Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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The 16 seniors profiled in these pages are inspiring examples of how to stay active and engaged as we age.
Ryan Torok
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Los Angeles journalist. Contributor @JewishJournal, @bhcourier, @jewishsf, @jdforward, | Story tips & feedback to ryanharrytorok@gmail.com
Ryan Torok’s Journalist Portfolio
View as a gridTemple Israel Rabbi John Rosove Prepares for Life After Shul | Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Wearing eyeglasses and carrying a leather briefcase, Rabbi John Rosove looks more like a museum curator than a spiritual leader as he talks up the collection of Judaica displayed behind glass cases in Temple Israel of Hollywood's (TIOH) lobby. "These are all conversation pieces," he said of the collection, which includes pieces TIOH members and philanthropists Judith and Bernard Briskin donated.
New Pay Model, New Leader at Kadima Day School - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Kadima Day School, an independent, nonaffiliated prekindergarten-to-eighth-grade Jewish school in West Hills, is seeking to bolster enrollment by offering a reduced tuition model. "Kadima is a jewel of a school, but because of its [enrollment] numbers, a well-kept secret," new Head of School Steven Lorch told the Journal.
Obituary: Philanthropist Max Webb Dies at 101 - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Working with his lifelong business partners, the late brothers Nathan and David Shapell, who were also Webb's brothers-in-law, Webb earned his living in the homebuilding business and founded Shapell Industries. Meanwhile, he supported organizations including Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, March of the Living, Sinai Temple and the Jewish Journal.
Returning Home: Pico Union Project Bears Fruit in Central L.A. - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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F or musician Craig Taubman, eclecticism has always been the name of the game. For more than 15 years, Taubman led the popular Friday Night Live service at Sinai Temple with Rabbi David Wolpe. His independent label and music production company, Craig 'N Co., has put on interfaith concerts including Faith Jam and Let My People Sing.
SHARING SOME LIGHT: Amid the Sundance Festival's Glitter, Jews Find Connection and Respite
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Every January, Harris Tulchin, a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer and producer, travels to Park City, Utah, to attend the annual Sundance Film Festival. Usually, he spends his days there busily networking with potential clients, promoting his film projects and enjoying the ski slopes. This year was different.
A Tu B'Shevat Question: Do We Care Enough About Mother Earth? - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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As the executive director of the Shalom Institute, a Jewish day camp and conference center in Malibu, Rabbi Bill Kaplan has been both a preacher and practitioner of environmentalism. In 2016, his organization received $75,000 from the Homeland Security Grant Program, funds it used to install two solar power banks.
Ozomatli's Bassist Funnels His Life Into Music
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Carved into the sidewalk outside Willy "Wil-Dog" Abers' front door in Silver Lake is "OZO," a large circle with a Z inside and an O on either side of the Z. It's the abbreviated version of his band's full name, "Ozomatli."
Q&A with Wolf Blitzer on Muslim Refugees, 'Fake News' and His Favorite Journalism Movie - Jewish ...
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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CNN newsman Wolf Blitzer, one of the world's most recognizable journalists, has personal and professional connections to the Holocaust and Israel. Blitzer's paternal grandparents died in Auschwitz. His parents, both survivors from Poland, immigrated to the United States after the war, following the 1948 passage of the Displaced Person's Act, which opened America's borders to Europeans persecuted by the Nazis.
Jewish Groups Step Up to Help in Wake of Las Vegas Shooting
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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The Oct. 1 mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, which left at least 59 people dead and 527 wounded, has triggered help from several Jewish groups, in particular the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
Monty Hall, philanthropist and host of 'Let's Make a Deal,' dies at 96 - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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For decades, Hall lived a double life: ebullient game show host and celebrity to millions by day, and, when not on camera, indefatigable fundraiser and philanthropist for Jewish and other causes. Renowned for co-creating and hosting "Let's Make a Deal," Hall was equally if not more proud of raising, by some estimates, more than $1 billion for charity.
