Pico-Robertson 90035

Los Angeles, CA 90035
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Rabbi Nachum Shifren Runs For LAUSD Board

Posted by on Oct 29, 2008 in nachum shifren, Politics |

Here is his website.

Here is his platform:

No to Reconquista.

Replace “Multi-culturalism” with pride in America, its language and culture.

No to dumbing down curriculum; keep the standards high for the future of our country.

Deport illegal gang bangers destroying our schools.

Zero tolerance for terrorizing students and teachers.

Here is his picture:

When Rabbi Shifren is elected, he pledges an all-out war against student obesity and lack of fitness.

“I believe every board member has the obligation to PERSONALLY serve as an example of what it means to have a fit America, students with strong minds and bodies, ready and willing to carry the torch for future generations. Never before have our youth been so challenged, with all the issues they face. Being physically fit will enable them to confront all the stresses and difficulties they face with confidence and bolstered self-esteem. I intend to start jogging clubs at schools in the 4th District, and personally run with all the schools to encourage them on their own quest to better fitness.”

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Talking Politics In The Hood

Posted by on Oct 29, 2008 in Politics |

David Suissa writes:

The thing that stuck with me about my liberal buddies in those years was their extraordinary venom toward the Bush administration. Every cell in their bodies oozed contempt for the “reckless cowboy” who had become the sad emblem of their country. They craved a change in the White House more than a heroin junkie craves another fix.

Now sweep wipe two years later, and I’m sitting at a Shabbat table in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood with a group of politically savvy Orthodox Jews, and, not surprisingly, I’m getting a whole different take on who should occupy the White House.

Clearly, most of my Orthodox brethren are in the Republican camp. There are significant exceptions, of course, especially at the more liberal B’nai David-Judea Congregation, but it’s fair to say that the majority of Orthodox voters are an ideological world away from my liberal buddies at the Urth Caffé.

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Opposition To Strip Club ‘Skin’ At 3388 Robertson Blvd

Posted by on Oct 20, 2008 in Vice |

From the website robertsonstripclub.com:

It’s now been almost one year since our community began this fight. And despite early predictions from the club’s representatives, our opposition hasn’t blown over or been forgotten.

The overwhelming sentiment we are hearing expressed time and time again is that people feel that their reasonable requests for restrictions on the club’s operating permit should be heeded. There is enormous concern that the findings of the Hearing Examiner’s report be upheld.

Among suggested restrictions, those that we hear time and time again as being most important to you are:

1. That hours of operation should be restricted from 7pm to 12am on weekdays and from 4pm to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays
2. That there be NO SIGN on the property indicating the Club usage (suggestions of a small, brass plaque by the door have been made)
3. That the minimum age for a patron be raised to 19
4. That the SKIN Club police the surround area each morning to remove condoms and other paraphenelia
5. That the SKIN Club hire a bonded, licensed, independent private security firm to provide regular security patrol of the area during business hours and up to 1 hour after the club closes
6. That the Club engage in active dialogue between the owners and community leaders
What happens now?

On Wednesday October 15th, there will be a further hearing on this matter in front of the Police Permit Review Panel.

The hearing will be held downtown at Parker Center, as before, and begins at 2:30pm. Parker Center is located at 150 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012.

If you are interested in attending, and need a parking spot, please email the following information to victor.durazo@lacity.org no later than Tuesday 10/14 at Noon.

Subject: Strip Club Hearing
Name of driver
Type of car
Year and color of car
License plate #

The City Hall Parking is at 201 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012. Entrance is across the street from Parker Center.
What is this hearing about?

As posted below, the Police Permit Review Panel recommended at the last hearing that the Hearing Examiner, Mr. Mac Neil, should conduct an additional hearing into the specific concerns about crime and ownership that were raised by the community attorney, Mr. Pat Harris.

A small group of community leaders and our attorneys attended this additional hearing, and spoke on the community’s behalf. Complete details of the hearing can be found in Mr. Mac Neil’s second report. You can download that report here.

As you will see, Mr. Mac Neil agrees that there are significant questions about ownership and has recommended that the club’s owner, Mr. Woo Suk Yang, present himself in front of the panel on October 15th to answer questions.

We continue to be hopeful that we may eventually actually see or hear from the owner of this business, although to date the club has only ever been represented by his attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, and by his son, Stanley Yang (owner of Silver Reign on the WestSide) who attended the Hamilton Hearing.

What seems to be the issue? Is the panel asleep at the wheel?

This is a question we are hearing time and time again. We share your concerns, and find ourselves equally amazed that the Panel has not yet acted in accordance with the recommendations of the Hearing Examiner they themselves have appointed to hear the case and make recommendations. Our concerns have been well documented and supported, and we know that the club continues to have a history of behaving with a “selective” approach to city codes and rules.

