At Pacific Jewish Center we endeavor to share the light Judaism with the entire Beach Community. As we approach the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, the least we could do was wish the Venice Boardwalk a collective Shana Tova (A Good Year) to all the passersby. So I set up shop outside the Shul on the Beach on a Sunday afternoon. Read More »
From time to time, the Shul on the Beach hosts events on Sunday afternoons and evenings that are open to the public. Yesterday we hosted a Klezmer concert on the Beach and it was a smashing success! Dr. Ellie Goldstein’s close friend has been playing for Dr. Goldstein and his friends at Dr. Goldstein’s home for many years. Read More »
Living among Christmas Celebrators for almost my entire life, I have picked up on a notion of the “Holiday Spirit” that ushers in the Holidays of Christmas and New Year’s. Folks are generally more friendly and generous under the “guise” of Holiday Spirit. Read More »
When we think of 19th and early 20th century history, we think of everything in greyscale. It’s not our fault, picture and films from the era have clouded our ability to see those times in color. Much of that era’s Jewish history is captured in black and white photos from Europe. Read More »
Child Witches in Nigeria I saw this CNN article on a friend’s Facebook page. There is a severe humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. I don’t know how much we can do to help but I think the crisis is emblematic of social issues in our culture as well. Read More »
Here is something that will get you in the High Holiday spirit. Sometimes I see video on YouTube that I cannot help but share with you. This 13 second gem was sent to me by a friend. It appeals to my sense of humor. It actually made me laugh. Background story below… Enjoy. Read More »
This past Sunday I was in Baltimore MD (Birthplace of Eliyahu Fink and his son Rami) for a very unique occasion. My grandmother was celebrating her 70th birthday (that’s not so unique – right?) AND her recent Ph.D (yes – she just got her Ph.D). Read More »
I honestly cannot believe that this story still has legs. Silly me. I actually thought that if people knew the truth about Cordoba House they would simply cease to oppose its existence. Read More »
I bet Dr. Laura is not smiling quite as wide this morning. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is quitting the over-the-air radio business. She has been forced into a corner with no apparent way out. Her resigning was demanded in the wake of her comments to a caller in which she used racial slurs to illustrate a point. I am not defending Dr. Read More »
On Twitter, someone (HT below) linked to this Verizon ad. I confess to never seeing the ad on TV but I commend Verizon for putting their ads on YouTube. Sometimes ads are art. This is one of those times. I also admit to using Verizon for absolutely zero services. Read More »
I have visited a prison and a jail. (My Visit With Judith Clark at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility ) I have learned a lot about the failures of our current system of incarceration and it sickens me. As a (realtively) outspoken individual I have made my opinions known to anyone who will listen. I tell them that I am against prison in principle. Read More »
One of the more remarkable things that has occurred in the last 50 years is the shrinking of the world. Planes fly to even the most remote locations across the globe and high-speed fiber-optic cable connects the entire global community. I can virtually visit famous landmarks and have face to face conversations with people anywhere. Read More »
The MTA has approved a pretty powerful anti-Cordoba Center ads. Here is the ad: I find the ad obscene. It is provocative, misleading and presumptuous all in one. However, as much as the ICC has a right to exist, this ad has a right to exist as well. The same laws that protect the ICC, protect this obscene ad. Read More »
Way back in the embryonic stages of this blog I wrote about a father who was denied a birthday cake by a local Shoprite for his son’s birthday. The reason? The store refused to write the child’s name on the cake. That child’s name? Adolph Hitler Campbell. Read More »
This post has been cross-posted to DovBear: Don’t Judge A Group By It’s Extremists The Westboro Baptist Church practices and preaches an extremely fundamental version of Christianity. They hold that God punishes American soldiers in Iraq because there are “Gays in the military”. Read More »
As you can see I have added a widget to the sidebar that will allow you to “Like” Pacific Jewish Center on Facebook. If you read this blog you are part of the PJC community and you should definitely “Like” us. Read More »
This post has been cross-posted to DovBear: Islamaphobia and Cordoba House It seems that the Cordoba House in downtown Manhattan has cleared a major hurdle by winning a 9-0 vote of the Landmarks Conservation Commission. (NY Times link ) Conservatives and liberals seem to be at loggerheads on this particular issue. Read More »
This past winter I wrote an article about Felony Murder for a student run Law Journal at Loyola Law School. (Read: I’ve Been Published! My Article On Felony Murder Is Online ) In researching the subject of Felony Murder I was introduced to the case of Judith Clark by Professor Gilda Zwerman who accompanied me to visit with Judith. Read More »
I am visiting my hometown of Monsey NY this summer. My family still lives in Monsey so I always keep tabs on some the news and goings on in Monsey. This morning a fascinating post on LoHud.com (the Rockland County newspaper’s website). Read More »
