Author: David Rutman

Lech Lecha. Go forth. If there are two Hebrew words that every reader of the Bible should know, they are these. The opening words of God’s call to Abraham and a summons that changed not only biblical history but our understanding of what it means to be human. The plain meaning is straightforward. Plucked from obscurity […]

At the beginning of “An Introduction to Medieval Jewish Philosophy,” Daniel Rynhold tells the following anecdote: “Sometime in the 1990s, a philosophy department with which I was involved held a meeting at which candidates for admission were being reviewed. A colleague noted that a young woman who had been admitted believed in God, prompting another […]

When Abraham is told to journey to an unknown land, God tells him that in doing so, his name will be great. The Talmud explains this phrase through association. Abraham’s name will be great by being associated with God. The greatness will continue as God is also paired with the patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob. We […]

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 […]