We wish we had a better answer to this question, and remain hopeful that the Panel and the City Attorney will do the right thing in this case.

Has the club been breaking rules?

* In July, many of you called and emailed about the giant illuminated moving billboard advertisement that the club has been using, particularly when it was parked in front of the club at Earl Scheib, clearly circumnavigating city codes that require permitting for temporary signage, and causing significant additional distraction to drivers at a DANGEROUS intersection.

Thanks to your vigilance and efforts and a concerted writing campaign to Earl Scheib, we were able to ensure that the billboard is no longer parking in front of the club.

skin-billboard.jpg

  • Also in July, we heard from a number of you that the club was illegaly housing staff in a building they lease on Ellis Avenue (to the rear of the club.) Upon checking City records, we were able to verify that the certificate of occupancy for this building did not allow any residential use. The club was cited by Building & Safety and ordered to stop all residential use and undo the un-permitted dwelling unit they had created on the second floor. We agree with you that a “dwelling unit” which can be accessed through the back door of the club without ever being seen is not a good idea for an all-nude establishment, particularly one which has close and questionable ties to other clubs where prostitution has been a repeated problem.

We thank the hundreds of vigilant eyes, ears and cameraphones that continue to watch the club and inform us of their activities.

  • The neighbors immediately surrounding the club in Regent Square continue to regularly complain about finding used condoms and other adult materials on their sidewalks. Several reports have been made to Pacific Police Division, and we continue to monitor these incidents closely.

Neighbors tell us that they have found three times as many used condoms in the last year than in the 10 years prior to the club’s opening. Why should these residents pay the price?

  • Female employees who work at some of the businesses on Ellis Avenue behind the club have complained of being sexually harassed by club patrons on their way to and from their cars.

In one incident, a woman and her young daughter were the recipients of this unwelcome attention. Needless to say this is also of serious concern to us all.

So what happens next?

We attend the hearing on October 15th, and continue to put faith in the system which was created to protect and serve us.

BUT, we also acknowledge that this may be a long war, and although battles may be lost along the way, our proximity to the club and widespread level of continued concern makes us strong.

We’re not going away, and we’re not going to stop watching, listening, documenting and reporting.

With the economic downturn and impending recession, we’d be surprised if the club manages to stay in business over time, particularly with the poor reviews it receives online.

Can we picket the club?

Many of you have repeatedly raised the option of sustained, organized protests with Police protection outside the club.We know that many of the religious communities in our neighborhood have expressed interest in organizing their congregations for this purpose.

While this has not been our first choice of approach to date, it may become our strongest card moving forward. It’s hard to sustain a successful business in the face of such public protest.

Is there legal recourse open to us?

If we have reason to believe the the City of Los Angeles has not carried out its responsibilities as it should, this is always an option, and one that we continue to discuss with our attorneys.

Why are you so worried about this club and not all the other problems that we face?

We’re worried about those too. And we’re active in the community across the board. Many of us form part of your neighborhood council, and spend many hours volunteering on a monthly basis to address safety, crime, blight, “broken windows”, education, health, outreach and many other avenues of community concern. It’s not that we’re only concerned with this club, but we proudly admit that we tremendously concerned about our community, and that it should continue to grow and flourish in the best possible way. We feel this club poses a threat to that goal, and our collective efforts are a measure of the commitment we have all made to be proactive in our communities.

What can I do? I’m not prepared to give up on this…

We hear you, and agree with you. Here’s the good news:

This election year has brought out a strong sense of community responsibility and engagement in people across the country. People feel activated and determined to write their own destinies, not accept status quo. As community activists, we feel this on a daily basis. And we encourage you to get involved. It’s very, very hard to continue to deny the power of a motivated and activated community who is not afraid to raise its voice, or fight for its sanctity.

Our community remains galvanized on this issue, like no issue before. From our collected efforts to date, untold new connections and partnerships have been formed between residents, business owners, parents, teachers and neighborhood groups and as a result, we are stronger than ever before.

If you’d like ideas for how you can become more involved on this issue, and others facing our community, please email us.

Thanks for reading to the end. As always, we look forward to hearing from you and seeing you speak out to protect the place that you call home.

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This Is Chutzpah?

Posted by on Oct 19, 2008 in Music |

This is a 5 1/2 minute edit of the riotously funny ‘Hip Hop u Mentary about Chutzpah, the World’s First Ever Jewish Hip Hop Supergroup! Features cameos by Sharon Osbourne, Gary Oldman, Debi Mazar, and even Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard! The full length version is getting its world premiere at HBOs Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen this March:

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Dear Rabbi:

Posted by on Oct 19, 2008 in Personal, Rabbis |

David Deutsch emails:

So my first thought about your shul situation was an irate blog post.  Then I thought “Will that actually help?” and I decided instead to write a letter to your rabbi to try and convince him to change his mind.  Then I spoke about it to the missus, and when she got irate, I got irate again, and I thought “Why not write both?”  Then I realized thought, that if this little episode teaches us anything, it’s that we can’t make any promises of online anonymity.  So I’ve written this letter for your rabbi, which you can forward to him.  I find your situation personally frustrating, and–without knowing your rabbi or your relationship to him–I hope that the awesome power of my didactic writing can’t help but convince him to reconsider.
Of course, if you think it would be a bad idea, you know him better than me, so I’ll trust your judgment (and how often do you hear that?).

