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"Luke Ford reports all of the 'juicy' quotes, and has been doing it for years." (Marc B. Shapiro)
"This guy knows all the gossip, the ins and outs, the lashon hara of the Orthodox world. He’s an [expert] in... all the inner workings of the Orthodox world." (Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff) LATEST POSTS:
- Are There Any Serial Killers Passing Through 90035?
- Karl Taro Greenfeld: The Brother, the Correspondent, the Fire
- Bret Stephens
- My Stanley Fish Reading List
- Why So Much Elite Enthusiasm For The Odyssey?
- Is There Any Realistic Way Of Unifying America?
- Scenes from the Chokepoint Economy
- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
- W. Bradford Wilcox: The Sociologist Who Tells America to Get Married
- Peter Moskos: The Cop Who Talks to People
- Julius Krein
- Ryan Burge: The Numbers Man in the Empty Church
- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
- The Most Ridiculous Story Ever Told
- Tanner Greer
- Economist Tyler Cowen
- Richard Reeves: A Life in Institutions
- Jake Adelstein: The Reporter Who Became His Story
- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
- Moira Greyland
BEST POSTS:
- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* Why Talent Travels Poorly Between San Francisco and Los Angeles (5-27-26)
* San Francisco and Los Angeles as Rival Models of Urban Access (5-27-26)
* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
* The City of Private Rooms (5-25-26)
Category Archives: Los Angeles
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
Posted in AJU, Judaism, Los Angeles
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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
Posted in Conservative Judaism, Judaism, Los Angeles, Orthodoxy, Reform Judaism, Sociology, Steven M. Cohen
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In Praise Of Etz Jacob Philanthropist Aron Abeccasis
Etz Jacob’s rabbi Rubin Hutler sent Aron Abecassis this letter of gratitude on March 25. Perhaps a reader knows the back story to all this better than I do.
Posted in Aron Abeccasis, Education, Etz Jacob, Jewish Journal, Los Angeles, Orthodoxy
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What’s The Significance Of Saying Certain Prayers On Israeli Independence Day?
I got this email and I don’t understand the significance of saying hallel (psalms of praise) on Israeli Independence Day and whether or not you say hallel with a bracha (blessing). Does this have to do with belief (or lack … Continue reading
Posted in Israel, Los Angeles, Orthodoxy
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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
Posted in Judaism, Los Angeles, Orthodoxy
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Journalist Marc Ballon Leaves Jewish Journal & Journalism
He’s now a publicist in Orange County.
Posted in Journalism, Judaism, Los Angeles
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Stunning Enrollment Drop At Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy?
A source writes: "Large enrollment drop again for the fall year 2007-2008 from about 600 students to about 450. This is going to enlarge the deficit an additional $1.5 to 2.0. million dollars. School board president Morey Levovitz’s agenda at … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Harkham Hillel, Los Angeles, Orthodoxy
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