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joel kotkin

‘Little Flower’ Could Help Antonio Bloom

I imagine you are enjoying the hoopla surrounding your election. As the first Latino chief executive in more than 130 years, it may be tempting to bask in the warmth of a great ethnic triumph.

But don\’t enjoy it too much. Los Angeles does not need a symbol or an icon; it needs a mayor, one who can be both decisive and effective. We need less rah-rah and more Fiorello La Guardia.

Q & A With Joel Kotkin

Cities are “humankind’s greatest creation,” asserts Joel Kotkin in his new book, “The City: A Global History” (Modern Library). A contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Sunday Opinion section and contributing writer for this paper, Kotkin traces the rise of urban centers from Mesopotamia to Byzantium and the cities of the Middle East; from the rise of Venice and other commercial centers to the suburban sprawl of Los Angeles.

GOP Missing Chance to Attract Jews

An Israeli diplomat once remarked famously that the Palestinians \”never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity\” to make peace. Much the same, it appears, is true in the efforts of the Republican Party, particularly here in California, to reach out to the Jewish community.

When Shepherds Desert Their Flocks

The conflict over Valley secession reflects the growing gap between rabbis and the actual reality their flocks experience.

The Christian Right, Conservatism and the Jews

For generations, Jews have viewed religious conservatives with a combination of fear and disdain. Yet the recent events in the Middle East — and the steadfast support given Israel by religious conservatives — has gone a long way to correcting many often exaggerated, if not misplaced, assumptions about this large, and politically significant, group.

Breaking the Media Monopoly

Jews aren\’t the only Angelenos dissatisfied with the Los Angeles Times. Indeed, for the first time in a generation, that dissatisfaction may actually produce something akin to competition for the most dominant newspaper west of Chicago.

Ten Years After: The Jews Remain

Recent events in the Middle East have been enough to make anyone pessimistic about the future of ethnic relations. But the situation here in Los Angeles — 10 years after the disastrous riots of April 1992 — gives some hope that racial reconciliation still has a future.

Religion, Rabbis and Reform

The San Fernando Valley secession movement faces almost total opposition from Los Angeles\’ political, civic, academic and media establishments. But over the coming weeks, it is likely to be taking flak from the city\’s religious elite, too.

The L.A. Image

The best thing about David Lehrer\’s firing as head of the local Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been the local reaction, which has done more to awaken Los Angeles\’ Jewish leadership than anything in recent memory. The worst thing about Lehrer\’s firing: That the ADL\’s New York leadership thought it could get away with it, and, sadly, it probably will.

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Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.