Dear Rabbi ________,

I’m writing this on behalf of Luke Ford, in the hopes that you will reconsider your recent decision to ban him from shul unless he places his blog under your hechsher. While I understand how frustrating it can at times be to deal with him, there are a number of issues both personal and professional which I hope you would take in mind, and have a little rachmones on him.

First of all, by way of introduction, my name is David Deutsch, and among other things, I’m both shomer Shabbos and the Humor Editor of Heeb Magazine. Like Luke, like every frum person working in journalism, I am regularly confronted by the challenge of whether or not I am violating halacha in what I do. We want to inform or entertain, but can we do that effectively if we can’t criticize or call attention to people’s misdeeds? Some days we go to bed feeling we’re on the side of the angels, some days we go to bed wishing we hadn’t written what we’d written, but you should not presume that these decisions are always made glibly or without due consideration, or that we don’t seek ways to perform our own teshuva. We hope that people take into consideration the full spectrum of our work, and treat us no differently than they would anyone else in another profession.

This raises another issue. To be sure, there is something very personal about putting your thoughts to paper (or screen) that makes what Luke does much harder to separate from who he is. Most shuls have a word for real estate owners who charge exorbitant rents, high-powered attorneys who represent crooks and crooked corporations, or CEOs who fire hundreds of workers and ship their jobs overseas—they call them “boardmembers.” Certainly, rabbis have a right and a responsibility to be interested in the behaviors of their mispallelim, but there should be a fair standard applied equally.

This approach only goes so far, of course. At the end of the day, Luke, like anyone, can’t simply rationalize his behavior by saying “other people are doing far worse.” So the question then is what is it what he’s done that’s so objectionable? Looking at the specific incident involving The Jewish Journal blog, I can certainly understand why you were upset with him. On the face of it, one can argue that he violated the privacy of a teenage girl. But let’s be fair here—the girl in question is a nascent journalist who, one presumes, hoped to use prurient interest in her “private” life to further her career. Arguably, once she decided to blog about her life, it really stopped being private. Still, she is a teenager, and teenagers should be cut a certain amount of slack. But is Luke really the one to blame here? While it may be said that she didn’t know better, or that anonymity should still be respected even on-line, it may also be argued that if anyone was at fault here, it was the grownups at The Jewish Journal, who sought to boost their own website by exploiting the not-so private life of the girl in question, and who should have known that on-line anonymity may be desired, but it certainly can’t be promised. Let’s face it—Luke has his good points, but he’s not exactly an NSA cryptographer. In figuring out who the blogger was, he was pretty much doing what anyone who actually pays attention to writing could have done. Was it something that he had to do? No. Was it newsworthy? In the sense that the The Jewish Journal created and hoped to exploit an interest in who the blog’s author was, yes. Should Luke have done it? That’s a much tougher call, but I don’t think that the approach you’ve suggested is the best way to answer it, or to guide him in the future.

Luke—like all of us—is definitely a work in progress, and he marches to the beat of his own drummer (and I would tell you that after having tried editing him once, I would very, very strongly warn against taking over a supervisory role over his writing). But let’s look at the balance of his work. A lot of what he writes about are things that frum Yidden should be writing about. I certainly don’t always agree with him, but I think that the Orthodox world suffers from a real lack of introspection, and it is a good thing for our body politic to have people like Luke who are willing to raise questions about the establishment, whether it’s rabbinical misconduct, skewed Federation priorities and policies, or just general hypocrisy and sanctimony. We do ourselves a real disservice if we tell our own voices to “shah, shtill” and leave the field of criticism to those who don’t necessarily have the best interests of the Torah world at heart. And say what you will about Luke, he does care about Torah and mitzvos. And indeed, the very fact that you would threaten to ban him from the shul shows that you know this, since it’s a threat that would be meaningless to anyone who didn’t care.

Rabbi, I don’t know you, and Luke, to his credit, wouldn’t give me either your name or the name of the shul. I don’t know what your relationship to Luke has been, so I don’t want to make any judgments. But in thinking about this situation, I was reminded of something that happened to me years ago. I was riding my bike, and was about to run a red light, when I realized there was an elderly woman at the corner, so I stopped to let her cross. Instead of doing so however, she started berating me. “Are you going to let me cross? Are you going to stop?” and so forth. My initial reaction was anger, since, after all, I had stopped. I realized at some point, though, that she wasn’t yelling at me; she was yelling at all the bikers who didn’t stop.

