the Academy Awards themselves. The Academy Museum shows decades of instances that eventually led to the 2015 hashtag #OscarsSoWhite social justice campaign. These include a video playback of actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather’s speech at the 1973 ceremony decrying the treatment of American Indians by the film industry, and the mixture of cheers and boos she faced from the crowd. In the makeup and hairstyling section, there’s a section on the shameful history of characters of color being played by white actors.
The beautiful artwork and photo ops
The art of making animation is at the forefront of several exhibits. Early drawings of Buzz and Woody from “Toy Story” are on display and are awe-inspiring when considering what the final product looked like. For an extra $15, you can hold an 8.5-pound replica Oscar statuette and get a video of yourself going on “stage” to accept the award.
The inspiration
On the 2nd floor, the “Director’s Inspiration” room is currently devoted to Spike Lee, and depicts the history and influence of his films over nearly 40 years. There’s an old film editing desk that must weigh thousands of pounds, featuring technology that fits snugly into the average iPhone and Android. There is also a scrolling wall of quotes from influential names in film history, chosen seemingly to inspire the next generation of filmmakers.
“The future of cinema is in the hands and hearts of young creators,” reads a quote from casting director Kim Coleman.
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JNF-USA’s World Zionist Village Will Offer Education to Jews from Around the Globe
Over the next five years, Jewish National Fund-USA will be building a 20-acre campus in Be’er Sheva called the World Zionist Village. The $350 million project will serve as a place where high school students and adults from around the globe can gain an education and forge stronger ties with Israel.
“We are building the Jewish National Fund-USA World Zionist Village because we need to start a new conversation about the future of Zionism,” said Jewish National Fund-USA President Dr. Sol Lizerbram. “For too long, we have let those who have no interest in Israel’s future – our future – deliberately misconstrue and denigrate what Zionism is and means. It’s time for all of us to come together and reclaim Zionism as the force for good it has always been and will continue to be for generations to come.”
Primarily, the World Zionist Village will be a second campus for JNF-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel. The first campus, which JNF-USA has owned since 2013, is in Hod HaSharon and offers study abroad programs that range from six weeks to 18 weeks for high school students. Along with catering to students from abroad, the new campus will also feature a program for 18-year-old Israelis on pre-army gap year programs who will join 18-year-olds from the U.S.
According to JNF-USA First Vice President and Chair of the B7 Executive Joseph Wolfson, in 2018, it became clear to the organization that their objective of increasing attendance from 620 to 1,500 students per year was within reach.
“At the beginning of 2020, just before the full onset of the pandemic, applications for enrollments at Muss were oversubscribed for the first time,” he said. “While this was a ‘pleasant problem’ to have, it also meant that we had to find a solution to the conversation we started back in 2018 regarding growing enrolments.”
The World Zionist Village is also going to offer tech-focused internships, tapping into its connections with Lauder Employment Center, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Intel, Dell and Cisco to help college graduates and post-graduates obtain internships in Be’er Sheva that will last one or two years.
“It’s time for all of us to come together and reclaim Zionism as the force for good it has always been and will continue to be for generations to come.” — Dr. Sol Lizerbram
“This internship program will not only help our young people land their dream jobs, but it will also connect them to the land and the people of Israel while they live in our multi-use campus,” said Lizerbram.
Adult learners and scholars from Oklahoma to Dimona will be able to go to the village and learn, too. There will be short- and long-term accommodations available.
JNF-USA decided to establish the World Zionist Village in Be’er Sheva because it already has a 15-year relationship with the city. The organization built the Be’er Sheva River Walk and the largest amphitheater in Israel, as well as made other quality-of-life-improving philanthropic investments there, Wolfson said.
According to Lizerbram, along with being the place where Abraham purchased a well over 3,000 years ago and initiated the Jewish people’s connection to the Negev Desert, today, Be’er Sheva is “an emerging international biotechnology, cybersecurity [and] R&D center [and] home to top universities. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Israel, and the natural home to the World Zionist Village.”
Carole Shnier, a member of JNF-USA’s World Zionist Village Committee, said she decided to support the project “because the future of Zionism and Israel depends, in large part, on the strength, involvement and commitment of our next generation of leaders. The question is, how do we inspire our community’s future lay leaders to get involved?”
When the campus opens, Lizerbram is confident it’s going to be a place where Zionism will thrive.
“There has never been a more important time for our community to reclaim our Zionist narrative and identity,” he said. “The World Zionist Village will be a world-class facility where supporters of Israel from around the world will meet, engage and plan for our movement’s future.”
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