Author: David Rutman

On March 11, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles (JBBBSLA) welcomed supporters and community leaders to The Big Event, an evening celebrating the organization’s impact and honoring three champions of mentorship and community: Sandy Sigal, Susan Kushner and Ethan Stern. Held at Stephen Wise Temple, the annual gathering raised more than $900,000 and […]

It’s becoming increasingly clear that when it comes to geopolitical bellicosity, there is no word for “Uncle” in Arabic or Farsi. In its war with Iran, the United States is learning what Israel has long known about its Islamist enemies: perpetually locked and loaded in apocalyptic, messianic, end-of-days dreamscapes, they will respond to total defeats […]

How does a rabbi become an author? Rabbi Moshe Engel described his unique route. “Many years ago, when I was 50, I decided I am going to write a book,” the retired 78-year-old teacher said. “The book was going to be about positive thinking because I had an excellent story about the subject,” which he […]

Jewish Federation Los Angeles’ annual Interfaith Passover seder, held March 10 at the Ebell of Los Angeles, brought together civic leaders, clergy, elected officials and community partners from across Los Angeles to reflect on the holiday’s timeless theme: Taking the path toward freedom is a collective act. Co-organized by Los Angeles City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky, […]

Dave Cowen’s Passover Seder is one his guests are unlikely to forget. This is not the traditional evening of long, formal passages, often written in an biblical or liturgical Hebrew that can feel distant and difficult to understand even by Hebrew speakers. Instead, it moves at a lively pace, loosens the traditional structure, and blends […]

When Iran fired a salvo of missiles at civilian targets in the Gulf States, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait Jodan, Oman and Cyprus, those nations were not surprised. Rabbi Marc Schneier recently met with ambassadors from some of those countries for Iftar, when Muslims break the Ramadan fast. Schneier, the […]

In “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” Thomas C. Foster explains that “Flight is freedom.” Whether it’s the ancient myths of Icarus, Disney’s Peter Pan, or Superman’s many adventures, flight is often associated with freedom from cages, be they physical, spiritual or emotional. And yet, in the story of Exodus, the epitome of the […]

Long before artificial intelligence entered film sets and editing rooms, director Stuart Acher spent time thinking about the future. His favorite film was “Back to the Future,” the 1985 box office hit about time travel and alternate timelines, and featured flying cars and hovering skateboards. For Acher, the film remains his north star on storytelling […]