What’s the connection? I just want you to consider the possibility that your approach to Luke is guided perhaps by the type of frustration we all feel to the things we can’t change. We all want a more civil discourse in the public world, and have very little influence in creating it. We are constantly bombarded by people saying and publishing things that we’d probably be better off not knowing, and can’t do a thing about it. In Luke, you have someone who you can influence. And I think it’s worth taking the time to consider that fact that, while this blog isn’t just a hobby, it’s Luke’s parnosse, he used to have a blog that brought him a much more lucrative parnosse, and he gave that up. How many of your other mispallelim would be so willing to give up lucrative clients or accounts that were morally objectionable? We know that Luke actually does care about these things, or this issue wouldn’t have arisen in the first place. The question is “What’s the best way to convert that care into action?”

When that elderly woman yelled at me, it left me annoyed, not sympathetic or even particularly understanding. Had she taken those same moments to thank me for stopping, when so few bikers do, it would have given me a chizuk to do the right thing in the future. Luke doesn’t need to be berated, he needs chizuk. I beg you to reconsider your plan for Luke. I don’t think Luke needs censorship; I think he, like all of us, could use guidance. My real fear is that you’ll end up isolating him from the community, and rather than guiding him, you’ll instead leave him rudderless. Instead of an eitheror ultimatum, perhaps you could simply take the time each month to ask him what he’s working on, and if there’s anything he’d like to discuss. Luke will still have his community, and you’ll probably be able to be a positive influence on the really important matters, while saving yourself a huge hassle in dealing with actually editing Luke, a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, much less a strange rabbi who I believe wants the same thing that I do.

At any rate, I hope this gives you some food for thought (does that need to be consumed in the sukkah?), and that, as we recently asked from Hashem, you will find it in your heart to cancel your own stern decree. Gut yontiff,

Sincerely,

David Deutsch

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Jerry Friedman’s Thesis

Posted by on Oct 19, 2008 in Shalhevet |

Jerry is the founder and former moral leader at Shalhevet.

He did a one-year education degree at Harvard.

Joe emails:

Harvard does have a copy, they might send it to your local library for interlibrary loan. Found your blog when trying to find Sam Gomberg’s location for an old acquaintance from Downers Grove South. Back in ancient times Sam was quite the hit with young women. Friedman information is:

Friedman, Jerome.

A comparison of moral reasoning stage among Jewish day school and public school students / by Jerome Friedman.

1987

viii, 137 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.

HOLLIS: 001839313

Sam did have more than one good thing going for him–he married the most beautiful teacher I was ever cursed with having at Downers South–Donna Cameron.

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Pico-Robertson’s Many Egalitarian Minyans

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Prayer |

All the minyans at Beth Am (Conservative temple on La Cienega and Olympic) are egalitarian as is the Shtibl Minyan, a breakaway from Beth Am’s Library Minyan organized by American Jewish University professor Aryeh Cohen. Then there’s another egalitarian minyan that meets in different homes each Shabbat (boasts many members from AJU).

Within walking distance of Pico and Robertson, there are about 30 Orthodox shuls and more than 60 different Orthodox minyans.

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A Taste Of LimmudLA In Brentwood

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Limmud |

A couple of hundred people showed up to a beautiful home and succah Saturday night to make havdalah, eat good food, drink hot tea, mingle, and learn some Torah.

I took in a class by Rabbi Elliot Dorff on “The Ethics of Language.” He outlined Judaism’s views on proper and improper speech. It’s easy to see why he’s inspired scores of people to enter the rabbinate.

I wish people would be more respectful of our teachers, instead of chatting all through class and interrupting a dozen times with questions and comments. Answer a couple of questions, pose a couple of questions, fine, but don’t dominate. Leave that to our teachers. Oy!

Learn more about LimmudLA here.

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Getting My Priorities Straight

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Personal |

Gadi Pickholz emails:

Luke:

At least you are beginning to get some priorities right, despite being preoccupied with attrition rather than contrition. As a simple example, there is more scandal in Lawrence, Long Island right now than Pico Robertson has experienced in thirty years, but no one is blogging it like you attempt. It truly is better keeping this under the carpet and within the community, a fact you do not comprehend.
On the other hand, denial of what is occurring both on the rabbinic and sexual level damages the community greatly, but no one is willing to walk the fine line of informing the public precisely because people such as yourself have blown the boundaries so badly in the past.
So the community suffers.

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Don’t Expect Pico-Robertson Business To Rush Out To Get New ‘Ethics’ Certification

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Ethics |

Kosher businesses in Pico-Robertson already have four regular inspectors they have to deal with. I doubt any of them are rushing to sign up for this new program by the community’s Modern Orthodox rabbis.

