When Leonard Nimoy was creating the Mr. Spock character for \”Star Trek\” in 1966, he remembered a thrilling moment from his childhood Orthodox synagogue. It was Yom Kippur, and the Kohanim, representatives of the priestly tribe, swayed on the bimah, their long tallitot draped over their heads, their fingers spread in a V-shape.\n
Women form slightly more than 11 percent of the RA\’s membership today, with both JTS and the University of Judaism (UJ) ordaining them as rabbis.
Rabbi Harold Kushner\’s son, Aaron, died two days before he turned 14 following a battle with a rare and horrific childhood disease.
\”Do you need a ride home?\” he asked me. Those were the last words he spoke to me. I can still feel the grip of his handshake, and his voice still rattles around in my head.
The Pacific Jewish Center (PJC) has been a Venice beach landmark for the past 60 years. Always a Traditional or Orthodox congregation, PJC has been on the fringes of the larger Orthodox centers in Pico-Robertson and Hancock Park — and a few miles too far west for some.
A lot of the problems and promise of Los Angeles Jewish life were on display last Tuesday evening in Bob and Marcia Gold\’s living room.
Monty Hall is not going to be going to shul this Yom Kippur.
Irvine is increasingly becoming Orange County\’s Jewish capital, with the establishment of a sixth synagogue, Congregation Kol HaNeshamah, which in Hebrew means \”voice of the soul.\”
On a typical Shabbat morning at the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills, there is seldom a free seat in the spanking new 1,200-seat sanctuary. At Nessah, like other traditional Orthodox synagogues in Los Angeles, men and women sit separately, men lead the services and they don\’t use a microphone.
This High Holiday season, leaders of Temple Ner Maarav want people to know that they are still open for business.
Some might have thought otherwise of the Encino synagogue, which was rocked by a battle that divided members between the shul\’s rabbi of 19 years and its more recently hired cantor.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.