Located at Beverly and Crescent Heights boulevards, Beth Israel was founded in 1899 as the first Orthodox congregation in Los Angeles, and was also known as the Olive Street Shul.
It starts with a tireless trek to the mall in search of that stylish synagogue suit. Next comes the culinary juggling act, simultaneously preparing Aunt Sophie\’s tzimmes, Bubbe\’s killer kugel and a 22-pound turkey, dressed and trimmed. The last step is grooming an entire family and shuffling the whole gang out the door and into the synagogue in under an hour.
The loud, affectionate, occasionally crude, left-wing bohemian Fockers are essentially the polar opposites of the Byrneses. And so the fun begins, as Greg tries to convince his future father-in-law that his family won\’t be a \”chink in the chain\” of his lineage.
\”I see Christmas as a cultural and family holiday,\” Joe Roth said, while the movie itself carries two main messages. It\’s first about the sense of family and community that supercedes any particular holiday. Secondly, it\’s a satire on the over-commercialization of Christmas.\”
Nancy Goldov says the chuppah cost a few hundred dollars to make, but is now considered a priceless family heirloom. She is having a quilt made for their bed that mimics the design of the tree. Someday she may change the chuppah in some way to signify their children.
Conventional wisdom on the subject maintains that if honey cakes are removed from the oven at exactly the right time –whatever that is — the dreaded dryness will be avoided.
No, you didn\’t have to leave New York to discover Jewish observance, but something had to plant the desire. In my case, it was my bar mitzvah.
\”Did you book the Lakers cheerleaders?\” asked Rabbi Steven Leder, referring to a notorious bar mitzvah party in Los Angeles, where he is rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
There\’s something very ironic about Pesach. Why is it that getting ready to celebrate our liberation from slavery involves so much hard work?
Some months ago, I saw a Jewish homeless man near my New York apartment. He was wearing a yarmulke and muttering Hebrew words, and I think I saw a tattered prayer book in his shopping cart.
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