What a whirlwind these last two weeks have been, from Rosh Hashanah and the start of 5785 to the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 and this weekend’s Yom Kippur services. As I’ve shared, the start of this Jewish year is unlike anything we’ve e…
Commit to doing one extra Jewish “thing” in 5785
With 5785 beginning in just a few days (as I am writing this month's column), I have that "special" feeling I always seem to have at this time of year. For as long as I can remember, the days leading up to the High Holidays have alway…
Use this time to improve the world around you
In just over four weeks, we will gather together at local synagogues and around dining room tables to start this year‘s High Holy Days. Not since the mid-1940s, following the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel, has a High…
Celebrating How Our Jewish Community Has Come Together
I have been a Jewish professional for over twenty years. During this time, I have seen several ebbs and flows—not only in how organizations have operated and been received by community members but also in how the professionals and…
Looking back prepares us for our future
have always supported “stopping to smell the roses” and taking es” time to reflect. I think this exercise has real power because instead of just going, going, going, one can appreciate what they have accomplished or experienced by stop…
Strengthening a child’s mental health at Jewish Summer Camp
I recently attendrecently attended a Mental ed Health ConsorHealth Consortium meeting coordinated by Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Senator Alex Padilla was in attendance and was discussing the current mental health cri…
The importance of keeping the survivors’ stories alive
During my senior year of high school, I was selected to be a Holocaust docent for a Holocaust organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of this program, I was trained to give presentations and talks to middle and high sc…
How Fiddler on the Roof made its way to the JFed Players’ Stage.
I’m not quite sure when I first remember watching Fiddler on the Roof or listening to the music of this iconic show. I remember singing it in choir, and it always being part of the ethos in my family. And yet, growin…
Our definition of affiliation is different than at any point in our collective history.
Do me a favor… stop reading this column for a moment and search online for Jews and humor and see what you find. (Go ahead… I'll wait 😊).
There are many theories as to why Jews are synony…
Navigate your future by studying history
One of the things that was instilled in me as I grew up was the importance of remembering…. the idea of memory and its impact on our lives. If you think about it, we are made up of more than just DNA but also our experiences and the people who have…
A New Year and Another Chance for a Fresh Start
As many of you know, I love movies. More accurately, I love specific points or lines in movies that are memorable and poignant in their message. In Forest Gump, there is a line that is often overlooked. When Forest Gump is celebrating New …
This past Friday, I attended a press conference sponsored by LA vs. Hate as it kicked off its Seventh Annual United Against Hate Week (Sept. 21-27). As you may remember, I am a commissioner of the LA County Commission on Human Relations. Sitting at the press conference, next to a couple of m…
For the last couple of weeks, I have had many different thoughts and ideas swirling in my head. Over the weekend, as I attended one of our community’s youth becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I realized they all revolved around the same idea… justice.
In the Bat Mitzvah’s speech, she reminde…
Over the last several days, I've been trying to wrap my head around the events that transpired last week in Israel, let alone the past 330+ days. More specifically… I am still grappling with comprehending what I am feeling since these emotions are unlike any I have ever had, let alone felt…
Ever get the feeling that if you turn away from your phone or computer screen, let alone blink, you will miss something important? For the last several months, I have been living this reality, as I am sure many of you have as well. Life feels like it is moving so fast… and I don't mean wit…