Chai Lifeline is a nice Jewish organization that does amazing things for children with terminal diseases and other medical problems. They have a nice website where you can see their mission statement and some of the other things that they do here: Chai Lifeline . Their flagship program is called Camp Simcha. Read More »
An arab man lied to an Israeli woman about his ethnicity. After they “consummated the relationship” she discovered he was not Israeli, he was Arab. He was charged with rape. He has been sentenced to 18 months in jail. He will appeal. The headlines are scandalous. Read More »
This post has been cross-posted to DovBear: Dancing at Auschwitz Everyone has been talking about this video. Read More »
At sundown this evening, Jews all around the world will begin a 25 hour period of mourning. We mourn the loss of the great Temple in Jerusalem, and all that it symbolized. We lament the loss of our national unity and the special Temple connection. We hope and pray for a complete redemption and the messianic era of peace, harmony and sprirituality. Read More »
Last night I saw an interested post on Gizmodo.com, a favorite technology blog of mine. Google Maps has sattelite pictures of nearly the entire world. When you take pictures of everything, you’re going to catch some funny things. Read More »
I really like the Museum of Tolerance. The overall message of the museum is a message that I wholeheartedly agree with. Tolerance is a very important value in my worldview and the museum does a super job teaching that message. Read More »
This summer I took a class at Loyola Law School called Hate Speech Seminar. The course was very discussion based with some non-traditional law school reading. We also read the key First Amendment (Free Speech) cases and important Law Review articles on regulating hate speech. I learned a lot. Read More »
Photo: Baltimore Sun On Friday, my Bubby called me to tell me that I was quoted in the Baltimore Sun. My math teached, Mr. Paul Miller was officially recognized by the City of Baltimore for his amazing accomplishment of teaching for 75 years, and he’s not done yet! The Baltimore Sun did a nice write up and I was quoted at the end of the article. Read More »
This post has been cross-posted to DovBear: Rubashkin’s Lawyer On Claims of Anti-Semitism I was shocked when I saw this. If you read the frum papers you have been told that Rubashkin was singled out for being a Jew. We call this anti-Semitism. I have gone on record saying that I don’t see the anti-Semitism here. Read More »
A little while ago I read the unfortunately mis-titled book, Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean . I say unfortunately mis-titled because the book was excellent but it really was not about Jewish Pirates and certainly was not limited at all to the Caribbean. Read More »
Head over to DovBear for this post: An Appropriate Maharsha (If you don’t know who the Maharsha is, don’t bother…) Related posts: Bar Mitzva DIscussion Jewish iPhone Apps By RustyBrick Do You Like Reading Blogs? Read More »
By now you have all heard about my math teacher Mr. Miller. (Mr. Miller Was My Math Teacher at Ner Israel ) After being featured on WBAL TV and then (almost) every single Jewish blog, you certainly know about Mr. Miller’s longevity and success as a teacher. Last week, Mr. Miller was featured in an article in the Baltimore Jewish Times. Read More »
It only took 2 months. But in the time since I wondered on April 16, 2010 if there were any Orthroprax Rabbis (read: Orthoprax Jews and Orthoprax Christians ), an Orthoprax Rabbi has come out of the proverbial closet. Boy did he set off a firestorm. Read More »
So we finally made the big-time. Who is we? I am a student at the (now) well-known Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. After being featured on the snarky law blogs for a a little while, our curve adjustment made it into “The Gray Lady”. Yes, the New York Times thinks our school’s new curve is news worthy. Read More »
Cross-posted to DovBear: Harsher Sentences Are Not The Answer This is what the shoe feels like when it’s on the other foot. For decades, right-wing / republican / conservative / Judeo-Christian Valuists have talked a big game when it comes to fighting crime. Read More »
Cross-posted to DovBear here : There is a healthy nostalgia built into Judaism. “Chadesh yameni k’kedem” – renew our days to the way things were, we say. Of course, like any good thing, too much nostalgia is a bad thing. After reading the famous case of Brandenburg v. Read More »
Yesterday I wrote about my high school. (Mr. Miller Was My Math Teacher at Ner Israel ) I went to a pretty well known yeshiva high school but this kind of media exposure for Ner Israel is not too common. Of course I was proud so I told my sister to check out the video and article. Read More »
By now, you may have seen the great video and accompanying WBALtv.com article, about my math teacher Mr. Miller. It has been on VIN , Matzav and Frum Satire and I am sure plenty of other blogs as well. I’ve totally been scooped on this one. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parshas Korach Personal Responsibility Parshas Korach is famous for its tale of strife, conflict and ambition as the leadership of Klal Yisrael is called into question by Korach and his minions. Read More »
This week we read the story of Korach and his rebellion. The rebels were unhappy with the distribution of power in the Israelite camp and made their voices heard. Technically, Korach and his followers were mored b’malchus, they rebelled against the defacto king of the Jewish people in the desert, Moshe. Read More »