The minimum wage already puts entry level jobs at a steep price to employers. Eight dollars an hour for a dishwasher? Many of these employees can’t survive on just 40 hours a week. That’s only $320 a week before taxes. They need to work 80 hours a week. But employers can’t afford to pay them overtime rates.

Numerous employers in Pico-Robertson have been fined by the state for not properly paying overtime. Lawyers will show an employer how best to get around these laws legally.

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Harold Schulweiss Honored

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in VBS |

From the Los Angeles Daily News:

ENCINO – He’s at an age when he could add “emeritus” after his title, but “retired” isn’t part of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis’ vocabulary.

The 83-year-old rabbi from Valley Beth Shalom isn’t lounging around his Encino home watching TV. Teaching, writing and speaking out about injustices and unkindness in the world continues to be a never-ending, full-time job.

“He is a magnificent human being. He’s a great Torah scholar and a man of great moral consciousness. He is an inspiration to me,” said Marcy Rainey, a member of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino who has known Schulweis for 14 years.

Schulweis will receive the John Allen Buggs Humanitarian Award for his interfaith leadership from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations on Thursday at a luncheon in Monterey Park.

Buggs was a civil-rights leader and was part of the commission from 1954 to 1967.

“I am particularly moved about the award, even though I’m a strong believer of the separation of church and state,” Schulweis said. “I’m not a guy who is a political individual. I was totally dumbfounded. I accepted with great delight.”

Schulweis founded a group called Jewish World Watch to monitor human-rights violations around the world. Among his efforts on that front last year was to offer solidarity with the Armenian community.

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America’s Leading Black Rabbi

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Politics |

Politico reports:

It seems a bit unfair to post this one on a Saturday, but McCain is up with a new radio spot, a version of his television ad linking Obama to various Chicago characters.

This one says Obama procured “$75,000 for his relative.”

“That’s your money Obama’s using. That’s unethical. Helping his friends with your tax dollars,” continues the narrator.

The line is a reference to the report that Obama, as a state senator, sent $75,000 in grants for adult literacy, counseling and youth programs at a nonprofit run by his wife’s first-cousin once removed, Caspars Funnye.

Funnye is much better known as America’s most prominent black rabbi, as the Forward reported.

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Chai Center Takes A Hit From The Jewish Journal

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Chai Center |

This article really hurt Schwartzie aka Rabbi Shlomo Shwarz. It hurt his fundraising. It hurt his feelings.

Yes, he did it to himself with his off-the-handle emails but who has not sent off emails that would be embarrassing if they were to be made public?

If you went to his High Holiday services, you wouldn’t have noticed any dropoff however. He was just as inspiring a teacher. The crowd was just as large. The cake and apples were just as sweet.

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Free Spirits Join The Stuffed Shirts For Hoshana Rabbah

Posted by on Oct 18, 2008 in Bnai David, Happy Minyan |

The Happy Minyan will take its joy to Bnai David Monday morning at 9 for a rocking Hoshana Rabbah prayer service replete with musical instruments.

“Why does the Happy Minyan have to dilute its simcha with those stuffed shirts at Bnai David,” groused one bloke.

I think both shuls will rock together and this concern above won’t be a problem.

The Happy Minyan is the only Orthodox shul where I consistently enjoy davening.

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Taking Yom Kippur Seriously

Posted by on Oct 13, 2008 in Judaism |

From Haaretz:

NEW YORK – “I did not need to ask for quiet during the long Musaf service on Yom Kippur,” the rabbi of a large Reform synagogue in Manhattan said yesterday. “The worshipers sat withdrawn inside themselves and they looked contemplative and worried.”

The rabbis of other large New York synagogues offered similar impressions of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Most of these are well-known, long-established synagogues – mainly Reform, some Conservative and a few Orthodox. They are located in an area between 60th and 90th Streets that is known for its wealthy synagogues.

“People said the U’Netane Tokef prayer seriously this year,” said Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Reform Movement’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on West 68th Street in Manhattan. “The words ‘who will be impoverished and who will be enriched,’ and ‘who will be laid low and who will be raised up’ resounded throughout the synagogue this year.”

And during the rabbis’ Yom Kippur sermons, the phrases Days of Awe, repentance, accounting for one’s acts all seemed to take on added significance in Manhattan synagogues.

The financial crisis and the stock market collapse clearly set the tone for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year. Many of the worshipers at these synagogues are leading brokers and bankers at Wall Street’s most respected financial institutions. Others are known for the millions they made from their local businesses.

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Restoring The Passion

Posted by on Oct 13, 2008 in R. Shmuley Boteach |

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach writes:

I personally find it difficult to sit through a long-winded service replete with a cantor yodeling even the most beautiful melodies. I have always been puzzled as to how a synagogue service ever became a one-man concert rather than something participatory which involves the whole community in singing. For that reason, I have always organized small High Holy Day services which, to be sure, are about reciting the whole davening but are also about discussion and explanation, which makes them inclusive and participatory.

