Author: David Rutman

What sets Rabbi Elchanan Shoff apart from his colleagues and predecessors is his unquenchable desire to find out everything about everything. As a teacher for boys and girls at Valley Torah High School in Valley Village, Shoff has discovered a two-pronged approach that benefits both his students and himself. “A lot of my job is […]

There has been a lot of recent discussion about the need for Jewish self-defense. Several books and op-eds have been published advocating for American Jews to start waking up and taking this issue a lot more seriously. The contributions to this new literature come as violent antisemitic attacks continue to mount every week. Some of […]

Fifteen years ago, I noticed something different about my two-year-old daughter, Sammy’s walk. She had a noticeable sway in her hips, a little diva move that seemed more cute than concerning. But when she struggled to keep up in gymnastics and dance, we took her to a physical therapist. After months of sessions, the therapist […]

I was one of the Jewish leaders invited to the Vatican last week to witness Pope Leo XIV’s embrace of Nostra Aetate, first at a gathering of hundreds of faith leaders and the second at the pontiff’s weekly public appearance in St. Peter’s Square. Sitting near the podium I saw him declare to a 100,000 […]

What is it with vice presidents of the United States when they visit college campuses and are asked almost anything about Israel? They end up as tongue-tied as Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, at Wembley Stadium. He welcomed two Israeli teenage girls on stage and then succumbed to this brain freeze: “I am treating you as […]

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s (SWC) 2025 Los Angeles Humanitarian Award Dinner on Oct. 30 brought together Oct. 7 survivors with journalists, studio heads and Academy Award-winning actors, directors and producers at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The evening celebrated the reach and responsibility of the arts and journalism when it comes to confronting the ugliest parts […]

As we prepare for Shabbat, 42 million Americans are nervously waiting to see if they will be able to put food on the table; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are due to expire on November 1. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger led a SNAP Day of Action earlier this week, urging the U.S. […]

In “After The Hunt,” Julia Roberts stars as Alma, a philosopher hoping to get tenure at Yale who has a friendly, flirtatious relationship to a fellow instructor, Hank (Andrew Garfield), though she is married to Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg). From the beginning, some things are off. Hank squeezes the leg of Alma’s top student Maggie (Ayo […]

“Go Play!” a comedic new play about human-to-human and human-to-canine relationships, is wrapping its limited run at the Odessey Theatre in West L.A. on Nov. 2—meaning this is the final weekend to see a show that appeals to any dog-owner as well those looking to spend 90 minutes enjoying a clever, relatable and lighthearted production. […]