Author: David Rutman

With Passover days away, it should be remembered that California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, unlike Ramses, the Pharoah of ancient Egypt, actually let his people go—without putting up a fight. Not that disgruntled Californians were enslaved, of course. But like Pharoah, Newsom wanted them to stay. Jews escaped bondage in Egypt for the Promised Land; the […]

Why is Moses not mentioned in the Haggadah? When I was younger, I would wrinkle my nose at this question and dismiss it as a “klutz kasha,” a meaningless query that betrays an ignorance of how the Haggadah was edited. There is no author who “excluded” Moses from the Haggadah; the Haggadah is a collection […]

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 […]

There was a time when Harvard’s “Jewish problem” was that many young Jews wanted to attend, but the university limited the number it would admit. But the tables have turned. A new report has revealed that Jewish undergraduate enrollment at Harvard is down to just 7% of the student body, the lowest figure in more […]

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 […]