Category Archives: Judaism

Feeding Drugs To Kids

I caught this in a Pico-Robertson shul bulletin on Shabbos: Last week, two men posing as DWP workers committed several robberies… We also received an alert from Jewish Family Service Aleinu Family Resource Center that a man who goes by … Continue reading

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What Made The University of Judaism Rabbinic Ordination Program So Excruciating?

Brad Artson could not have been more boring or longwinded. He spoke for about an hour. Much of his audience walked out to chat on their cell phones. I wonder if Brad Artson is a bit autistic. He seems to … Continue reading

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Cry Me A River

In reaction to this, I say: As a convert to Judaism, I’ve experienced snide remarks about converts maybe once or twice or maybe never. I don’t remember. I don’t treasure these things and cry myself to sleep over them. Any … Continue reading

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I-Thou Relationships Are An Unhealthy Delusion

They are another cry for unconditional love. Adults should not seek unconditional love, notes Dennis Prager. One should not expect to receive good treatment from others no matter your behavior. Infants may deserve unconditional love but there’s nothing wrong with … Continue reading

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Insecurity

Monica Osborne writes on Jewcy.com: Last night, I was out to dinner with about twenty-five other scholars of Jewish and Jewish American literature. As we waited for a table large enough to accommodate us at the Cheesecake Factory, one male … Continue reading

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Sociologist Steven M. Cohen Visits Los Angeles

Dr. Cohen says he comes from a non-observant Orthodox home (their Sabbath ended around noon). Though somewhat observant of Jewish law, he is no longer Orthodox. But he was the scholar in residence at a local Orthodox shul this past … Continue reading

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A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man’s Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance

This is a terrific book by Zev Chafets. From page 53: "In Miami, twenty years ago, I knew a rabbi named Emmet Frank who offered a one-day conversion course complete with ritual immersion on the beach. But even Rabbi Frank … Continue reading

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Shaarey Zedek Has A Pulpit Star

Rabbi Jonathan Rosenberg (45)?) has wowed most of his new shul in Valley Village (except for the right-wing). I talk to an Orthodox friend about going to Beth Am (Conservative). "Do they call it davening still or is it ‘communing … Continue reading

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Rabbinic Foolishness

From Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish: Broadway producer/director Harold Prince says: "When Fiddler on the Roof opened, Jerry Robbins gave his first teacher — an old, old man — the role of the rabbi. And he … Continue reading

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Naval officer erected a giant menorah in Saddam’s palace

From Canadian Jewish News: She’s a Jewish U.S. naval reserve officer, she keeps kosher and Shabbat, and she has completed two tours of duty in Iraq. Lt. Laurie Zimmet of Los Angeles is not your typical former Jewish day school … Continue reading

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