Photo: NY Times Mystery solved? I have been wondering about this for a while. Follow me on this journey from a 3000 year old story to current culinary trends…. As the Israelites sojourned in the desert for 40 years, the Torah tells us that they ate Manna. Read More »
In today’s LA Times there is a very interesting article about the Hijab and some Muslim women who have put a modern twist on the traditional Hijab. (What is Hijab? click here ) Most of us think of the black, shapeless head to toe covering when we think of the Hijab. Read More »
I love LA. Living in LA has its perks. You get great weather 300 days a year, really friendly neighbors, not too many bugs, plenty of excitement, just enough peace and quiet, the Lakers, and a Shul on the Beach (with a lucky Rabbi). Read More »
This summer I am taking two classes at Law School that explore many of the issues and themes of racism. I am extremely fascinated by racism, and ethnic hatred. I am still sorting out my feelings on a lot of the issues and I am really happy that I am being exposes to the everything that we are discussing in class. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parshas Shelach Dvar Hashem Baza Parshas Shlach Lecha is filled with lessons for eternity. Read More »
One of the most famous lines in any movie is uttered by the inimitable Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks in a League of Their Own. Dugan says to a player of his who is crying (and happens to be a woman) that “There’s no crying in baseball”. Read More »
Back in November I wrote about our local PBS station, KCET, coming to visit us one morning to be part of their Departures Online Series. (KCET Visits PJC and Interviews Me ). At the time, we were told that the project would be online in March or April. Not hearing from the producers since the interview I had a feeling that the project was dead. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parsha Beha’aloscha Nisunim Nisunim For three weeks we have been learning of the uniqueness, responsibility and leadership expected from the tribe of Yaakov and Leah’s third son, shevet Levi. Read More »
Cross-posted to Frumsatire.net This week we read Parshas Beha’aloshca. Aside from being the most difficult parsha to transliterate a bit of trivia is present. The famous verse “Vayihi b’nsoa ha’aron” is found in the parsha and in the sefer Torah (and most Chumashim) it is surrounded by an upside down letter nun. Read More »
I was almost too scared to watch this video clip. We’ve all seen images and video of the leak in the oil rig. We seen some horrific images of wildlife affected by the oil “spill”. But it’s hard to get a sense of just how massive this disaster actually is. Then I saw this time lapse video. Read More »
If you don’t think this is funny, you need to see a humor specialist to make sure your sense of humor is not malfunctioning. After a string of serious posts debating core issues of equality and discrimination, this post is a much needed respite from seriousness. Read More »
The Zen Master has spoken. (Again. Remember? The Zen Master Speaks on Curses, Karma and Mitzvahs ) When asked about the Arizona Immigration Law – state Senate Bill 1070, by ESPN.com columnist J.A. Adande, Jackson raised a few eyebrow. Read More »
Cross-posted to Frumsatire.net . The fourth book in the 5 books of Moses will be read in Shul this week. Each of these 5 books has 2 operative names. The first parsha of each book gives them their standard name. These names are Breishis, Shmos, Vayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim. Read More »
In a word, no. If you are like me, you have been reading about the Rubashkin saga for months. What began with a Federal raid at a meat processing plant to ferret out hundreds of illegal alien employees is now culminating with a federal and state trial. Read More »
A very similar post will be on DovBear soon. More discussion there. Nothing like a Supreme Court of the United States nomination to get me to blog again. Elena Kagan has been nominated for the SCOTUS. I have no opinion about her. I do have an opinion about some of the people opposing her… I have been planning a brief series on anti-semitism. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parsha Behar Bechukosai V’tzivisi Birchasi Giborei koach oseh Dvaro. The laws of Shmitta are well known as the barometer of personal and communal yiras Shamayim. Indeed. Read More »
One of my absolute favorite places in the world is the Library of Congress in DC. The architecture, decor and opulence of the building is stunning and I love it. There is however one part of the Library of Congress which I vehemently must disagree with. Read More »
Remember that short story? “The Most Dangerous Game”? Dangerous games are no longer fiction. They have become part of our never ending news cycle. It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I heard sad news today. A Santa Monica youth was found dead in his home. Cause of death? A game. The Choking Game. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parshas Emor U’shmartem V’asissem In parshas Emor (22: 32), we are warned, v’lo sichalalu es shem kadshi, not to create a chilul Hashem. Read More »
Sometimes you read something and you just need to share it. I read about teaching Philosophy to 2nd graders last week. I LOVE this idea. The NY Times ran a story last week about a new program at a Massachusetts charter school teaching 2nd graders philosophy. There are not learning the nuances of the different techniques of philosophers. Read More »
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series. Parshas Achrei Mos – Kedoshim V’lo Sissa Alav Cheit Parshios Achrei Mos and Kedoshim are chock full of mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro and bein adam l’Makom. Read More »
