Author: David Rutman

In the first part of his profile, Rabbi Avi Taff of Sinai Temple told The Journal how, during the summer, his 14-year-old daughter Eliana declared that she wanted to make aliyah. She had been recruited by Maccabi Haifa to be part of their basketball academy. Within days she announced her desire to move to Israel.“Eliana’s […]

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and and City Councilmember Nithya Raman face off in the Nov. 3 election, four years after Bass became the city’s first female mayor. It is the first time two women are running against each other in the general election for Los Angeles Mayor. Bass, a former congresswoman and California Assembly […]

In early September, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) announced that Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) has appointed nationally recognized Jewish philanthropic executive Melissa B. Greenbergas its new chief executive officer. Now, Greenberg is ready to dive into her work and make an impact. “BGU is strategically positioned to help Israel make a difference on […]

Well, what did you expect? French Jews have restrained themselves for years as they have been under assault like no other group. How is it OK to be afraid to walk the streets of your own country? Despite making up less than 1% of the population, Jews suffer more than half of all hate crimes […]

Three years after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, nearly 2,000 people gathered at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills to honor the victims and survivors, remember those who were killed, and express their solidarity with Israel. Maya Regev, who was kidnapped with her brother on Oct. 7 and released the following month, […]

As he started his fifth year as an associate rabbi at Sinai Temple, Rabbi Avi Taff reminisced about his first attempt at aliyah early in the early 2000s. “I was 24, and I had planned to stay,” he said. “I didn’t go into the Israel Defense Forces because I was gung-ho about fighting. I went […]

I wasn’t supposed to break down at the Oct. 7 memorial at the Saban Theater. They asked me to introduce the candle lighting ceremony. There was no speech for me to write. I was to call up those who would light the candles. I expected it would be emotionally difficult, but I was determined to […]

Less than a year after a protest outside Wilshire Blvd. Temple turned violent, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) returned to that same sanctuary to sign the law it inspired. Newsom signed AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act, in a ceremony at the historic LA synagogue, joined by Jewish California CEO David Bocarsly; Board Chair […]

In January 2002, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks stood at Ground Zero with the Archbishop of Canterbury, a Muslim imam, a Hindu guru, and the Chief Rabbi of Israel, each of whom offered a prayer for the victims. Standing among them, he recognized that we must confront religious violence: “In that moment I found myself reflecting on […]

Yasmin Levy inherited one of the Jewish world’s oldest musical traditions and built a career by refusing to leave it untouched. The Israeli singer returns the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills on Oct. 11 with “One More Night,” bringing the mix of Ladino, flamenco and Middle Eastern music that has defined much of her work. […]