Conan meets refugees in West Bank, hangs out with Gal Gadot in Israel special
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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When Conan O'Brien announced in August he would be going to Israel, he suggested he might try to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when he visited. Didn't happen. But what he did achieve is a deep-dive into Israeli life while humanizing both Israelis and Palestinians during his stops in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the West Bank.
A shofar amateur learns from the master - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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At first glance, Michael Chusid's workshop looks like most any utility shed at the back of a house - a space somewhere between Tim "The Toolman" Taylor's garage from "Home Improvement" and Jason Segel's man cave from "I Love You, Man." Electrical cords run across the roof.
Here's to you, Paul Simon: Skirball showcases his 'Words & Music' - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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In 1964, a Jewish music executive, Goddard Lieberson, then the president of Columbia Records, told his newest act, a harmonizing duo inspired by the Everly Brothers, to use their "ethnic" names. Goodbye, Tom and Jerry. Hello, Simon and Garfunkel.
The making of Adam Schiff: Why is this man taking on the president? - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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This is hardly the first time Adam Schiff has had Russia on his mind. Years ago, and long before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Schiff was a United States Attorney in Los Angeles who led the prosecution of an FBI agentconvicted on spy charges.
Making a home for lone soldiers fighting for Israel - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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A sign on a kitchen cabinet at the Beit Shemesh Home for Lone Soldiers explains color designations for meat, dairy and pareve dishes. Near the cabinet, empty beer bottles and handles of alcohol line up like trophies on a shelf above the kitchen sink.
L.A.'s Russians recapture their Jewish soul - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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In March, Svetlana Rapoport became a bat mitzvah. Raised in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, where practicing religion was discouraged and anti-Semitism was rampant, Rapoport hadn't had the chance to celebrate this rite of passage. Finally, at 34, Rapoport had her moment on the bimah.
Till get do us part: Israel Meir Kin's Las Vegas wedding - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Hurrying by the parking lot at the Lakeside Event Center in Las Vegas, Israel Meir Kin and his new wife, Daniela Barbosa, avoided eye contact with a group of about 30 demonstrators who had been waiting for them. Dressed for their wedding in a suit and gown, respectively, the couple could not move fast enough.
Food Forward, gleaning the neighborhoods - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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On a recent weekend morning, sunlight lit up a band of eager workers in jeans and T-shirts who had ventured into a backyard at a home in Northridge. They were there to pick oranges. No, these were not the usual laborers who toil daily in the region's orchards.
Jeff Garlin...Seriously - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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An hour before the start of Jeff Garlin's recent stand-up show at Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood, a huge line had formed around the block on Franklin Avenue, obstructing the entrances to adjacent cafes and a clothing store.
Open-mic night at the Improv - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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Comedy's living legends - like Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Richard Lewis - all started out, at least in part, as nobodies playing The Improv on Melrose Avenue. It's long been a place committed to showcasing new talent, and these days, every Tuesday at 5 p.m., the storied comedy club hosts a popular open mic for striving comics.
Nick Melvoin: Blending Camp Fun With Social Justice - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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"For me, the hook was working with kids," Nick Melvoin responded when asked why he decided to volunteer for Camp Harmony. Melvoin, who graduated from Harvard University in 2008, has been working with the camp since he was in 10th grade at Harvard Westlake.
Phish, Shabbat Mingle in Coachella - Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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For three days over Halloween weekend, between 30,000 to 40,000 fans of the eclectic, free-form rock band Phish gathered on the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, for Phish Festival 8. RVs and thousands of small camping tents staked out territory throughout eight campgrounds.
Disability Leader Discovers New Role During COVID-19 Crisis
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
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The coronavirus lockdown has tested everyone's resilience and ability to roll with the punches - physically, mentally and emotionally. But even on the days when things seem insurmountable, Matan Koch fights for inclusion of his peers in the disability community.