Monthly Archives: August 2012

Friends Antony Gordon, Avi Shafran Debate Obama

Antony Gordon, an Orthodox Jew from South Africa and a prominent member of the Fairfax-La Brea community, went to Harvard with Barack Obama. He writes this long essay against Obama. Rabbi Avi Shafran rejoins: It is painful to publicly criticize … Continue reading

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How Do You Get Through Shabbos Morning Services?

A typical Jewish Saturday morning service at synagogue will last nearly three hours. How do you survive that? It verges on the impossible for me to survive this unless I have friends with me. A holy book I can study … Continue reading

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Pain & Perspective

In 2009, it took about five visits (and nearly $1000) to my physical therapist to get over my plantar fascitis, which had been bothering me since 2000. For almost a decade, I’d been going to a podiatrist who gave me … Continue reading

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Can I Give An Inspiring Speech?

I feel relatively comfortable giving the 12-step share. You confess your shortcomings and your struggles and you say what has helped you. In Orthodox Judaism, a lot of people know that I converted and they want to know why. More … Continue reading

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The Westwood Jewish Center

I had the privilege of speaking twice at this magnificent shul on Shabbos. In 2006, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles reported: With its sparkling 24-karat gold dome and Jerusalem stone exterior, the new 25,000-square-foot Southern California Jewish Center (SCJC) … Continue reading

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