Having a son on the bar/bat mitzvah circuit myself, I\’ve been privy to many horrific tales of the disrespectful and downright out-of-control behavior that can take place at these meaningful celebrations. While some of the more extreme stories may simply be suburban legend, there\’s no doubt that disorderly conduct at bar and bat mitzvahs is a recurring problem.
I thought I was reading an excerpt from an Al Jazeera broadcast when I read \”Two Families\’ Dreams Were Not Demolished\” (June 24).\n\nThe chattering liberals in Brentwood, donating funds for Nasrallah\’s new home, have long ago made common cause with the Israel haters on the left. I expect little from them and more from The Jewish Journal.\n\nRachel Corrie\’s accidental death is a tragedy, but so are the deaths of the Jewish teenagers intentionally murdered by Arabs last month. She chose to be in harm\’s way. Not so the thousands of innocent Israelis murdered and maimed by intentional acts of violence by Arabs during the last four years.
With newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa making school reform one of his key agenda items, and with education dominating the budget struggle in Sacramento, it\’s worth examining why the education debate usually centers on an emotional struggle over cash rather than actual reform.
In his speech to the National Education Association (NEA) a few days ago, Villaraigosa said, \”Don\’t think that this effort to make our schools the best that they can be will come cheap. That\’s ludicrous, that\’s snake-oil salesmanship.\”
He\’s espousing a view long held by unions, including the NEA and the California Teachers Association. But the truth is that dramatically increasing classroom funding in the United States has proved surprisingly irrelevant.
\”The black-and-white snapshots revealed little worlds and scenes I wanted to bring alive in color,\” said Shelley Adler, whose \”Shades of Time: The Extended Family of Shelley Adler\” runs through July 1 at the Workmen\’s Circle.
\”You guys know I love Carrie very much, and I\’m going to ask her to marry me. I\’d like to get your blessing.\”
Two drug-related incidents occurred in the American yeshiva community in Israel last week, which may give all parents pause.
When Amy Cohen graduated from Adat Ari El\’s day school in 2003, her family faced a decision: Where would she continue her education?
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.
Arlo Guthrie, the son of the legendary folk singer and composer, says that his father\’s mother-in-law, Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, inspired Woody\’s largely unknown lyrics for Chanukah, Holocaust and Jewish children\’s songs.
If Jacob Green sounds like every teenager who\’s hated mandatory Shabbat dinners, he\’s also the protagonist of Joshua Braff\’s viciously witty and poignant new novel.
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