Like many Jews, Paul Kujawsky is a vociferous supporter of Sen. John Kerry. But at Shaarey Zedek Congregation in the Valley, he stands out as such an anomaly that his rabbi refers to him as \”the one Democrat in the shul.\”
In this collection of linked stories, the three figures at the center are a mother, father and son who leave Riga, Latvia, for Toronto, Canada. The stories are told from the point of view of the son, Mark Berman, who observes everything and helps interpret the New World for his parents.
Sean Samuels, a Beth Jacob board member, was instrumental in the quest to erect Irvine\’s eruv, which should be operational by Rosh Hashanah.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before a class of frum frauds emerged on Craigslist. But if the missives from Orthodox neighborhoods are to be believed, where there are frum, there is desire.
With entrée in both spheres and his own bent for community involvement, Joel Landau\’s influence is felt far beyond Beth Jacob, which was his first full time pulpit 11 years ago.
The Conservative movement may continue to attract those for whom Orthodoxy remains \”too restrictive\” and Reform \”too acculturated,\” but a more likely outcome will be \”the demise of the Conservative movement,\” Rabbi Paul Menitoff wrote.
\”We have always intended to go to Israel,\” said Rich Brownstein, an Orthodox Jew from Pico-Robertson. \”And in terms of the perceived danger, I don\’t think it is very different to any other time in Jewish history. They have always been shooting at us, there have always been wars and there have always been difficulties.\”
Craig Taubman has a knack for inventing Jewish pop culture.
Rabbi Mattis Weinberg, who founded Yeshivat Kerem in Santa Clara in the mid-1970s, counts as some of his strongest supporters — and detractors — former Kerem students and faculty members who now live in Los Angeles.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.