In its own oddball way, \”I\’m Not There\” is among the best pieces of music criticism I\’ve seen or read on the subject of Bob Dylan. It is a jigsaw puzzle, with its various pieces scattered around the table by a deft, if quirky hand. It\’s a film that rewards close attention and deserves repeated viewings. The film\’s one significant omission is the place of Judaism in Dylan\’s life.
\’Miriam\’ and \’Shoshana\’ live in the Pico-Robertson area. They\’re seniors at a religious girls\’ school, they study Torah, dress modestly and keep the Sabbath. But Miriam and Shoshana are not your ordinary Orthodox girls. They rap. They use foul language. They fantasize about professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. And they head up a dreidel-rolling gang. The two faux frumsters are the comedic creations of Kara Luiz and Deena Adar.
Rabbi Kanefsky is as passionate a Jew and lover of Israel as I\’ve ever met. By lighting up a firestorm of passion in other Jews, he reminded me why I so passionately love my people, even — and sometimes especially — when I disagree with them.
News briefs.
In the face of unceasing rocket attacks on Israeli towns, cities and kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip, Israeli leaders approved the new policy to reduce fuel and electricity to the territory as the most humane way of trying to persuade Gaza\’s terrorist Hamas leadership to keep the peace.
Depending on whom you ask, Bratz are odd-looking multiethnic dolls with big eyes and skimpy clothes – or they\’re, like, the coolest things ever.
A long-running dispute between homeowners and the Simon Wiesenthal Center\’s Museum of Tolerance (MOT) and Yeshiva of Los Angeles (YOLA) entered a more formal stage last week, with a hearing by the Los Angeles City Planning Department on Oct. 24 at City Hall.
Prizant\’s defenders allege that his firing was for personal, not professional, reasons and assert that fundraising totals grew steadily under his stewardship.
For Prager is one of a handful of America\’s most valuable Jews. Why? Because of the role he has taken as a foremost Jewish spokesman for the Bible. I don\’t mean he\’s some sort of radio preacher. But when appropriate, in his daily discussions with callers on political and cultural subjects, he often brings in a scriptural perspective — without apology, always with a light touch, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
That initial meeting, as it happened, was the start of something entirely unexpected. Within a year, we were engaged. That was the fairy-tale ending of one story, but the prelude to another — our Hollywood moment.
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