But there seems to be a disturbing trend in Jewish life whereby individuals are being rendered passive. They sit and listen to the rabbi, they sit and listen to the cantor, the youth director prays with their kids while they sit in silent submission in the pews. And truth be told, this idleness is boring the heck out of most Jews and slowly killing off Jewish communal passion.

The writer is the founder of The Jewish Values Network which seeks to bring Jewish values to the mainstream Jewish and non-Jewish public. His upcoming book, The Kosher Sutra: Eight Sacred Secrets to Reca

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9000 Acres Burning In The San Fernando Valley

Posted by on Oct 13, 2008 in Fire |

Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

By Andrew Blankstein and Jennifer Oldham | 3:18 p.m.
Thousands in the Valley are driven from their homes. Thick plumes of smoke close parts of the 5, 118 and 210 freeways.
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Are Pico/Robertson Residents Nuts?

Posted by on Oct 7, 2008 in Blog |

Here’s an essay arguing they are. It concludes with a look at relative morality:

For example, theft is not considered wrong if the person doing the taking has a more serious need for the item taken. This is perhaps an embodiment of the scene in the popular movie, “Ushpazim” in which the protagonist steals a sukkah from a more well-to-do member of the community. For the past two (2) years, my family has erected a sukkah behind our apartment building that we have shared with our friends and neighbors. We take the observance of sukkot seriously and invest a lot of time, effort, and expense in building the sukkah and hosting. After the holiday, we store the frame in our garage. While the gate is often unlocked, the pieces are not visible from the street (one would have to be very close to see them) and upon cursory glance the frame does not appear to be anything more than ordinary steel poles. In fact, the poles have quietly resided in front of our car for 11 months. But, now mysteriously, someone has been taking the poles a few at a time. Sadly, this does not surprise us. The previous year, we had stored the thatch roof in the garage only to have it disappear two weeks before sukkot. The timing of both of these incidents makes it highly unlikely that some random person took the parts. The theft of these parts was deliberate. Someone is preparing to build their sukkah and knew exactly where to get free parts.

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Crime in Zip Code 90035

Posted by on Oct 7, 2008 in Crime |

Crime Date Address
Burglary Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 12:30 PM. 16XX S BEDFORD ST LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Saturday, Oct 04 2008. 04:30 AM. 61XX SATURN ST LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Saturday, Oct 04 2008. 03:45 AM. 88XX HORNER ST LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Friday, Oct 03 2008. 11:10 PM. 20XX S BEDFORD ST LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 10:00 PM. 8XX S SHENANDOAH ST LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 08:30 AM. 17XX S BURNSIDE AV LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 09:00 AM. 21XX S COCHRAN AV LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 07:00 AM. 23XX S CLOVERDALE AV LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Saturday, Oct 04 2008. 08:45 AM. 83XX BLACKBURN AV LOS ANGELES View details
Assault Friday, Oct 03 2008. 11:30 AM. 89XX VENICE BL LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Saturday, Oct 04 2008. 11:30 PM. 33XX CASTLE HEIGHTS AV LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Saturday, Oct 04 2008. 02:55 PM. 85XX BEVERLY BL LOS ANGELES View details
Assault Thursday, Oct 02 2008. 01:40 PM. 63XX W 3RD ST LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Friday, Oct 03 2008. 03:30 PM. 62XX W 3RD ST LOS ANGELES View details
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My Sunday Night

Posted by on Oct 5, 2008 in Music, Orthodox Union, YISBH |

Sunday night. It’s dark. My head aches. My stomach churns. I know i’m going to get killed as I walk to Young Israel of South Beverly Hills (at Shenandoah and Pico).

I walk down the street listening to the Philip Roth novel “Exit Ghost.” I swing my new $27 tripod in my left hand. I’m ready to be mugged and raped and chopped into little pieces in His infinite mercy.

Who shall live and who shall die.

What more appropriate for the skeptic than to get run through by a Christ-believing shvartze tonight?

I run into a girl on Sherbourne and Pico. She’s on her cell phone. I walk behind her. She’s scared. She stops. I walk past.

I get to shul. There’s a big kapparot sale and a big lulav and etrog sale.

I see people I know. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to buy. I don’t want to pay admittance.

I sneak into the shul. I don’t want any drama.

What’s the worst possible thing I could do right now? I mustn’t do it.

I set up near the front. I figure out my new tripod. I attach my camera.

The screen doesn’t work. Hasn’t worked right in about nine months.

Rabbi Kalinsky from the Orthodox Union walks in. They promoted the event.

Sheer terror grips me. I’m not up for any confrontation tonight.

