Author: David Rutman

Sukkot contains an inner contradiction. All the pilgrimage festivals have an agricultural and historical aspect. Pesach is both the beginning of the barley harvest and the commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt. The festival of Shavuot begins the wheat and fruit harvest and commemorates the giving of the Torah. There are many symbolic connections between […]

I know, I know, this is a horrible time for Jews. I read the same news you do. It seems that everywhere we turn, we see another report of Jew-haters screaming, howling, balling, shrieking in front of some Jewish institution, hoping to terrify, intimidate, horrify, even cancel us. The latest clip comes from a synagogue […]

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Jewish National Fund-USA held two “Shared Values: Honoring Our Heroes” programs in Beverly Hills and Encino, honoring first responders and community protectors while highlighting the enduring connection and shared values between the people of the United States and Israel. On Sept. 11, 2026, Beverly Hills Mayor Craig Corman […]

“Fauda” is No. 1 on Netflix in Lebanon again. The fifth season of the Israeli thriller hit Netflix on Sept. 8 and ranked No. 4 among the platform’s non-English television shows worldwide for the week of Sept. 7-13, with 2.1 million views and 15.9 million hours watched. Season 5 is the first season of “Fauda” […]

In the 1960s, when Cher performed as one-half of a popular duo with her husband, Sonny Bono, they recorded songs as “Sonny and Cher.” One of their biggest hits was “The Beat Goes On.” I always thought the song’s title was a metaphor for the persistence and continuity of life: that despite all the turmoil […]

The fifth season of Netflix’s global thriller, “Fauda,” is now streaming, ten years after the hit television series first introduced the gritty realism and high drama of Israeli counterespionage to the world of undercover cop procedurals. It has been an improbable hit since its launch. Each season landed in the top 10 in the 43 […]

Those of us who are not of the Democrat politic party have believed that the Democrats have done little to stop the disease of Jew hatred from infiltrating their party. They have encouraged anti-Semites to operate and run for and get elected to public office. This past week has demonstrably proven that with the caving […]

Members of the Maman team at the Nice Jewish Runners gathering in Santa Monica. Jasmine Golshan, Ruth Sonbolian, Maman COO Michelle Mirshokri and Maman volunteers Daniel and Eleanor Sonbolian. Photo courtesy of Maman On Aug. 30, Maman, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit with a strong presence in the Persian-Jewish community, held three events for three very different stages of Jewish life: a […]