Category: Science and Health

As he grows old, Isaac loses his sight; in his diminished state, he begins to worry that he is about to die. He decides to seize the moment and bless his favorite son, Esau, while he still can. But Rebecca and Jacob take advantage of his blindness and fool him into blessing Jacob instead. Blindness […]

On Nov. 8, Jewish Federation Los Angeles (JFEDLA) held its 14th annual Tour de Summer Camps at Camp Alonim in Simi Valley, where hundreds of cyclists, families and volunteers raised more than $1 million for need-based Jewish summer camp scholarships, surpassing the event’s $1 million goal. This year’s event was presented by the Gilbert Foundation. […]

As I’m studying our Jewish obligations to our children, one subject is glaringly missing: comparing one sibling to another. We read about giving our children an education, helping them learn a trade, and finding their own ways to survive in the world. But there is very little that discusses a parent’s role in the relationships […]

The parsha begins with a direct statement: “This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham.”   And we do, indeed, learn quite a bit about the second patriarch in these chapters.  We learn, for instance, that when God speaks to him, he listens — as when God tells him to stay in Canaan during […]

Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”), memorialized each year on Nov. 9-10, doesn’t have the same notoriety as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27), and Yom HaShoah (Hebrew calendar, Nisan 27 — in April or May). But it really should. Kristallnacht, back in 1938, was the notorious precursor to the actual fireworks of the Holocaust — […]

“The Jews could have prevented the Holocaust if they just tried hard enough.” The words hung in the air of my eighth-grade classroom, spoken casually during a debate on human nature. My classmate didn’t say it with malice; she said it with the quiet confidence of someone who believed she had just stated a fact. […]

On the memorable evening at Camp Ramah where Joel Rembaum wasintroduced to Fredi Breverman, who would be his wife for 61 years, the mutual friend who introduced them made an 11-word pitch: “You should get to know this lady,” he said. “She’s really, really good.” He did, and their relationship lasted until last April 20, […]

At 3:14 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 21, a car pulled up to the entrance of a business in Downtown Los Angeles. Two masked men quickly jumped out, shoved a man standing at the entrance, struck him on the head with a pistol several times and ripped a Rolex watch from his wrist. The entire robbery […]

Film producer Howard Rosenman was taking a late-night walk near his home in West Hollywood on Aug. 4, following his doctor’s advice to get more exercise. It was 11:30 p.m. on a beautiful summer night. Huntley Drive, near Melrose Avenue, was filled with the scent of jacaranda and jasmine. Then, without warning, he felt something […]

Shall we continue? Last week, when I was writing based on Israel’s exit polls – they turned out to be not the most accurate – I argued that Israel is a state in superposition. This still holds true. In Iran – a superposition that is neither victory nor defeat. In Gaza – a superposition that […]