There’s a girl. She didn’t answer my email. She didn’t make me her Facebook friend. Oh, the humiliation.

I make small talk. I want it to be over.

It’s over.

I bury myself in my book, “Gross National Happiness.”

I don’t want to talk to anybody. I’ll just say the wrong thing.

This isn’t about me. This is about Lior Kaminetsky and his violin and his parents and his band.

The show beings half an hour late.

I sit contorted on my chair but strive to let my neck be free, let my shoulders relax, and let my head rise up like a balloon.

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Chabad’s Plans For Pico/Robertson

Posted by on Oct 2, 2008 in Chabad |

Rebecca Spence writes:

Los Angeles — The ultra-Orthodox Chabad movement is famous for multitasking, with its religious services, schools and museums, but a new development in Los Angeles is taking Chabad in an unexpected direction: the commercial and residential real estate business.

Chabad of California is angling to build a massive, mixed-use development that would include a girl’s high school with its own dormitories, 32 residential condominiums, and seven retail shops, in the heart of the heavily Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood. The proposed complex — which is raising hackles amongst some neighborhood activists — would dwarf other existing buildings that line the pedestrian-friendly stretch of Pico Boulevard.

Hasidic sects are not new to the residential real estate business. The Satmars, for example, have long managed housing complexes in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. But Chabad has gotten into the act more recently.

The most glaring difference between the Satmar community — which has spread beyond the confines of Brooklyn and established itself in the Catskill village of Kiryas Joel — and Chabad is that Chabad is staking its claim within the urban confines.

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Crime In 90035

Posted by on Oct 2, 2008 in Crime |

Crime Date Address
Burglary Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 02:00 AM. 14XX S BEDFORD ST LOS ANGELES View details
Assault Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 08:00 AM. 17XX S GARTH AV LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Monday, Sep 29 2008. 08:45 PM. 12XX S SHERBOURNE DR LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Saturday, Sep 27 2008. 10:50 PM. 18XX S PREUSS RD LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Monday, Sep 29 2008. 01:00 PM. 19XX S SHERBOURNE DR LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 11:30 AM. 59XX W 18TH ST LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 07:30 PM. 20XX S SHERBOURNE DR LOS ANGELES View details
Robbery Tuesday, Sep 30 2008. 07:30 AM. 20XX CHARITON ST LOS ANGELES View details
Robbery Monday, Sep 29 2008. 02:00 PM. CADILLAC AND HALM LOS ANGELES View details
Robbery Saturday, Sep 27 2008. 09:30 PM. 24XX S HALM AV LOS ANGELES View details
Assault Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 09:15 PM. 16XX CARMONA AV LOS ANGELES View details
Assault Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 10:30 PM. 23XX S RIDGELEY DR LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Saturday, Sep 27 2008. 12:00 PM. 22XX S DUNSMUIR AV LOS ANGELES View details
Robbery Monday, Sep 29 2008. 03:15 PM. 5XX S FAIRFAX AV LOS ANGELES View details
Burglary Saturday, Sep 27 2008. 12:00 PM. 13XX S CLOVERDALE AV LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 08:00 PM. 15XX S SYCAMORE AV LOS ANGELES View details
Robbery Monday, Sep 29 2008. 06:30 PM. ADAMS AND REDONDO LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Saturday, Sep 27 2008. 04:00 PM. 10XX MEADOWBROOK AV LOS ANGELES View details
Theft Sunday, Sep 28 2008. 06:50 PM. 63XX W 3RD ST LOS ANGELES View details
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An Israeli-Style Restaurant Coming To Pico/Robertson

Posted by on Oct 2, 2008 in Restaurants |

The Kosushi / Fusion place is being remodeled to become similar to the Aroma Cafe in the Valley – an authentic Israeli style restaurant / cafe will be opening – great coffee and excellent Israeli foods – emphasis on the open hearth in which most of the foods will be baked / cooked.
Everything is being done by professionals and a top chef formerly from Aroma is a part of the owning group. Should be a great addition to the PicoRob scene.

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A Farewell From Avshalom Katz

Posted by on Oct 2, 2008 in beth jacob |

The Beth Jacob cantor emails the shul’s members:

My Dear Friends:

With tear-filled eyes, I write to you not a goodbye – but a l’hitraot for now.

Twelve years ago, I came anxiously and excitedly for my proba to be chazzan of Beth Jacob. I remember well exactly where I was when I got the call. I was in Tel Aviv, singing at a sheva brachot, when dear Oscar Schoenfeld, of blessed memory, called to tell me I was voted in as the next chazzan of Beth Jacob. It was a very bittersweet moment for me. On one hand, I dreamed of becoming your chazzan, and on the other hand, it meant my leaving Eretz Yisroel. I always have the belief that Hashem is with me and guides me and was telling me that quite possibly, my work in kiruv and spreading ahavat Eretz Yisroel was not finished, and it was my destiny to return to Los Angeles.

I served almost 12 years with pride and a sense of humility, given the opportunity to daven before HaKadosh Baruch Hu and serve as your Shaliach Tzibbur. I always had in mind, at every tefillah, that I was davening with and for my kehilla, with fullest kavanah in my asking Hashem to let me be a Meilitz Yosher to ask for your good health, your happiness, your parnasa tova and for Shalom al Yisroel.

I cannot believe twelve years have passed. Sharon and I came to Los Angeles with four young children. I leave you with our b’chor Shlomo being a respected Rav and Teacher and still spreading his beautiful music. Eitan is married to the lovely Malki and we are blessed with our nine month old grandson, Yosef, as Eitan learns in Kolel and spreads his beautiful music, Tali is a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse at Shaare Zedek and does her job with such passion, and Michali has her education degree and taught in Yerushalayim and also was one of the directors of the Bnei Akiva programs, TVI and Machach.

You – my precious kehillah have become my beloved friends and my family. We’ve shared so many s’machot and sadly many a difficult occasion, but we stood together and you’ve never let me down, and I hope I didn’t let you down. The shul is a vibrant and special congregation and I understand that a full time chazzan is necessary. I thank you for the z’chut of being your full time chazzan for ten years and thank you for the two years you gave me the opportunity of being your part time chazzan. I would be remiss if I didn’t do hakarat hatov to Rabbi Weil for being a wonderful Morah D’atrah, passionate supporter of Israel, and an honest friend. Dr. Steve Tabak, your president is a prince of a man, whom I’m forever in debted to. At this time, I would like to wish Netanel Baram, your incoming Chazan, hatzlacha rabah.

To you, every single person that sat in the front, in the balcony, on the right and on the left, I thank you for the privilege of serving you. I thank the Beth Jacob Choir for enhancing our davening, and for you, my friends, for singing along with me, and lifting me to higher heights in my davening. Sharon joins me in wishing you a Shana Tova U’Metuka, a year of sweetness, a year of shalom, good health and may Hashem shower each and every one of you with His blessings. Here in Eretz Yisroel, my home will always be open to you – my dear friends.

At the risk of sounding a little corny, I include here the parts of a song you all know well, sung by Frank Sinatra.

Goodbye for now and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Avshalom Katz
Rechov Motzkin 2 alef/5
Raanana, Israel 43144
054 7741755
eitankatz@aol.com

My Way
(P. Anka, J. Revaux, G. Thibault, C. Frankois)

And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and ev’ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

“Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way”

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The Burden Of Holiday Meals

Posted by on Oct 1, 2008 in Health |

David Suissa writes:

Here in Pico-Robertson, most of us have, I’m not kidding you, about 125 Thanksgiving-level meals a year. Do the math: Just the two Shabbat meals a week account for 104, and when you throw in all the annual holiday meals — which include, by the way, not one or two but eight elaborate meals for a holiday like Sukkot (four meals in the first two days and four more in the last two days) — well, that’s a lot of Zantac.

This injection of many millions of guest-honoring calories is one reason why people walk very slowly around here during the holidays.

But one observant Jew who never walks slowly is the trim and perky Deborah Rude (pronounced Ruday), one of the culinary rebels of the neighborhood. Rude, a mother of two, bills herself not as a dietician, but as a “livitician” (“Don’t diet, live it!” said the slogan on her business card).

I checked out her office the other day, and, as I pondered the display of flax seed oils, pumpkin seeds and other organic goodies, I couldn’t resist asking her if she remembered a specific moment when she snapped — when she knew that her future would be devoid of starch and protein overload.

It turns out that moment was six years ago, at a Shabbat lunch she was invited to in the Hancock Park area. As she recalls it now, all the food platters on the table had a variation of one color: brown. The overcooked potatoes, the kugel, the cholent, the chicken, even the green beans, she said, were “brownish.”

She promised herself that day that in the future, all her Shabbat meals would have lots of color, freshness and variety — and, most of all, be served in small portions. In fact, when she hosts her Shabbat guests today, she actually serves the portions herself and never leaves any tempting platters on the table.

“The less we eat,” she said, “the more energy we’ll devote to singing and speaking words of Torah.”

That noble sentiment is shared by another health rebel of our neighborhood: Susan Fink, a mother of four and a member of B’nai David-Judea Congregation.

Fink is hip to the dangers of caloric overload under the cover of religious celebration, but her big thing is the spiritual and physical value of exercise. She’s a personal trainer whose goal is “to promote a healthy lifestyle for mind, body and spirit.”

Many of her clients, she said, are fellow observant Jews who see exercise as a way to enable their continued indulgence of those neverending festive meals.

Fink tries to set them straight — “two bites of kreplach can be the equivalent of 30 minutes on the treadmill,” she warns them — but it’s not easy.

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